It's a Beautiful Day
So before this high goes away and I get smacked with another good dose of gaijin reality, I would like to report that my lessons today and yesterday were moderate successes. No one was clamoring for me to stay and teach more English, but I didn't feel like jumping out the window and taking off for the airport either.
I've taken a new approach to teaching the older elementary kids (all 6th and 5th grade classes and some 4th grade) in that I now teach the lessons speaking absolutely NO Japanese. Not a word. And let me tell you right now, it's hard. It's hard because the teachers don't speak English and the students don't understand English, so the the urge to use Japanese just so they can understand the simplest instructions is very, very high. Here's an example of a simple instruction that no one understands: "Make groups." Imagine, if you will, the poor gaijin teacher standing in front of the class, clasping her hands together again and again in front of her chest while saying gibberish. This is what I look like while trying to get the students into groups. Every single eye on me looks on in total confusion. The teachers have a panicked expression while the students giggle slightly wondering if I'm making some weird gaijin joke (I'm even funnier if I get exasperated.)
Eventually I had to get the class to stand up (only half of the class even understood "stand up" without hand motions) and I moved every single one of their desks around by hand until they finally got it. Then they proceeded to take the groups apart that I had made and got into their pre-designated Japanese class sub-groups. God, it was like pulling teeth. I did have fun moving the desks around though. It was like playing Tetris only without the awesome music.
Ten frustrating minutes later, everyone was in groups. And then we proceeded to play an Ann Original: "Guess if This Animal is Real or Not."
These are the animals I used:
Real: kiwi, narwhal, giant squid, angler fish, okapi, blue-footed boobie, dodo, platypus
Not real: jackalope, yale, allocamelus, hippocamp, fur-baring trout, cockatrice, skvader
I printed the pictures out in full color and brought them, a world map, and six sets of Yes and No cards to class. I asked them to make to make groups (yeah, this was the hardest part of the whole thing, sheesh.) While they were making the groups, I gave each group a set of Yes and No cards and then I put the world map up on the board and drew a big maru on top of it. Then I drew a line straight down the middle of the board and drew a picture of a TV, a book, and a stick person on the other side with a big batsu above them. Then I showed them a picture of a lion and asked "What is this?" They said lion. Then I said "Lion lives in Africa" and indicated Africa on the map. Then I showed a big picture of Pikachu and said, "What is this?" They answered Pikachu and giggled insanely. I put Pikachu on the batsu side and said "Pikachu lives in the TV" and indicated the TV on the board. I then showed them the blue-footed boobie and said "Boobie. Where does it go? Real?" I indicated the right side of the board. "Or not real?" I indicated the left side of the board. By then everyone was yelling out "Oru, oru!" which basically means "it exists." I nodded and said "Yes!" and placed it on the right side of the board (I don't care if the kids use Japanese, but I respond to them only in English.) Then I showed them the Yale and this time asked them to use their Yes/No cards. And the game just continued from there.
This, I have to say, went over quite well. The kids did seem to enjoy looking at pictures of strange animals and wondering if they can possibly be real or not. I was surprised at what they thought was and wasn't real. The narwhal, for example. All the groups but one said it wasn't real and were quite shocked when they found out it was real. So I did teach something. It's not practical English and I know this, but I did do my part for Internationalization as almost all the animals live outside Japan.
We then moved on to more practical things. I taught the phrase "Who is this?" and "Is this ~?" by using pictures of famous people. They seemed to enjoy that as well.
All in all, this was so much better than teaching English names of professions. The kids hate repeating after me and I hate making them repeat after me. I have no idea what I'm going to do with the 5th years next semester though (they'll be 6th years then... oh God) but that's not for three months, so I'm just going to relax until then. My two toughest crowds are finished now and the semester isn't even half over. I'm glad I got them out of the way early.
The best part of the day, though, was after the lesson when I went out to the field to see the 1st years flying kites! The kids were so cute and everyone wanted me to see their kite. Someday these sweet, cute little kids are probably going to become monstrous 5th years and make some ALT's life miserable, but for now I love them so very much. Cuties.
