Teaching

I think I now know the full breadth of my responsibilities here. The first thing that I was asked to do was translate the calendar and activities handout into English. Two of the students at the school are from non-Japanese speaking families, so they needed English calendars. That was not easy. Someone once said that translating is not just a=a and b=b. It's also creative interpretive writing. So that took me a while. It was not a small calendar. But it was fun, and that's the first bit of official translating I've done.

In the afternoon, I had my normal English lesson with Hara-sensei. She helps me teach on Thursdays. Before the class, she approached me with a question. She wanted to know if I might be able to assist with teaching the students at the elementary school near my house. I said yes, because it's only one Monday per month. No problem. She's a super nice woman, and I like teaching with her. She's like the motherly teacher that you had as a kid. Kinda' wacky and fun.

Encho-sensei (the manager of Kouto) had scheduled a meeting with a different elementary school in the afternoon. This one is just down the street from the pre-school. We went and met the Principal, Vice Principal, and three of the teachers at the school. The meeting itself was mildly overwhelming, if only because I didn't understand a lot of it. We went over when I would be teaching there, which students I would be instructing, the curriculum, etc. The text that they want me to teach is written for native Japanese speakers to teach English. The textbook is written in Japanese, naturally. Encho-sensei informed me that two teachers will be assisting me. She also pointed out that they really just want me there to pronounce words and speak to the students in English as I would speak to any students. It shouldn't be too bad.

So my schedule for the next six months will be as follows:

Monday - English lessons at the elementary school once per month
Tuesday - At Kouto all day with an English lesson in the afternoon
Wednesday - At Kouto all day with an English lesson in the afternoon for the pre-schoolers, and an English lesson after school for 2nd grade students
Thursday - At Kouto all day with an English lesson in the afternoon
Friday - At Kouto until 1:30, then two English lessons in the afternoon the elementary school, an English lesson after school for 1st grade students, and another for the 3rd & 4th grade students.

It will be busy. Most of the time I get three-day weekends, though. And I just like being here in general. I think I will survive.

Today's drink of the day:

Lucky Cider


Lucky Cider is, as far as I can tell, not cider at all. It tastes more like Ramune (like a Japanese cream soda) than anything else. But it is delicious. The dolphin at the top says, "Fruity Smell, carbonated heart, Lucky Cider." And the added benefits can be seen in this video:



"Have a lucky morning, my friend is unlucky,
Sun is shining for me, handsome guys want me,
Big money hit me, I am a lucky girl,
Because I drink Lucky Cider!"

Which probably explains why it is sold out so often at the vending machine around the corner. But I totally got one! And I'm already feeling more lucky... Not really.

On another note, I realized that for some reason I had disabled comments. I have remedied that situation, so now anyone can comment on the blog. Just click on the link that says comments. Easy.