Well, the first thing I do is...

Recently, my friend and fellow ALT posted about her schedule and her various schools’ expectations and methods of approaching her about classes. I thought this would make a nice entry myself. So for all of you curious about what, exactly, a day in the life of an ALT is like, here is a rundown of a typical day for me:

7:00- Wake up

8:00- Leave for school

8:15- Arrive at school. In the strictest sense I’m supposed to be at school at 8:30, but I’ve found that most schools want me present at the morning meeting, despite being able to understand very little of what they are discussing.

9:00-12:30- Class time. Most of my mornings are spent at the elementary schools and I can have anywhere from two to four classes a day. Most of my schools that have me teach 1st-4th grade limit the class time to about 10 or 15 minutes while 5th and 6th constitute an entire 45-minute period. When I’m not teaching I do one of four things: plan for class, attend other classes, study for the JLPT, or write. Of those, I prefer going to other classes. There’s time elsewhere in my day for studying and writing and most of my lessons are already planned well in advance.

12:40-1:15- Lunch and teeth brushing. All but one of my schools has a lunchroom, which I’ve gathered is somewhat odd in Japan. Usually, students sit in groups by grade level, though there is one school that divides them into mixed groups. Some schools have me on a rotation that they’ve determined, ensuring I spend time with every grade or group equally, while others let me pick where to sit. Immediately following lunch is teeth brushing time. I brush my teeth with whichever group I had lunch with.

1:15-1:45- Recess. I try to stick with the grade I ate lunch with for recess, but the kids usually break off to do various things anyway and other students often approach me about playing with them instead. Popular recess activities include tag, jump rope, seesaw, soccer, hide and seek, and basketball. There are also a bunch of kids who want me to spin them, give them piggyback rides, or let them hang off my arms. Recess is usually the best part of any day.

1:45-1:55- Travel to junior high.

1:55-2:10- Cleaning time. Students in Japan are responsible for cleaning their own classrooms, a task I try to help them with every day. Just as with lunch, I try to visit various classes and areas to help them clean throughout the week. The kids usually have me sweep and move desks, though I’ve occasionally cleaned the board and washed windows. Once a week, we clean the floors with wet rags. I think the kids like me helping with that, as it’s probably the most physically demanding activity. Cleaning time is a good time for the kids to get a little English practice in or learn a few new words like cleaning, broom, etc.

2:20-4:10- More classes. It’s seemingly random whether or not I’ll have a junior high class on any given day, but I’m given a schedule for the week so there are never any surprises. Junior high classes are worlds apart from elementary. I’m always T2, or assistant, at the junior high and while I’ve made a few worksheets for class, I’m not responsible in any way for their planning or implementation. Honestly, I prefer elementary over junior high, though I know some have the opposite mindset. The same things about free time apply to this part of my day as well, though I’m a bit more likely to eschew classes for study or writing.

4:10-4:30- Prepare for sports activities. During this time, my students are having their last homeroom class. I use the time to get my things packed and change into sportswear.

4:10-???- Club activities. Depending on the time of year and a number of other factors, club activities can run anywhere from 5:30 to 7:00. On Mondays and Tuesdays, I have to leave around 5:30 for my study session and elementary kendo respectively. I don’t do club activities Friday, as I have to drive out to Kuratake to get Amanda from the port. I rotate which club I go to every day. With seven clubs, this means I visit each one about once every week and a half.

6:00-???- Evening activities. On Tuesdays, I practice kendo with the elementary kids until 8:00. Monday’s study session is “scheduled” until 9:00, but we’ve been calling it a night around 8:30. With a twenty-minute drive back home, this usually means I get back home around 9:00 anyway.

???-11:30- Me time. Depending on the day, I’ll get home anywhere from just after 4:00 to 9:00. My house is in a constant state of ruin, so I try my best to tidy it up a bit. I chat with Amanda over Skype every night. I may also read manga, study, write, watch TV, etc.

11:30- Sleep. I remember a time when I could stay up until 2:00 or 3:00 and be fine the next day, but no longer. I’d feel old if I didn’t know my exhaustion was from running around with spastic children all day.

So, there you have it. I don’t know if my experience is what you would call average, but with so many different positions and ALT personalities, I don’t really think there is such a thing. I’m just trying to make the best of the time I have left here and while the work is exhausting, it’s very rarely boring. I love my job!