Not-So-Advanced Notice

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Today I don't have any classes due to midterm testing, so I took a vacation day because I just couldn't stand the thought of sitting in that office with nothing to do. (This is going to come back to bite me in the ass when I'm sitting in the office near the end of my contract and desperately needing time to pack, but you know, I live in the moment

Comments

[ikona_rakasha]

Never go into work if you take a vacation day. they will suck the whole day from you!!!!!

Gah I hate it when people try an unload classes onto me. Dont they realize that you always have to plan ahead???

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I didn't let them take my whole day! Just an hour... ;P

I'm sure they don't realize how stressing lessons can be for us. We don't speak fluent Japanese and we don't know the kids like they do. Even now, two years later, I still get little butterflies before elementary lessons. It helps tremendously to know that I'm going in with a solid lesson plan, but when I don't have that, I'm lost and it shows.

At least I escaped today!

[nighstar]

it`s good that you put your foot down on this. its absolutely shitty of them to try to even do that to you. :/ it`s your supervisor who fucked up. that was awesome of you to come up with an activity like that. not only was it a good idea, but it also got them off your back easier. you = awesome. ;)

i`d be so pissed if this was pulled on me... ^^;

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It was hard to turn them down. You know how insisting these teachers can be when they want you to do something. But I'm proud to say that I didn't gaijin smash this one. I laid out some very good reasons why it's just not a good idea and tried really hard to be professional about it.

And this is the second time this has happened to me in a week! On Friday the principal came running into the middle of my lesson with the Jr High kids saying that I was supposed to be at elementary school right then. Well I never got a schedule. And those teachers also wanted me to do a lesson on the fly. That one I was a little less eloquent about when I said I wouldn't do it... Gaaaaah my last months here are turning out to be stressful!

[nighstar]

wow @ friday

it`d be hard to respond in a "professional", composed way to that kinda situation for anyone, i`m sure.

i hope the less stressful, more enjoyable times outnumber the stressful times! :[

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I hope they've all gotten the message by now and the rest of the semester will go smoothly...

Otherwise, I'm ready to leave Japan right now!

[moldypotatochip]

*hugs*

It's crappy for them to call you up on a day off..... I understand they have no idea what they're doing but still. Glad you came up with a suggestion for them and got them off your back! I agree, though. HSKT (head shoulders knees and toes) is something I do with 4 year olds to 2nd graders.... kids in 5th and 6th grade are way too cool for that. I don't even bother with those parts of the books X_____X. Maybe you should teach the kids how to play hangman with the kids's names ;) that will be good for studying letters if that's what they want to do.

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Thanks. Hopefully I made it clear that they can't do this kind of stuff to the ALT so my successor won't have to deal with this either.

Hmm... that hangman is a really good idea. It would make a great warm up!