parasitegirl: (Default)
Oh, man. I had a SHITTY 6th grade class today.
long rant )
I'm back home. Exhausted and still a bit sick. Goodnews is that it's a 3-day weekend.

I figured I owed it to myself to shuffle around and get my 20 for the day done. It is harder and harder to quickly find things other than photos and paper...but that's because I'm not ready to tackle my art, my cameras, and some of the things I have made....but I do have a lot of photos and paper to work my way through.

Time to make some yummy, warm, food.

Zombie Me

Dec. 7th, 2012 04:54 pm
parasitegirl: (Default)
There was a morning quake today. It was around 5:21 am.

Morning earthquakes always leave me feeling a little guilty. Late at night, if one hits strongly enough, I still have the wherewithal to bolt out of bed and head to my emergency pack. The morning is different. I'm groggy. Zombie Me is all "if something falls, ok, I will leave this warmth...other than that I am not even sitting up." But, as it is Zombie Me responding, the sentiment is a bit more..."muuuhh? mmmmmm. feh!" It's only later that I put the skull rumbling into words.

In mornings resent the quake and I dislike myself for choosing sleep over quick reaction.

In other Zombie News, I had my first real run since my asthma flared up a few weeks ago. GPS tracking informs me that I ran 5k only one minute faster than I did when I was 12 (33:33) but I am chalking that up to getting caught at a few red lights. 32:30 is still pretty good for a beginner. I think my goal over the year as I jog will be to match my mother's time when she was 40 (25:88 although that must be a bit of a typo because 88 is larger than 60. I'll aim for 26). I know these times because Dean Mommy sent them when I wrote about jogging.

I will be jogging today at work. I've been invited to run with 3rd graders during 4th period. This school has their marathon day on Monday, so all gym classes are focused on jogging. I am not above finding motivation in base desires like "Showing the 3rd graders who is the Alpha here." And once you've grown used to fueling mid-run sprints with the idea that zombies are chasing you, it's easy to substitute 3rd graders for the deadly threat. "3rd graders, and all their germs, are approaching at 15 meters...ruuuuun!"
parasitegirl: (Default)
A year and a half after putting a theoretical lesson plan about what I MIGHT be able to teach into my roster of lesson plans  (the first year no one asked for it and the first semester this year I had setbacks)…I have finally spent a day teaching "Months and Maori" to 6th graders. It was a hit. It was well worth the afternoon I spent making 60+  ti rakau sticks from the recycle paper and newspaper bin at a school and burning clips at home from You Tube to a DVD using Toast Titanium.

It started with me showing 4 pictures of Mount. Fuji. The kids then figured out that the pictures represent the four seasons and we named the seasons in English, putting a season title under each Fuji pic. Then the months, out of order, got matched with seasons (to practice that vocabulary) and THOSE cards went on the board…and I checked who has a birthday in which month if they were still excited by months. I actually do the same thing with 4th graders for one lesson..so if I get a 6th grade that did it 2 years ago, it will make the kids who remember it feel smart, like they can do it, but it's been enough time that it isn't overly familiar.

After that the lesson diverged and becomed all new for 6th graders. We said goodbye to Mt. Fuji  as I removed those four pictures and I put up four different season pictures…and which point the students started yelling at me that I had them out of order…at which point I moved the season signs  to match the photos I've put up, letting the months remain as is...the sign and picture for summer is over December, January, February..etc.
 
At which point the class continued to scream about how wrong I am. I continued to insist that I wasn't crazy. I asked them questions until some kids started realizing that they've vaguely learned about this in another non-English class. A few kids ventured that we're talking about Brazil/Australia/New Zealand. I show them the map, where it is now Winter and where it is summer…and where New Zealand is.

Then we brainstormed about what they knew about New Zealand (only one class said earthquakes, which wasn't in my picture collection but is something the kids are aware of) I started putting more pictures up on the board, including rugby teams, sheep, the kiwis, and Maori and talk a little.

Then I added a plus sign between Maori and Rugby…and showed the kids a clip of the All Blacks doing a Haka before a game. Some kids knew of this because the team did it in a Japanese commercial of some sort and there are a few rugby fans. Kids LOVED the clip. I showed them a few clips of more traditional Maori dances and games, pausing to show some of the facial tattoos, and then it ended with a stick/Ti Rakau clip…which the students also thought was pretty damned cool.

Once we confirmed that that looked cool, I directed their attention to the back of the English room…to the BIG PILE OF STICKS FOR THEM! They each got two, moved the desk and chairs to the back, and sat down. I took them through left and right and some basic solo combinations in English, adding new combos to the ones we'd learned and then got them doing pair work with hits and passes until we had solo and duet moves.

