Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Nihon No Okaasan
Thank you all who have been concerned for me recently. I’m feeling much better now, although I’m still not 100%. I was able to go to Wakamatsu Higashi Elementary today and as it turned out, my first lesson, with the 4th graders, was a demo lesson. A demo lesson is where a bunch of important people, like school principals, teachers and community leaders come out to watch you teach and evaluate you. I was not expecting this, but luckily I was well prepared for the class and it turned out fine. If I had known I would have dressed a little nicer at least, but nobody seemed to mind.
Unfortunately I didn’t get to spend much time at the evaluation meeting afterward because I had two more classes to teach. I really would have liked to know what they thought of me, considering it was entirely my own lesson plan. It was supposed to be a team-taught class, but because I was working with my junior high teachers (Chikako and Kyoko) at an elementary school that I’ve only been to once, and they had never been to, we were all planning to fly by the seat of our pants. I don’t think they realized it was a demo lesson either. I happened to typed up a quick lesson plan for Chikako and Kyoko this morning, and in the end we were really lucky we had it because we had about 3 minutes together before the class started. I essentially planned and taught the class and they helped lead teams when we split the class into groups for games and singing and stuff.
I taught 5th and 6th graders next and then had lunch with the 4th graders before going out to “play” soccer with the kids at recess. I wasn’t really up for running around, but I stood on the field while the girls took turns holding my hands, kicked the ball when it was passed to me and picked up the boys and carried them off the field when they were getting too much of an advantage. I really enjoy these kids. There’s this group of 4th grade girls in particular that just love to hang out with me. I get to speak so much Japanese, it’s wonderful! I feel fluent around them because they speak slowly with simple language. I understand almost everything they say and I can speak back to them in Japanese, although I try to use English first so that they get used to hearing it. If the American doesn’t speak English with them, who will?
At lunch, there was this little boy with an oval-shaped head and bucked teeth; he’s so adorable! He came up to me with his thermos and showed me how his miso soup was still hot even though it’s lunchtime! I said (in Japanese, of course), “Still hot? Are you sure?” and he goes, “Well, it’s warm. Is your soup warm?” And I had to say, “No, my soup is cold. I want your soup! Can I have yours?” He runs away giggling and happy his soup is still warm and the teacher wants it. I love them! They are so happy and fun-loving. I can talk about warm soup and my favorite color and Yes! I’ll play soccer at lunch with you. The same questions never get old.
I went back to my high school in the afternoon and studied Japanese in the afternoon. This is another testing week at the high school so the students go home at noon and the school is very quiet. Hatakeyama-sensei is in Nagasaki as well, so my usual partner-in-crime is missing too. The time flies when I start studying though! I love learning!
Oh! This morning, Yosei, a junior high school boy gave me an MD to use in my car. Kuro kuma-kun has an MD player, but I don’t have any MDs so he made me one with his favorite music. Yosei is one of the first kids at Nakagoto that I met, way back in August. Catherine, he and I were all riding the bus up to the north and we weren’t sure where Aokata was and when we had to get off. He talked with us during the ride and told us where to get off. Because of that incident, when he was so brave to speak in English and was so kind to us, I have always thought very lovingly of Yosei. I can’t wait to listen to this music mix he made for me.
I realize that I haven’t spoken much about my students. To be honest, in the beginning, I didn’t have much of an opinion about them because I couldn't yet see them as individuals. I taught each class once a week if I was lucky, but usually attending class was very sporadic, based on what weekly events/tests were happening. I suppose it’s the same in schools everywhere, but not seeing them regularly made it harder to get to know them. Now that I can remember many of their names and identify what classes they are in even when they are not in their classroom(!!). It’s easier to tell stories about them.
For example, in the past few weeks I have started giving the daily vocab quizes in 1-1 (lowest sophomore class). It started as an accident. My JTE was gone and I had to teach class alone so I had to administer the test too. I quite enjoyed it so I’ve started doing it every day. It's really fun, actually. I run into the classroom just after the bell—I'm usually running late by a few seconds—and shout out, "Close your books!" while all the students try to hide the fact that their books are still open while they cram desperately. I ask "Are you ready?" and they say "NO, NO!!" and I say, "Too bad!" I pass out the scrap paper for the quiz and when I go down the rows I shout (in good fun) "CLOSE YOUR BOOKS" at the students that still have them open. This one kid Takafumi, at the end of the row, loves to keep his book open extra long and so I've started taking it away from him and slamming it down closed. He is really sweet. A baseball player, a little overweight and more developed than anyone else in the class. He's got a full beard already. He smiles and laughs because he knows it's a game. A few other guys have started doing that too. I notice when I give them individual attention they strive harder to please me. I wrote on Takafumi's quiz last week (when he got 2 out of 10) "Takafumi, you CAN you better than this!" The next week he got 5 or 6 right. I'm starting to write notes on many of their tests now that I actually know who they are and I think they like decipering my notes. Kenta now writes things to me, like "Good luck" or "Close your books!"
