when everybody seems to be outside
School so far has been an interesting experience. Most of the kids have gotten into the habit of saying 'hello' instead of 'konnichiwa' when they see me around school, and i'm slowly beginning to settle into the school rhythm.
I still have around four or five introductory lessons to go before all the regular english classes start, but each introductory class has gotten a little better as i've gone along. Also, with each class i realise just how unprepared i was for teaching, but at the same time, each week i learn a whole lot about each class and the sorts of things i need to work towards.
The Japanese English system is very heavily based on reading and writing, so as expected, the speaking level of most of the students is reasonably low. Even their reading and writing level is geared towards memorising odd grammar rules and sentence patterns so as to pass exams, which means that many students don't even view english as a language, which means it can be very difficult for them to write their own sentences in english.
***
Most of the students here are really interested in me, especially the girls.
They call out to me from windows, they wave to me from way down the hall, and i catch girls staring at me in class, too.
Everyone told me it was going to hapen, but it's still going to take some getting used to.
***
I've been reading a lot in Japanese, which is something of a challenge.
At the same time though, when you can read a passage in another language and actually picture what's written, it's an incredibly rewarding feeling.
The thing is, i feel so early into my Japanese reading life that i wonder if i'll even notice the change in writing style when i move onto my second and third books. Obviously different authors are going to be different in their approach to telling stories, so it occurred to me the other day: is my japanese at a level where i can pick up on these differences?
I guess we have to leave that one to time.
***
But as the days roll on, i feel a little more a part of the life i'm living
---
'i really want to show myself that i can take these chances'
I still have around four or five introductory lessons to go before all the regular english classes start, but each introductory class has gotten a little better as i've gone along. Also, with each class i realise just how unprepared i was for teaching, but at the same time, each week i learn a whole lot about each class and the sorts of things i need to work towards.
The Japanese English system is very heavily based on reading and writing, so as expected, the speaking level of most of the students is reasonably low. Even their reading and writing level is geared towards memorising odd grammar rules and sentence patterns so as to pass exams, which means that many students don't even view english as a language, which means it can be very difficult for them to write their own sentences in english.
***
Most of the students here are really interested in me, especially the girls.
They call out to me from windows, they wave to me from way down the hall, and i catch girls staring at me in class, too.
Everyone told me it was going to hapen, but it's still going to take some getting used to.
***
I've been reading a lot in Japanese, which is something of a challenge.
At the same time though, when you can read a passage in another language and actually picture what's written, it's an incredibly rewarding feeling.
The thing is, i feel so early into my Japanese reading life that i wonder if i'll even notice the change in writing style when i move onto my second and third books. Obviously different authors are going to be different in their approach to telling stories, so it occurred to me the other day: is my japanese at a level where i can pick up on these differences?
I guess we have to leave that one to time.
***
But as the days roll on, i feel a little more a part of the life i'm living
---
'i really want to show myself that i can take these chances'