Typhoon Terror
Yesterday my supervisor rang me at work to say that we would have the day off school today, there was another typhoon coming in from Korea. It is forecast to centre over Hagi about noon today. After living in the extremes of Wellington I find this typhoon terror a little bemusing. Granted the wind howls and the rain lashes, but the temperature stays in the 20's and its all over before you know it. All the schools are closed can you believe! We kiwis are a hardy bunch I now realise.
Yesterday I went by bus 40 mins out to a little school called Koma, with only 7 students in the junior high and about the same in the elementary. I was team teaching with a young woman who had just come of of Teachers College not so long ago, so her lessons were well organised and fun. Some of our older associates have forgotten even how to make a lesson plan I think. They just wing everything! The problem with Koma is that because its so small and family-like there is not much competition, so the students don't try as hard as they would at bigger schools. The plus side is that they receive a couple of kids from the bigger schools who didn't fit in. Those kids are now thriving in a new environment. I had a really good day and each time I am in the classroom I pinch myself to think I have a great job where I am paid to hone my classroom skills and learn from a huge variety of other teachers. It is just the best. I am trying my hardest to get the kids to be confident with their spoken English and enjoy it.
At lunchtime I went out for a game of soccer with the kids. Wait til Dan gets out there they'll love that. Dan and I are doing some soccer training as AJET is putting on a big soccer tournament for all the JETs in Japan, to be held at a World Cup Soccer venue can you believe. If you want to check out just how amazing it is go to http://www.altsoccertournament.com/ and click on Western Division. I am lucky I have my own coach! I love soccer but I just have to work on my fitness, I don't want to have a cardiac in the first 5 minutes...We are even getting our own Yamaguchi uniforms made up. If only we could import Tim (Dan's bro) for the game.
We are doing a lot of extra speech coaching at Hagi Nishi junior high (my base school). Sakuma-sensei who organises it is a lovely old woman who has previously coached division winners that have gone to Tokyo to speak in front of the Emperor! It is a huge competition in Japan. She has a couple of pupils that have made major improvements with coaching, and they are our hopefuls. She thanks us by giving us food. At first it was kind and sweet but now we are running scared! It is the delicious kind of food you would never buy for yourself but if given, you will eat it - for example, crumbed deep-fried prawns! We call her the anti-Atkins, especially the time that she gave us a whole bag of yummy bakery delights. Oh the torture!
I am today going to plan for our Adult Conversation class on Thursday, I am with the very beginners so it has been a bit challenging to plan for people who in some cases don't know anything. I am going to try and make it really fun, I have had some good ideas so far to get them laughing and speaking English. And maybe a few Kiwi slang words as well!
Yesterday I went by bus 40 mins out to a little school called Koma, with only 7 students in the junior high and about the same in the elementary. I was team teaching with a young woman who had just come of of Teachers College not so long ago, so her lessons were well organised and fun. Some of our older associates have forgotten even how to make a lesson plan I think. They just wing everything! The problem with Koma is that because its so small and family-like there is not much competition, so the students don't try as hard as they would at bigger schools. The plus side is that they receive a couple of kids from the bigger schools who didn't fit in. Those kids are now thriving in a new environment. I had a really good day and each time I am in the classroom I pinch myself to think I have a great job where I am paid to hone my classroom skills and learn from a huge variety of other teachers. It is just the best. I am trying my hardest to get the kids to be confident with their spoken English and enjoy it.
At lunchtime I went out for a game of soccer with the kids. Wait til Dan gets out there they'll love that. Dan and I are doing some soccer training as AJET is putting on a big soccer tournament for all the JETs in Japan, to be held at a World Cup Soccer venue can you believe. If you want to check out just how amazing it is go to http://www.altsoccertournament.com/ and click on Western Division. I am lucky I have my own coach! I love soccer but I just have to work on my fitness, I don't want to have a cardiac in the first 5 minutes...We are even getting our own Yamaguchi uniforms made up. If only we could import Tim (Dan's bro) for the game.
We are doing a lot of extra speech coaching at Hagi Nishi junior high (my base school). Sakuma-sensei who organises it is a lovely old woman who has previously coached division winners that have gone to Tokyo to speak in front of the Emperor! It is a huge competition in Japan. She has a couple of pupils that have made major improvements with coaching, and they are our hopefuls. She thanks us by giving us food. At first it was kind and sweet but now we are running scared! It is the delicious kind of food you would never buy for yourself but if given, you will eat it - for example, crumbed deep-fried prawns! We call her the anti-Atkins, especially the time that she gave us a whole bag of yummy bakery delights. Oh the torture!
I am today going to plan for our Adult Conversation class on Thursday, I am with the very beginners so it has been a bit challenging to plan for people who in some cases don't know anything. I am going to try and make it really fun, I have had some good ideas so far to get them laughing and speaking English. And maybe a few Kiwi slang words as well!
posted by Rosie at
9:44 am
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