Another school down, three more to go.
Today was likely the most disgusting day EVER. During every class save one I sweated rather disgusting and embarrassing amounts, and then inbetween classes I was mostly okay. And the teachers, mostly, were very sweet and ahaha. Well, the ones that I didn't want to smack with mallets for the past three years were great.
This school's always been a complicated one for me. They always have me teaching the kids pretty simple stuff and doing pretty simplistic games, which is fine, except this is the school that encourages English outside the ALT times. These kids have really easy lessons with me, and while I think repetition is key in learning, there is a point where I think the kids NEED the challenge. But there is only so much you can do when they SERIOUSLY only ever tell you what's going on in class MAYBE three minutes before. And that's on a good day when the teachers like me.
I think they are still butthurt over last month*. To be honest, while I really love some of the staff at the school (like the ones who treated me like a human being and not the English monkey), I am not sad to leave the rest. There are two in particular who rather upset me there, and the stress of having to work with them is beautifully gone, thank you GOD. I tried to not get vexed with them, but seriously! Not telling me WHAT I AM DOING IN ADVANCE EVER was rather stressful for me. Especially when they WANT ME TO MAKE A GAME. Now, mind you, I've gotten better at planning things ten minutes into TEACHING a class, but it is still totally unfai to expect this of me. Some lessons require planning. Mind you, I don't think they ever expect me to do that anymore, but I can come up with some DAMN GOOD LESSONS when I have the time to prepare and teach them. (I think I ruffled feathers when I didn't sing songs, when I first started teaching here I was like "WTF IS THIS??" and since then I am all "YAY SONGS!" But I've started bringing my own songs with me, and ANYTIME anyone wants to do head and shoulders, I bring my own copy because it is exactly they was I like it, the first time through slow, then speeding up through a few more verses. And considering how many different times I've heard this song, and it's varients--including a DIFFERENT TUNE--I think I'm allowed. ALSO: WTF An ABC song that is bizzarely different?? I accept it when there are changed words, but when it's the EXACT SAME, I don't understand why they are doing it. Then again, I don't undetstand a LOT of things some days.)
Today? They didn't even TALK to me about the lesson plans. About two weeks ago, the kindergarden called and said that I'd have class during thier sankanbi (Parent's day, and likely misspelled haha), so I asked kyoto-sensei to call Meki and ask them for plans too. I had FEARS of being involved in THAT school's sankanbi. So they sent plans to me, and that was that. Then today? Apparently, faxing me ahead of time was ALL THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE, as NO ONE talked to me about the lesson plans. Which, is just. . . ARG. Really. I know that everyone talks about how you should approach teachers about team teaching lessons, but I have NEVER felt comfortable about that since I was totally shot down about that in my first year. ("We'll let you know when we need you.") Mind you, that was at the junior high, but it is a feeling that has carried through to all of my schools here in Kuse.
Hopefully, this will change at the new one.
Anyway, there was some good about today. While the kids seemed pretty uncaring in reguards to me leaving (I think that's just they way things are at my bigger schools), there were teachers that did care. I will not forget these people either, and that is ANOTHER letter that I need to write. (Although really, I should write one to the tea lady who moved there from the Junior high, as I love her and she's wonderful<3, and to the First grade teacher, but SADLY I am not 100% certain of the teacher's name, because I am SHIT with names. UGH FAIL) The staff gave me a REALLY lovely present, and I was honestly quite moved. However, the gesture was kind of ruined by the one teacher who HATES me (it's okay, I don't really care for her much), who totally snubbed me, while everyone else was looking at me as I spoke today, she completely ignored me. AHAHAHA, thanks lady, you kind of fucked up everything today. You and the humidity.
And now. . . . I will share something hilarious.
Okay so Sasuke-hime Monogatari (The Story of Princess Sasuke) is one of our circle's books. We did a run of fans for the books as an omake of sorts, and I took it to two of my classes today because I was REALLY hot and it helped a little to have a fan to fan myself with. The 1+2 graders didn't care about it, but the 3+4 graders were obsessed. Throughout the ENTIRE class they tried to grab the fan, trying to see what was on it. I was trying not to show it off, what with Sasuke being in a princess dress (which MAKES SENSE, I swear, the whole book is a gag book and it's FUNNY), because um, that'd be hard to explain.
The students would not leave it alone either, they just kept clamouring to see it, yelling "IS IT NARUTO? IT'S NARUTO, ISN'T IT? YOU LIKE NARUTO" to which I am all like "Kids, my love for your favorite anime has NEVER been something I've hidden." And at the end of class? I was SWARMED BY ALL THE STUDENTS into the science room, trying to keep the fan from them. XD I enjoyed it, and it was fun, but OMG. The fact that they were attacking me and swarming me and thier TEACHERS did NOTHING? Sigh. SIGH.
But it was kinda fun. Afterwards I signed a bunch of notebooks. XD And drew a bit too. Oh lol, kids.
