Two years later and the classes are fun and breezy. The kids are enthusiastic, I am (generally) relaxed and with the exception of maybe one class (I have five elementary schools, so I don't think that's a bad statistic) the kids are enthusiastic. It's been really good fun getting to know them, and even though I don't know their names (total number of students I teach= 800) I have got to know their personalities. You learn to judge which kids are competitive, which kids want to win, which kids are happy to take part, which kids need a little coaxing before they'll get involved, and then as a class how to grab their attention and present the lesson in a way that grabs their attention, sometimes even entering into bizarre incorrect-English/ incorrect-Japanese banter with 10 year olds. It's challenging and fun, although if you're not well or a little bit stressed having up to 50 excitable kids can be quite difficult and prove a very different challenge.
Anyway, here are some of my kids. It's hard to pick out favourite classes- these three are from one school- but I know which ones I will miss coming to most. The season of goodbyes has begun and these are among the first casualties (was that slightly overdramatic? I think maybe so...) Last week was the final visit to Tsukida shogakko where tears were held back on numerous occassions (although a couple of teachers were crying) and the hardest moment was after all the lessons when the school principal gave a speech at our after school goodbye tea party. I almost blubbed into my cake. I don't cry often, but when I do I'm a screamer (don't ever sit with me through Schindler's List, you'll leave with eardrums as shredded as your emotions).
4th graders- cheeky, funny and very good students.
1 comment:
kawaiiiiiii!
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