The Big Mix Up, the Split Day, and The Visit.

Tuesday

I had a three day weekend 2 weeks ago. I have a three day weekend this week. I had a three day weekend last week.

Except I didn’t.

Two weeks ago, there was a National Holiday to be observed on Monday, so I had that third day to myself, along with the rest of the nation. On Saturday, I will be working at the Culture Festival with my fellow junior high teachers, so that school will be closed on Monday to compensate. Last weekend I had a three day weekend on paper but apparently not in actuality.

I was scheduled to have the Monday off to compensate for having to work the following Saturday. This plan was changed and I wasn’t informed, so I didn’t go to work. When I showed up on Tuesday, it went like this:

Teacher: “Hey! How was your weekend? Did you do anything fun?”

Keegan: “Yeah, I went blah blah blah”

T: “Oh? How was yesterday (Monday)?”

K: “Great! I was able to get so much done!”

T: “Really? That’s wonderful! We missed you at work yesterday.”

K: “Oh?”

T: “Yeah, you were scheduled and you didn’t show up…”

K: “Oh man, my schedule says I had yesterday off. I’m sorry!”

T: “No, that’s alright. You see, we changed it from yesterday to next Monday. I thought we told you…?”

K: “I don’t recall this information…”

T: “Well, now you get another Monday off! Lucky!”

K: “Heh…heh…”




Wednesday

All the classes in the junior high are shorter this week because every one needs time to practice their parts for the culture festival. Instead of 50 minutes they are all 45; this saves 30 minutes off the day by the end of it. Yesterday it was cold and cloudy. Rather overcast in fact. I don’t know why a country that is so anal about recycling allows garbage burning. I thought burning stuff was bad for the ozone. You know how it is when there is a wildfire in a valley and the smoke smell is always burning in your nostrils? Yesterday is a day like that. People burn their garbage when ever they want, even when there are a ton of clouds, and the smoke just hangs, lingering because it has nowhere to go. I feel like I can’t take a deep, satisfying breath because of all the air pollution. I’m not so sure it’s healthy to breathe smoke all day long, but I’ll let you know how I turn out.

I had a class all to my self yesterday. The teacher who usually taught the class was out sick, so I was on my own. It went rather well! I had done the same lesson in the class just prior, so I knew what to do in order to get the point across without using too much Japanese and using enough English. I taught the kids about stationary and we played a game. At the end of class we played “rock, paper, scissors” a few times and then we called it a day.

Lunch was a tasty croquette filled with curry and topped off with this sauce:

After lunch I wandered over to the junior high and graded some papers, waiting for sixth period and the only class I had to teach at the big kid’s school.

Sixth period went swimmingly. The teacher and I had a little skit we did to introduce the lesson; talking about opinions with “I think…”

I was supposed to be of the opinion that Doraemon is the main character of the show bearing his name, while sensei is adamant about the main character being Nobita, a boy and a friend to Doraemon. Despite having never watched the show, I was still able to give a good argument for my side. After we went back and forth, we asked the kids. Most sided with me, probably because of my skills in logic. The next discussion was about which was more important: money or love? I was on the money side and sensei was pro love. The day before it was reversed and money won out. Yesterday was no different. It seems most kids believe love to be unimportant in life. How tragic…

The last debate was on the cuteness of dogs and cats, with one being more so than the other. I had cats but the students preferred dogs. Easy and fun lesson, t’was.

After school was dance practice for the culture fest. I had resigned myself to practicing the dance the 4th class was doing, but it is too hard to learn in what little time we have until the festival. There are a lot of moves and they come quickly, plus they are matched to music I can’t understand. This may sound like a lot of excuses, but I did try; I just wasn’t able to get it.


I tried some new snacks:

Ramen Chicken flavor

Thursday

Sitting in the teacher’s room, waiting for kids to come get me and bring me to their class. They never came. I wonder, sometimes, what the point of getting my lesson plan is if it isn’t followed. I kept myself busy by ripping music from some new CDs that arrived at the school yesterday. Contained within are a bunch of kid’s songs and stories. Some I haven’t heard before, some are different renditions.

While sitting in the teacher’s room, I reminded myself to figure out if I have a heater in my place; the days grow colder, quickly.

Two kids from the second period class came to get me at the appropriate time, but when I got to class I discovered I would be teaching two classes at once. I also found out I would be teaching a different lesson than was on my lesson plan. Yay for spontaneity! We learned about flags of foreign countries instead of clothes. Big difference! When we asked the kids if they knew what the parts of different flags symbolized, one of the kids knew everything about the flags, even things we teachers didn’t. It was amazing!

My first period class turned into my third period class. We did a lesson on left, right, and straight. We set up the desks into groups, placed big cards with place names on them (school, bank, department store, etc.) on the desks, and the students, in pairs, took turns giving each other directions to the places. The one taking direction had their eyes closed and relied on the other for all bearings. During the first round, things were pretty straight forward. When the second round started, the kids realized they had control over the kids with their eyes closed. Students began to be very convoluted in their directions, having kids walk into walls, desks, and other students. I saw a girl direct a boy in circles over and over again.

Fourth period was kind of nerve wracking. I was observed by the Kouchou-sensei (Principal) and the Kyoto-sense (Vice Principal) for most of the period. When I got back to the teacher’s room, I was told I need to communicate more with the kids. I agree with this assessment. I would like to talk more with the kids but it is hard to do that when you are unsure of what you are teaching. I am sent a schedule each week informing me of what I will be teaching, but so far it has only been accurate once. The week I was sent the correct plan I was totally in charge of my classes, which is what I think Kouchou-sensei and Kyoto-sensei are looking for. I need to contact my company and let them know my situation. I don’t want to look like I don’t know what I’m doing when I teach. It should be easy to teach English at this level since I have been speaking English for twice as long as these kids have been alive…

I think I might try to go to bed earlier than midnight tonight. I am really tired during the day and have a hard time staying awake at my desk. Maybe if I get 8 or more hours of sleep I’ll do alright.

The last two classes of the day went quickly and I definitely had more of a presence. I wish Kouchou-sensei and Kyoto-sensei would have audited those classes…

Right before school ended, Koushou-sensei gave me a present: A bag of crouton looking snacky-thingies. They look rather sweet but I have been assured they are salty.

When you hand your camera to one of the kids:

Lunch time:

The one on the right is being funny.
He's the amateur photog from earlier.

Cool new bathrooms being built!

What the fashionable wear to work for Fall.

Sorry for the triple day update, I've been busy...