Anyway, I owe that school brownies, must remember to ask kyoto-sensei about that tomorrow.
Now? Shower and sleep. XD At last!
This school's always been a complicated one for me. They always have me teaching the kids pretty simple stuff and doing pretty simplistic games, which is fine, except this is the school that encourages English outside the ALT times. These kids have really easy lessons with me, and while I think repetition is key in learning, there is a point where I think the kids NEED the challenge. But there is only so much you can do when they SERIOUSLY only ever tell you what's going on in class MAYBE three minutes before. And that's on a good day when the teachers like me.
I think they are still butthurt over last month*. To be honest, while I really love some of the staff at the school (like the ones who treated me like a human being and not the English monkey), I am not sad to leave the rest. There are two in particular who rather upset me there, and the stress of having to work with them is beautifully gone, thank you GOD. I tried to not get vexed with them, but seriously! Not telling me WHAT I AM DOING IN ADVANCE EVER was rather stressful for me. Especially when they WANT ME TO MAKE A GAME. Now, mind you, I've gotten better at planning things ten minutes into TEACHING a class, but it is still totally unfai to expect this of me. Some lessons require planning. Mind you, I don't think they ever expect me to do that anymore, but I can come up with some DAMN GOOD LESSONS when I have the time to prepare and teach them. (I think I ruffled feathers when I didn't sing songs, when I first started teaching here I was like "WTF IS THIS??" and since then I am all "YAY SONGS!" But I've started bringing my own songs with me, and ANYTIME anyone wants to do head and shoulders, I bring my own copy because it is exactly they was I like it, the first time through slow, then speeding up through a few more verses. And considering how many different times I've heard this song, and it's varients--including a DIFFERENT TUNE--I think I'm allowed. ALSO: WTF An ABC song that is bizzarely different?? I accept it when there are changed words, but when it's the EXACT SAME, I don't understand why they are doing it. Then again, I don't undetstand a LOT of things some days.)
Today? They didn't even TALK to me about the lesson plans. About two weeks ago, the kindergarden called and said that I'd have class during thier sankanbi (Parent's day, and likely misspelled haha), so I asked kyoto-sensei to call Meki and ask them for plans too. I had FEARS of being involved in THAT school's sankanbi. So they sent plans to me, and that was that. Then today? Apparently, faxing me ahead of time was ALL THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE, as NO ONE talked to me about the lesson plans. Which, is just. . . ARG. Really. I know that everyone talks about how you should approach teachers about team teaching lessons, but I have NEVER felt comfortable about that since I was totally shot down about that in my first year. ("We'll let you know when we need you.") Mind you, that was at the junior high, but it is a feeling that has carried through to all of my schools here in Kuse.
Hopefully, this will change at the new one.
Anyway, there was some good about today. While the kids seemed pretty uncaring in reguards to me leaving (I think that's just they way things are at my bigger schools), there were teachers that did care. I will not forget these people either, and that is ANOTHER letter that I need to write. (Although really, I should write one to the tea lady who moved there from the Junior high, as I love her and she's wonderful<3, and to the First grade teacher, but SADLY I am not 100% certain of the teacher's name, because I am SHIT with names. UGH FAIL) The staff gave me a REALLY lovely present, and I was honestly quite moved. However, the gesture was kind of ruined by the one teacher who HATES me (it's okay, I don't really care for her much), who totally snubbed me, while everyone else was looking at me as I spoke today, she completely ignored me. AHAHAHA, thanks lady, you kind of fucked up everything today. You and the humidity.
And now. . . . I will share something hilarious.
Okay so Sasuke-hime Monogatari (The Story of Princess Sasuke) is one of our circle's books. We did a run of fans for the books as an omake of sorts, and I took it to two of my classes today because I was REALLY hot and it helped a little to have a fan to fan myself with. The 1+2 graders didn't care about it, but the 3+4 graders were obsessed. Throughout the ENTIRE class they tried to grab the fan, trying to see what was on it. I was trying not to show it off, what with Sasuke being in a princess dress (which MAKES SENSE, I swear, the whole book is a gag book and it's FUNNY), because um, that'd be hard to explain.
The students would not leave it alone either, they just kept clamouring to see it, yelling "IS IT NARUTO? IT'S NARUTO, ISN'T IT? YOU LIKE NARUTO" to which I am all like "Kids, my love for your favorite anime has NEVER been something I've hidden." And at the end of class? I was SWARMED BY ALL THE STUDENTS into the science room, trying to keep the fan from them. XD I enjoyed it, and it was fun, but OMG. The fact that they were attacking me and swarming me and thier TEACHERS did NOTHING? Sigh. SIGH.
But it was kinda fun. Afterwards I signed a bunch of notebooks. XD And drew a bit too. Oh lol, kids.
Anyway, I owe that school brownies, must remember to ask kyoto-sensei about that tomorrow.
Now? Shower and sleep. XD At last!