I think I'm losing my voice...

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Today was another unpredictable and crazy day at Koto Chugakko.

I was scheduled for 3 classes right? Wrong! One of my classes got moved to another period so I ended up going to another class instead. I got one ADDED! This is a pretty common thing, but I was hoping today it wouldn't happen...fat chance. Basically I did my self-introduction presentation 4 periods in a row. One of the classes 1-1, were pretty rowdy. They weren't paying attention, they were chatting to each other..I talked extra loud or stopped talking to make them listen to me. Then during my quiz, I called on the kids who were talking during my presentation. I just walked right up to their desks and said you, please answer, dozo. Hmmm, and then they shutup and can't say anything. Seriously, some of these kids just don't get disciplined. I try, but I'm not a real teacher. I'm technically just the Assistant teacher, but still they have to listen to me right???

Then 5th period I went to Suetsune shogakko and met with 63 4th graders...yes...63. Good grief, that's the amount of students at Konan chu alone! They again were very squirmy, but they loved the pictures of the Ice Palace (thanks Mark!!!) and the coins I brought. I didn't end up giving them all pennies because I only brought 60 and there were 63 kids. I didn't want 3 kids not to have anything so I figured I'll bring them back next time I go which is in a couple weeks. P.S. if anyone can get a hold of Minnesota quarters, please send me some! I know I have one, but I might have lost it. 😞

I made the kids play Duck Duck Goose (yes, I did goose instead of grayduck...) and that was fun but they were hard to control. Luckily there were two other teachers there to help out. It's also pretty darn hard to run around a hard wood floor room in just stockings/socks.

I got driven back to Koto chu after my one lesson with the shogakko kids because there was a ceremony for me. I basically had to introduce myself to all 600+ kids at Koto. I was a little nervous, but it went all right. I just talked very briefly, like 2 minutes and told them where I was from and my name (in Japanese!) and then in English said that I was excited to meet everyone and work with all the teachers.

After school I had to practice with two girls who are going to be part of the speech contest. One of them, I basically wrote her speech in English after fixing all the mistakes the JTE made, but she's so sweet I just don't care. Her speech is about how her brother was in the hospital when he was young and how she had to live with her grandmother while her mother was taking care of her brother. It is a little sad, but has a good moral so I'm proud of her.

THEN! I basically had to run to catch the train because I left school at 5 and the train was coming at 5:10. I really have to tell my JTE's that I need to leave earlier because I just can't do running to the train everyday.

Highlights of today:
- lunch! the 2nd years I ate with were hilarious! I got seated next to one of the "popular" boys and he kept trying to talk to me in English the whole time.

-my crowd of 8! 4 boys and 4 girls decided to chat with me after lunch. They asked me many questions..."Do you like ice cream?", "Do you like sports?", "Do you like Nishigami sensei?" (science teacher who sits two desks away from me and is a total nerd), "Do you like Fujita sensei?" (one of my JTEs who sits next to me). For the last two I had to say, "We're just friends." Are my kids trying to set me up with my fellow teachers already? It's only day 2!

-"May-san, I LOVE YOU!!!" - heard this several times from my female students when I walk around the hallways...

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Comments

[deleted_22762]

Lol, wow.... are you getting any rest at all in there? :D

[Mattie]

May May May- I sang that, just so you know! I just wanted to tell you that I miss having you around. It sounds like you are having a blast! Keep in touch.