I've taken a new approach to teaching the older elementary kids (all 6th and 5th grade classes and some 4th grade) in that I now teach the lessons speaking absolutely NO Japanese. Not a word. And let me tell you right now, it's hard. It's hard because the teachers don't speak English and the students don't understand English, so the the urge to use Japanese just so they can understand the simplest instructions is very, very high. Here's an example of a simple instruction that no one understands: "Make groups." Imagine, if you will, the poor gaijin teacher standing in front of the class, clasping her hands together again and again in front of her chest while saying gibberish. This is what I look like while trying to get the students into groups. Every single eye on me looks on in total confusion. The teachers have a panicked expression while the students giggle slightly wondering if I'm making some weird gaijin joke (I'm even funnier if I get exasperated.)
Eventually I had to get the class to stand up (only half of the class even understood "stand up" without hand motions) and I moved every single one of their desks around by hand until they finally got it. Then they proceeded to take the groups apart that I had made and got into their pre-designated Japanese class sub-groups. God, it was like pulling teeth. I did have fun moving the desks around though. It was like playing Tetris only without the awesome music.
Ten frustrating minutes later, everyone was in groups. And then we proceeded to play an Ann Original: "Guess if This Animal is Real or Not."
These are the animals I used:
Real: kiwi, narwhal, giant squid, angler fish, okapi, blue-footed boobie, dodo, platypus
Not real: jackalope, yale, allocamelus, hippocamp, fur-baring trout, cockatrice, skvader
I printed the pictures out in full color and brought them, a world map, and six sets of Yes and No cards to class. I asked them to make to make groups (yeah, this was the hardest part of the whole thing, sheesh.) While they were making the groups, I gave each group a set of Yes and No cards and then I put the world map up on the board and drew a big maru on top of it. Then I drew a line straight down the middle of the board and drew a picture of a TV, a book, and a stick person on the other side with a big batsu above them. Then I showed them a picture of a lion and asked "What is this?" They said lion. Then I said "Lion lives in Africa" and indicated Africa on the map. Then I showed a big picture of Pikachu and said, "What is this?" They answered Pikachu and giggled insanely. I put Pikachu on the batsu side and said "Pikachu lives in the TV" and indicated the TV on the board. I then showed them the blue-footed boobie and said "Boobie. Where does it go? Real?" I indicated the right side of the board. "Or not real?" I indicated the left side of the board. By then everyone was yelling out "Oru, oru!" which basically means "it exists." I nodded and said "Yes!" and placed it on the right side of the board (I don't care if the kids use Japanese, but I respond to them only in English.) Then I showed them the Yale and this time asked them to use their Yes/No cards. And the game just continued from there.
This, I have to say, went over quite well. The kids did seem to enjoy looking at pictures of strange animals and wondering if they can possibly be real or not. I was surprised at what they thought was and wasn't real. The narwhal, for example. All the groups but one said it wasn't real and were quite shocked when they found out it was real. So I did teach something. It's not practical English and I know this, but I did do my part for Internationalization as almost all the animals live outside Japan.
We then moved on to more practical things. I taught the phrase "Who is this?" and "Is this ~?" by using pictures of famous people. They seemed to enjoy that as well.
All in all, this was so much better than teaching English names of professions. The kids hate repeating after me and I hate making them repeat after me. I have no idea what I'm going to do with the 5th years next semester though (they'll be 6th years then... oh God) but that's not for three months, so I'm just going to relax until then. My two toughest crowds are finished now and the semester isn't even half over. I'm glad I got them out of the way early.
The best part of the day, though, was after the lesson when I went out to the field to see the 1st years flying kites! The kids were so cute and everyone wanted me to see their kite. Someday these sweet, cute little kids are probably going to become monstrous 5th years and make some ALT's life miserable, but for now I love them so very much. Cuties.