New School Year!
April 15th.
Something new! I’ve been really busy at work lately. It ’s a new school year and I teach the exact same classes, but the students have changed (as well as my teaching style). Since the year began I have taught half the classes without a JTE (Japanese teacher) since they’ve had various meetings and pseudo-meetings. But that’s okay because I teach my students like they’re dogs now. I’m just barely kidding. The best part is that they seem to like it. Commands are given. Orders are followed. Treats are dispensed for a job well done. It’s a slap on the nose if they make a mess in the classroom (joking! They came to me already house trained). One of them actually started shaking her entire desk in anticipation for the possible candy for winning the little English game I invented (she won the 4th round of it later). Her English isn’t the best I’ve seen out of any of my students… but she is the most eager I’ve ever seen. You’re not suppose to have favorite students but… sometimes a few students just make themselves much more likable than the others.
My Japanese is definitely better than last year (although still pretty awful) and now I no longer need to use it in the classroom. In fact I refuse to. Japanese questions are answered with English and gestures. For some reason I lacked the confidence to do that with less Japanese ability… or maybe because it was my first year as an ALT. Either way, the results are good. No longer does everything just get explained in English and then Japanese. Although I worry that we will start do that again when the assignments get more difficult at the end of the year.
Today while I was walking down the hallway a student shouted out at me (in Japanese) “Will! Will! … Will’s friend!!” I’m not sure why this was so shocking for me. The only ALT I’ve ever heard my students mention before was Thomas (my predecessor), and that was usually when they forgot my name. But I now have a whole new label from students who came from Kamioka’s JR high. I’ll take it as an improvement over being called by my predecessor’s name.
One more thing. A bunch of new teachers got transferred in and a few transferred out. All in all, my school seems to have somehow traded up. I lost an awesome English teacher and Kyoto-sensei (as well as some others)… but gained two new English teachers who are teaching for their first time ever (age’s 28 and 30, I believe). One spent a year in Canada and the other lived in England for a year. Both want to go back. Most importantly though, the 28 year old (previously in England) fella is named Ito-sensei and seems like an awesome guy. The only problem is that the school baseball team is devouring all the poor guy’s time. I don’t even know if he likes baseball… Whatever the case may be, we’re hitting up the local bar together on Friday.
Thing I miss most about Canada today: Being able to talk to students about more than just superficial things. (And watching hockey games live!! Go Canadiens, Flames, Wild, Rangers, and Sens (if you’re capable)!)
Thing I miss most about Australia today: Traveling around and living out of one backpack!
Thing I love most about Japan today: My new energetic students! It’s like someone supercharged them!
