Ahhhh springtime is so busy! I'm not used to working any more... or having to prep for classes and keep everything organized. I feel like my head might one day explode from having to store all this information, or that (more likely) I'll end up at the wrong school on the wrong day with the wrong lesson plan. I'm waiting for that to happen. I forgot how hard keeping track of all my schools and all my teachers are, when there are a billion things going on at once.
Or well, maybe not a billion, but currently, I work with seven different teachers (not counting the teachers at my special needs school) at three schools at four campuses, but in total I've worked with sixteen different JTEs, all with different styles. I've tried keeping track of my classes on digitally Evernote with mixed success; I've found that it's better for keeping track of more extensive lesson plans and stuff. Right now, what's been working (as long as I remember to check it) has been a calendar which I write everything down in. Everything. I use memos to keep reminders of things I need to put in the calendar, and I try to keep it up to date. One of the hardest parts is remembering to check....
Also, I officially have taught all the students at all my schools -- or will after the first lessons with the first years. That's over 1500 students -- over 2000 if you count the classes that have already graduated! And they all know who I am. I can probably count the number of kids whose names I know on my hands. Yay. I remember a lot of their faces though, but not necessarily what school they go to or which class they're in.
Dunno how I'm going to survive at grad school.
But the students whose names I *do* know tend to be kinda awesome, since they've managed to stick in my head for some reason. That, or they're really loud all the time hahaha. Actually, when I look at the names of students I remember, most of them are pretty interested in English, or at least trying in class even if they're not always the best. These kids always raise their hands and stuff, or will always have the right answer. A lot of them are leaders in the things they do - some are captains of sports teams, others are on student government. A couple taught me how to do Japanese archery (kyudo). There's one kid who I'll chat with; it's really fun just talking in our mixed English and Japanese. Kind of worried though, cause like, he forgot about the round he was supposed to shoot in and the other students had to call them over. Haha... That's almost kind of awkward. I felt bad for the poor kid, since he'll probably get teased for it. Oh high schoolers. I also talk a bunch with the girls in kyudo as well, but for some reason their names never seem to stick. Sigh. But seriously, these kinds of small chatty times are some of my favorites, and probably what makes me like Niimi south campus and Takahashi Jounan so much. I don't always speak to the kids in English (occasionally I'll bust out the Japanese), but I think it's the process of exchanging that's the most important thing, rather than which language we're using to communicate. English -- and Japanese -- are vehicles and tools we can utilize to communicate with others. This is one time where I'd say it's the destination that matters, rather than the journey. I mean, of course I want their English to get better, and that I don't want to teach them how to say things incorrectly. But I believe more in fostering a positive attitude and confidence in students, rather than the correct grammar and syntax. So even when they make mistakes, unless it's really big, I won't point it out since I feel like it will make them feel less inclined to speak when they're worried about getting the whole thing right.
I know I was/am like that when I speak Japanese, and I feel like I don't speak nearly as much because I'm always searching for the "right" way to say it. THe times when I kind of just word vomited, I ended up being able to convey my idea (usually) and I would feel really proud when they understood. I knew that I wasn't saying things right, and I wasn't sure about that particle, but like, I did end up speaking a lot more.
Tomorrow we're doing Easter activities in English club. I'm kinda excited, since this means we'll be dying Easter eggs! Hooray! I actually had a hard time explaining precisely what Easter was without sounding super super Christian, though I definitely don't really self-identify as one. But my family is, so that means easter egg hunts! Seriously, I love doing those. It was always a competition at my house. Who could gather the most? I remember the younger kids were let out earlier to give them a fair shot at "winning" (ie, collecting the most eggs). Those were good times.
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