We used the song E Papa Waiari to keep beat but sometimes I played a steady beat with my zills in clack mode to control the tempo and gradually speed up.

Some classes got that so well I let them spend 5-10 minutes in groups of four making their own combinations and we watched volunteer groups do original ones.

Yeah. Beating the floor….very popular. Sticks are awesome.

At the end we watched a bit more Haka and…because I wanted to…I made them, row by row, show me their Tu face for battle…and, yes, because I have watched too much Full Metal Jackets I did occasionally shout "Show me your WAR FACE"…which may be taking liberties…but I really couldn't help myself.

I could put a little more content…an extra stick combination or two. I should also learn a few greetings to teach.

And…after resisting…I now have an iPad2. I realized that my love of hardcover notebooks was being litteraly out weighed by having to heft a satchel with multiple dance notebooks/work notebooks/ and sometimes a laptop.

It arrived last night. I've spent the afternoon at work entering in my  elementary class d school info into Pages so that I can stop carrying my large lesson planner.  I also started using Audio Notes to record and annotate my zill combinations and mark when and where I have taught them so I can start transferring the dance class notebook info. On my way home I stopped at the convini to pay for the stylus I ordered last night so I can more easily handle handwriting and note-taking.

Tonight, I am going to eat well and sew. It's getting chilly.
parasitegirl: (Default)
A year and a half after putting a theoretical lesson plan about what I MIGHT be able to teach into my roster of lesson plans  (the first year no one asked for it and the first semester this year I had setbacks)…I have finally spent a day teaching "Months and Maori" to 6th graders. It was a hit. It was well worth the afternoon I spent making 60+  ti rakau sticks from the recycle paper and newspaper bin at a school and burning clips at home from You Tube to a DVD using Toast Titanium.

It started with me showing 4 pictures of Mount. Fuji. The kids then figured out that the pictures represent the four seasons and we named the seasons in English, putting a season title under each Fuji pic. Then the months, out of order, got matched with seasons (to practice that vocabulary) and THOSE cards went on the board…and I checked who has a birthday in which month if they were still excited by months. I actually do the same thing with 4th graders for one lesson..so if I get a 6th grade that did it 2 years ago, it will make the kids who remember it feel smart, like they can do it, but it's been enough time that it isn't overly familiar.

After that the lesson diverged and becomed all new for 6th graders. We said goodbye to Mt. Fuji  as I removed those four pictures and I put up four different season pictures…and which point the students started yelling at me that I had them out of order…at which point I moved the season signs  to match the photos I've put up, letting the months remain as is...the sign and picture for summer is over December, January, February..etc.
 
At which point the class continued to scream about how wrong I am. I continued to insist that I wasn't crazy. I asked them questions until some kids started realizing that they've vaguely learned about this in another non-English class. A few kids ventured that we're talking about Brazil/Australia/New Zealand. I show them the map, where it is now Winter and where it is summer…and where New Zealand is.

Then we brainstormed about what they knew about New Zealand (only one class said earthquakes, which wasn't in my picture collection but is something the kids are aware of) I started putting more pictures up on the board, including rugby teams, sheep, the kiwis, and Maori and talk a little.

Then I added a plus sign between Maori and Rugby…and showed the kids a clip of the All Blacks doing a Haka before a game. Some kids knew of this because the team did it in a Japanese commercial of some sort and there are a few rugby fans. Kids LOVED the clip. I showed them a few clips of more traditional Maori dances and games, pausing to show some of the facial tattoos, and then it ended with a stick/Ti Rakau clip…which the students also thought was pretty damned cool.

Once we confirmed that that looked cool, I directed their attention to the back of the English room…to the BIG PILE OF STICKS FOR THEM! They each got two, moved the desk and chairs to the back, and sat down. I took them through left and right and some basic solo combinations in English, adding new combos to the ones we'd learned and then got them doing pair work with hits and passes until we had solo and duet moves.

We used the song E Papa Waiari to keep beat but sometimes I played a steady beat with my zills in clack mode to control the tempo and gradually speed up.

Some classes got that so well I let them spend 5-10 minutes in groups of four making their own combinations and we watched volunteer groups do original ones.

Yeah. Beating the floor….very popular. Sticks are awesome.

At the end we watched a bit more Haka and…because I wanted to…I made them, row by row, show me their Tu face for battle…and, yes, because I have watched too much Full Metal Jackets I did occasionally shout "Show me your WAR FACE"…which may be taking liberties…but I really couldn't help myself.

I could put a little more content…an extra stick combination or two. I should also learn a few greetings to teach.