I caught the kid in front of Takafumi cheating too. When I first came to that class Keiichi couldn't even write his own name. Actually the teacher gave him quite a hard time about everything he did—pronunciation especially. He couldn’t even mutter a few words even after repeating them and repeating them to him. But he was being mocked in front of his peers. I would’ve dreaded English class if I were him and I’m sure he did too. We have a new teacher teaching the class with me now and I think things are getting better.
But, because I require the kids to write their name in English on their quiz or they don't get any credit, Keiichi can now write his first name and sometimes one easy vocab word. Progress is slow, but it's happening. The fact that he is cheating to get 1 out of 10 makes me know that he for some reason cares all of a sudden. So when I saw him peeking at his book under his desk I just stood in front of his desk, giving him "the eye" while I called out the rest of the words. Usually I walk around the class so he was looking up at me with this half guilty and half "what'd I do to deserve this?" face. I wrote on this test "Close you book during the test!" and he hasn't cheated since, as far as I can tell. I helped him once after class too, but I don’t think this kid really cares about learning English. If he does even the bare minimum, I’ll be happy. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.
So, this post is called “Nihon no okaasan” because I have a Japanese mother. Hirano-san. She lives below me and has taken amazing care of me since I got sick yesterday. She brought me this huge bowl of udon soup, vegetables and meat yesterday when I got home from the hospital. And this morning she brought me breakfast at 7 a.m.! An amazing breakfast of French toast, onigiri, eggs and Pocari Sweat (a sports, ion-supply drink and no, that’s not a typo, it’s got the word “sweat” in the title). I wish I could have taken a picture of it. It was really like I had a mother and I didn’t have to make my own breakfast or eat cold cereal in the morning when I’m sick. She is so sweet. Tonight she brought me one of my favorite foods: korokke. Mashed potatoes, vegetables and ground beef lightly breaded and fried. I know fried isn’t the best for an angry tummy, but it was only two and I couldn’t turn it down. It all seems to be settling well anyway. It was her idea that she be my Japanese mother and I’m so glad she said so. She is also the one showing me how to knit this hat that is taking me forever and who I eventually want to ask to teach me how to play the shamisen.
Okay, I have to go take my bath. My Japanese revelation for the day is this: “nagame” means “view” in Japanese. It’s a combination of the same sounds for “long” (“naga” 長) and “eye” (“me” 目). You can imagine a view as a “long eye” perhaps? It’s not actually written in kanji 長目, it actually is 眺め, but it will help me remember and I can now take that flashcard off my bathroom wall. (The bathroom wall is where I tape all my Japanese vocab flashcards and I slowly take them down as I learn them. Great system if you’re ever trying to memorize something. Repetition throughout the day!) Hopefully that tip, either nagame or taping vocab to your bathroom walls, helps someone out there!
Love, Sierra
Unfortunately I didn’t get to spend much time at the evaluation meeting afterward because I had two more classes to teach. I really would have liked to know what they thought of me, considering it was entirely my own lesson plan. It was supposed to be a team-taught class, but because I was working with my junior high teachers (Chikako and Kyoko) at an elementary school that I’ve only been to once, and they had never been to, we were all planning to fly by the seat of our pants. I don’t think they realized it was a demo lesson either. I happened to typed up a quick lesson plan for Chikako and Kyoko this morning, and in the end we were really lucky we had it because we had about 3 minutes together before the class started. I essentially planned and taught the class and they helped lead teams when we split the class into groups for games and singing and stuff.
I taught 5th and 6th graders next and then had lunch with the 4th graders before going out to “play” soccer with the kids at recess. I wasn’t really up for running around, but I stood on the field while the girls took turns holding my hands, kicked the ball when it was passed to me and picked up the boys and carried them off the field when they were getting too much of an advantage. I really enjoy these kids. There’s this group of 4th grade girls in particular that just love to hang out with me. I get to speak so much Japanese, it’s wonderful! I feel fluent around them because they speak slowly with simple language. I understand almost everything they say and I can speak back to them in Japanese, although I try to use English first so that they get used to hearing it. If the American doesn’t speak English with them, who will?
At lunch, there was this little boy with an oval-shaped head and bucked teeth; he’s so adorable! He came up to me with his thermos and showed me how his miso soup was still hot even though it’s lunchtime! I said (in Japanese, of course), “Still hot? Are you sure?” and he goes, “Well, it’s warm. Is your soup warm?” And I had to say, “No, my soup is cold. I want your soup! Can I have yours?” He runs away giggling and happy his soup is still warm and the teacher wants it. I love them! They are so happy and fun-loving. I can talk about warm soup and my favorite color and Yes! I’ll play soccer at lunch with you. The same questions never get old.
I went back to my high school in the afternoon and studied Japanese in the afternoon. This is another testing week at the high school so the students go home at noon and the school is very quiet. Hatakeyama-sensei is in Nagasaki as well, so my usual partner-in-crime is missing too. The time flies when I start studying though! I love learning!
