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Published: April 7th 2007
What a crazy day at work today. My adult classes and my senior kids class were fine, but I had a kinder class that went horrible today 😉. April is the beginning of the new school year in Japan and so this was my first week with a new kinder class. I had 3 of the girls previously in another class, but there were two boys in class today who I had for the first time and they were not too excited about having me as a teacher (gotta love kids for their honesty). They both refused to talk at all during class today and one of them even started crying and left class to go sit with his parents outside the classroom. Am I really that scary?????
Needless to say I felt like a horrible failure after class. My boss tried to reassure me telling me that it wasn't my fault that this particular boy was going through a lot in his life and so was having a difficult time adjusting to a new teacher and new classmates and new books etc etc etc. Luckily, Dawn was also working today and was really supportive and helped me feel like less of an incompetent teacher after the class.
Classes like that one remind me of what a crazy job teaching is and how hot and cold it can be. One day you connect with every student and feel appreciated and understood and capable and the next day you feel like an alien from another planet or something! One day I can explain things with crystal clear clairty and the next day I struggle to communicate to others in full sentences in my native language. The more experience I get with teaching the more I see what an elusive art it is--its so complex; teaching, understanding, learning, understanding how other people learn etc etc etc. What works one day doesn't necessarily work the next day. I guess that is part of the beauty of teaching though, its always, always changing, its never ever boring and its always, always challenging.
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Aunt Susan
non-member comment
Don't be discouraged
You hit it right on the head, teaching is never the same from 1 day to the next. It is challenging, complex, and can be frustrating. Just realizing that is a great learning experience for you! You are and will continue to be a wonderful teacher and person. I love you and totally enjoy reading and looking at the pictures of your trip. Kisses and Hugs, Aunt Susan