Archive for the “teachin'” Category
Interac Story Revisited
May 8, 2008, 12:11 amNot really so related, but teaching related… on Genki English, they’ve posted a translation of the curriculum for elementary schools (to be wrassled with by unfortunate overworked underpaid English teachers starting in 2011 nationwide) and it’s almost as bad as Interac’s “curriculum” that I and countless others had to deal with. Teaching 6th graders… Today’s lesson is farm animals! “The teacher should make animal masks (?!?! the night before?) and hop around the room making animal noises…” I don’t know about you, but when I was in 6th grade I wouldn’t have dug that very much.
Anyway, the government proposed one isn’t any better and it all makes you (more…)
—Greg | no comments
(posted in the teachin' category)
A Little Stinkin’ Fresh Air…
March 26, 2008, 4:11 amMan, there is nothing in the world that feels better than quitting a job. Knowing that you’re not going to go back there, asserting that you’re better than the circumstances you are in, rejecting the hand that shoves money at you (not much money or else you wouldn’t be quitting) and walking outside on a sunny spring day to head off to the next thing. It’s great to no longer have that commitment.
This was just a part time job of course, so it’s like a little bump compared to the heart-stopping rail of quitting a full-time job. Still, it felt great. I’ll miss the kids because they’re cute. The ladies who worked there and took care of the kids weren’t. The man that runs the place is definitely not. He asked me really nicely if I could maybe ask somebody I knew if they’d do it (more…)
—Greg | no comments
(posted in the teachin' category)
Momo’s Last Lesson… All Hail The Electone!
March 22, 2008, 2:51 pmToday was the last lesson for Momo Tanaka. She and her mom and all their pianos and things are moving to Saitama next week, which is out of the range of my teaching (but not too far out, I’m sad to say). I’ve had some good times with Momo (age 9) and some little faux pas miscommunications with her mom, who seems like an all around cool lady, in spite of her ability to turn every thing I say into some kind of criticism or judgment about her life. This is an uncanny ability that many Japanese people have. For example, you pull the cuffs of your sleeves up a little bit and then they turn up the heater. You didn’t know it, but you just told them that it’s cold in here, and they responded by warming it up. Life in Japan, especially life teaching in people’s houses, is like that. But with Mrs. T, it goes way beyond that.
For example, last week we were doing a game where me and Momo hide all the animal cards around (more…)
—Greg | no comments
(posted in the teachin' category)
Why Would A One-Legged Man Even Enter An Ass Kicking Competition In The First Place?
March 7, 2008, 2:43 pmInstead of bitching and moaning about how busy I am, how I have no free time, how life is unending torment, etc, etc, I will instead look on the bright side of things, and put a call out to all readers and friends to please send me whatever drugs you can to help me cope. In particular, I am looking for drugs that make me energetic, happy, friendly, okay without food or sleep and positive at all times, while also making me patient, nice and relaxed enough not to scare the shit out of my students grinding my jaws or talking about aliens.
At the school where I teach on Friday nights, today was Teacher Doesn’t Give A Fuck Day, and that really helped when a couple of random kids, their smiling and bowing mothers, and a whole legion of pre-walking, pre-talking, still-spitting-and-shitting-themselves rug rats showed up unannounced for a “trial (more…)
—Greg | 3 comments
(posted in the teachin' category)
Collecting money from private students…
December 4, 2007, 10:16 amBecause of Nova’s imminent demise (thanks sahashi), Mr. Takahashi decided to up his kids lesson from 60 minutes to 90 minutes. 6 year olds can’t concentrate for one hour, so how can they for 90 minutes? Answer: they can’t. Better answer: more games. I’ve decided that’s the way to do it. Up the game time. Keep the study/work-hard/think time to a bare minimum and play the shit out of some games. I loaded my bag with cards, dice, coloring sheets, you name it…the funny thing is that Takahashi left the money on this clip on the counter so he wouldn’t (his wife wouldn’t) forget to pay me. Here’s this stack of bills, clipped to this thing so that it looks like a prize, an award… right there on the counter next to the clock, these bills on display… it was a great motivator for me, everything I look at the clock, I see (more…)
—Greg | no comments
(posted in the teachin' category)
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