Oh! This morning, Yosei, a junior high school boy gave me an MD to use in my car. Kuro kuma-kun has an MD player, but I don’t have any MDs so he made me one with his favorite music. Yosei is one of the first kids at Nakagoto that I met, way back in August. Catherine, he and I were all riding the bus up to the north and we weren’t sure where Aokata was and when we had to get off. He talked with us during the ride and told us where to get off. Because of that incident, when he was so brave to speak in English and was so kind to us, I have always thought very lovingly of Yosei. I can’t wait to listen to this music mix he made for me.
I realize that I haven’t spoken much about my students. To be honest, in the beginning, I didn’t have much of an opinion about them because I couldn't yet see them as individuals. I taught each class once a week if I was lucky, but usually attending class was very sporadic, based on what weekly events/tests were happening. I suppose it’s the same in schools everywhere, but not seeing them regularly made it harder to get to know them. Now that I can remember many of their names and identify what classes they are in even when they are not in their classroom(!!). It’s easier to tell stories about them.
For example, in the past few weeks I have started giving the daily vocab quizes in 1-1 (lowest sophomore class). It started as an accident. My JTE was gone and I had to teach class alone so I had to administer the test too. I quite enjoyed it so I’ve started doing it every day. It's really fun, actually. I run into the classroom just after the bell—I'm usually running late by a few seconds—and shout out, "Close your books!" while all the students try to hide the fact that their books are still open while they cram desperately. I ask "Are you ready?" and they say "NO, NO!!" and I say, "Too bad!" I pass out the scrap paper for the quiz and when I go down the rows I shout (in good fun) "CLOSE YOUR BOOKS" at the students that still have them open. This one kid Takafumi, at the end of the row, loves to keep his book open extra long and so I've started taking it away from him and slamming it down closed. He is really sweet. A baseball player, a little overweight and more developed than anyone else in the class. He's got a full beard already. He smiles and laughs because he knows it's a game. A few other guys have started doing that too. I notice when I give them individual attention they strive harder to please me. I wrote on Takafumi's quiz last week (when he got 2 out of 10) "Takafumi, you CAN you better than this!" The next week he got 5 or 6 right. I'm starting to write notes on many of their tests now that I actually know who they are and I think they like decipering my notes. Kenta now writes things to me, like "Good luck" or "Close your books!"
I caught the kid in front of Takafumi cheating too. When I first came to that class Keiichi couldn't even write his own name. Actually the teacher gave him quite a hard time about everything he did—pronunciation especially. He couldn’t even mutter a few words even after repeating them and repeating them to him. But he was being mocked in front of his peers. I would’ve dreaded English class if I were him and I’m sure he did too. We have a new teacher teaching the class with me now and I think things are getting better.
But, because I require the kids to write their name in English on their quiz or they don't get any credit, Keiichi can now write his first name and sometimes one easy vocab word. Progress is slow, but it's happening. The fact that he is cheating to get 1 out of 10 makes me know that he for some reason cares all of a sudden. So when I saw him peeking at his book under his desk I just stood in front of his desk, giving him "the eye" while I called out the rest of the words. Usually I walk around the class so he was looking up at me with this half guilty and half "what'd I do to deserve this?" face. I wrote on this test "Close you book during the test!" and he hasn't cheated since, as far as I can tell. I helped him once after class too, but I don’t think this kid really cares about learning English. If he does even the bare minimum, I’ll be happy. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.
So, this post is called “Nihon no okaasan” because I have a Japanese mother. Hirano-san. She lives below me and has taken amazing care of me since I got sick yesterday. She brought me this huge bowl of udon soup, vegetables and meat yesterday when I got home from the hospital. And this morning she brought me breakfast at 7 a.m.! An amazing breakfast of French toast, onigiri, eggs and Pocari Sweat (a sports, ion-supply drink and no, that’s not a typo, it’s got the word “sweat” in the title). I wish I could have taken a picture of it. It was really like I had a mother and I didn’t have to make my own breakfast or eat cold cereal in the morning when I’m sick. She is so sweet. Tonight she brought me one of my favorite foods: korokke. Mashed potatoes, vegetables and ground beef lightly breaded and fried. I know fried isn’t the best for an angry tummy, but it was only two and I couldn’t turn it down. It all seems to be settling well anyway. It was her idea that she be my Japanese mother and I’m so glad she said so. She is also the one showing me how to knit this hat that is taking me forever and who I eventually want to ask to teach me how to play the shamisen.
Okay, I have to go take my bath. My Japanese revelation for the day is this: “nagame” means “view” in Japanese. It’s a combination of the same sounds for “long” (“naga” 長) and “eye” (“me” 目). You can imagine a view as a “long eye” perhaps? It’s not actually written in kanji 長目, it actually is 眺め, but it will help me remember and I can now take that flashcard off my bathroom wall. (The bathroom wall is where I tape all my Japanese vocab flashcards and I slowly take them down as I learn them. Great system if you’re ever trying to memorize something. Repetition throughout the day!) Hopefully that tip, either nagame or taping vocab to your bathroom walls, helps someone out there!
Love, Sierra
