(no subject)
My little social network is quickly eroding, with nearly everyone I know jetting off (literally) at the end of this school year (the end of March). One amazing benefit of living in Japan is I have a more diverse group of friends, the downside is that most don't stay for more than a year. But I digress. A new school year is time for a fresh new start and I'm excited.
I even have goals! Wow, amazing!
1. Be a better teacher.
How - Books
My first year and a bit of teaching was mostly finding my feet and closely following ECC lesson plans, while throwing in my occasional idea to spice it up. I've gotten to the point where I feel comfortable in front of a class, but I think I'm near the end of solving classroom problems with my own know-how. So I've ordered some books off Amazon which get here Wednesday, and I will read and try to implement some things.
How - Take a Page from Juliana
Honestly, I love Juliana and am endlessly amazed by how much effort and fun she puts into her classes. I actually get jealous sometimes when I read her posts that I didn't get to be in her class and have fun painting boats or writing poems. So next year, I'm going to take those premade lesson plans home and expand on them. Inject a little creativity. And I don't care if it's anti-cultural or whatever, but Japanese people need the creativity. It's beaten out of them. I've seen mothers chastise their kids for coloring a picture of a cat pink to the point of tears. A common saying here is "the nail that sticks out gets hammered down." What of the cupcakes and rainbows? Which reminds me....
What - More than English
One thing that I realized a while ago is that no one will learn English in any significant way in my kids classes. I have each class of kids for about one hour for 35 weeks, which is basically one school week total. It can be kind of depressing, because none of them can actually speak English, and they forget a lot between weeks. I hope I've provided other things, like the realization that foreigners aren't scary, it's okay to be silly sometimes, and it's not OK to hit one another (even if your parents do it....). I'd like to expand on that a bit, like setting higher standards for yourself (I'm a little lax) and having students help each other more. How will I do this? I'll tell you after I read the books....
2. Answering e-mails, comments, facebook messages....
I am god awful at replying. I excitedly open messages and read them, and obsessively check my facebook comments, but I don't reply. So from now on - I can't read it unless I reply RIGHT then.
3. Stop avoiding the future.
I tend to deal with the scary future by pretending it will never be the present. Which hasn't worked out so well so far. I don't know why I do this, but even when I was a kid I was convinced I couldn't be older than 16. I was also convinced I couldn't be in Japan. And always...the future comes. I don't have one single things I'm sure I want to do, but I've narrowed it down.
a. Apply to TESOL college degrees. I enjoy this job. I feel like I am somewhat talented at it. Just need the skills.
b. Apply to the government.
c. Apply to the Canadian Mental Health Association and jobs in the psychology department of hospitals.
d. Apply to a geriatrics college program. I enjoy interacting with them.
4. Do yoga at the gym. Totally doable.
I can't wait for the new fresh start....which strangely coincides with the sumo tournament...woot, woot!
I even have goals! Wow, amazing!
1. Be a better teacher.
How - Books
My first year and a bit of teaching was mostly finding my feet and closely following ECC lesson plans, while throwing in my occasional idea to spice it up. I've gotten to the point where I feel comfortable in front of a class, but I think I'm near the end of solving classroom problems with my own know-how. So I've ordered some books off Amazon which get here Wednesday, and I will read and try to implement some things.
How - Take a Page from Juliana
Honestly, I love Juliana and am endlessly amazed by how much effort and fun she puts into her classes. I actually get jealous sometimes when I read her posts that I didn't get to be in her class and have fun painting boats or writing poems. So next year, I'm going to take those premade lesson plans home and expand on them. Inject a little creativity. And I don't care if it's anti-cultural or whatever, but Japanese people need the creativity. It's beaten out of them. I've seen mothers chastise their kids for coloring a picture of a cat pink to the point of tears. A common saying here is "the nail that sticks out gets hammered down." What of the cupcakes and rainbows? Which reminds me....
What - More than English
One thing that I realized a while ago is that no one will learn English in any significant way in my kids classes. I have each class of kids for about one hour for 35 weeks, which is basically one school week total. It can be kind of depressing, because none of them can actually speak English, and they forget a lot between weeks. I hope I've provided other things, like the realization that foreigners aren't scary, it's okay to be silly sometimes, and it's not OK to hit one another (even if your parents do it....). I'd like to expand on that a bit, like setting higher standards for yourself (I'm a little lax) and having students help each other more. How will I do this? I'll tell you after I read the books....
2. Answering e-mails, comments, facebook messages....
I am god awful at replying. I excitedly open messages and read them, and obsessively check my facebook comments, but I don't reply. So from now on - I can't read it unless I reply RIGHT then.
3. Stop avoiding the future.
I tend to deal with the scary future by pretending it will never be the present. Which hasn't worked out so well so far. I don't know why I do this, but even when I was a kid I was convinced I couldn't be older than 16. I was also convinced I couldn't be in Japan. And always...the future comes. I don't have one single things I'm sure I want to do, but I've narrowed it down.
a. Apply to TESOL college degrees. I enjoy this job. I feel like I am somewhat talented at it. Just need the skills.
b. Apply to the government.
c. Apply to the Canadian Mental Health Association and jobs in the psychology department of hospitals.
d. Apply to a geriatrics college program. I enjoy interacting with them.
4. Do yoga at the gym. Totally doable.
I can't wait for the new fresh start....which strangely coincides with the sumo tournament...woot, woot!