And…after resisting…I now have an iPad2. I realized that my love of hardcover notebooks was being litteraly out weighed by having to heft a satchel with multiple dance notebooks/work notebooks/ and sometimes a laptop.

It arrived last night. I've spent the afternoon at work entering in my  elementary class d school info into Pages so that I can stop carrying my large lesson planner.  I also started using Audio Notes to record and annotate my zill combinations and mark when and where I have taught them so I can start transferring the dance class notebook info. On my way home I stopped at the convini to pay for the stylus I ordered last night so I can more easily handle handwriting and note-taking.

Tonight, I am going to eat well and sew. It's getting chilly.

Job Update

Feb. 17th, 2011 01:17 pm
parasitegirl: (Default)
My next contract year starts April 1st.

Changes have been made. Tof will be moved to Jr. High with no major change in salary. I met all the interview candidates for the two other Elementary School Supervisor possitions that will open. One who was hired was in my top two "please please please hire this person" picks and the otehr new one seems sweet and willing to try...and was the only canidate I felt needed a hug....which I gave.

It looks like we will no longer rotate schools. Each of us will get 5 schools and visit those schools once each trimester, no changing...so I've put in my requests. If I get most of what I ask for I will be at schools interested in my style...most of which are a quick bike ride for me.

Job Update

Feb. 17th, 2011 01:17 pm
parasitegirl: (Default)
My next contract year starts April 1st.

Changes have been made. Tof will be moved to Jr. High with no major change in salary. I met all the interview candidates for the two other Elementary School Supervisor possitions that will open. One who was hired was in my top two "please please please hire this person" picks and the otehr new one seems sweet and willing to try...and was the only canidate I felt needed a hug....which I gave.

It looks like we will no longer rotate schools. Each of us will get 5 schools and visit those schools once each trimester, no changing...so I've put in my requests. If I get most of what I ask for I will be at schools interested in my style...most of which are a quick bike ride for me.
parasitegirl: (Default)

Today, when my supervisor and I were leaving city hall, one of the Japanese security guards who sits in the main entrance stopped us. He proceeded to tell me that one of his…relatives…something…lived in Istanbul for 5 years. Then, seeing my confused expression said (and made a gesture) “Bellydance!” I smiled.

 

Then, when we exited the building I asked my supervisor…”How does he KNOW?!”

“I don’t know! But yesterday he stopped me to tell me you’re beautiful!”

…”The other security guy sometimes goes out of his way to tell me you’re waiting for me….I get so pissed that people don’t know what my job was, or what I do now…but I can’t ever complain they don’t know who I am.”

 

My current supervisor and I get along much better as people and now as teachers since we've spent the mornings this semester in the same car (first semester I biked to all my schools)…now that he knows my teaching style and gets excited about talking teaching with me…well...the more I suspect that he has little to no power over my future. I think my last supervisor had the most vision, the most control, and dropped the ball and communicated nothing to anyone when he was shifted to being a vice-principal.

 

Ah, well.

 

My back still hurts, hurts a bit more after teaching four 2nd grade classes. I think I might be getting sick. Blech. Better now than on my vacation.
parasitegirl: (Default)

Today, when my supervisor and I were leaving city hall, one of the Japanese security guards who sits in the main entrance stopped us. He proceeded to tell me that one of his…relatives…something…lived in Istanbul for 5 years. Then, seeing my confused expression said (and made a gesture) “Bellydance!” I smiled.

 

Then, when we exited the building I asked my supervisor…”How does he KNOW?!”

“I don’t know! But yesterday he stopped me to tell me you’re beautiful!”

…”The other security guy sometimes goes out of his way to tell me you’re waiting for me….I get so pissed that people don’t know what my job was, or what I do now…but I can’t ever complain they don’t know who I am.”

 

My current supervisor and I get along much better as people and now as teachers since we've spent the mornings this semester in the same car (first semester I biked to all my schools)…now that he knows my teaching style and gets excited about talking teaching with me…well...the more I suspect that he has little to no power over my future. I think my last supervisor had the most vision, the most control, and dropped the ball and communicated nothing to anyone when he was shifted to being a vice-principal.

 

Ah, well.

 

My back still hurts, hurts a bit more after teaching four 2nd grade classes. I think I might be getting sick. Blech. Better now than on my vacation.
parasitegirl: (Default)

My supervisor and I drove to two Jr.High schools today to meet with ALTs. Before we left city hall my supervisor had to drop into the security room to check out a car. He mumbled “Time to check my alcohol level…”

 

Japan has 0 tolerance for alcohol and driving, but I thought he was making a joke.

 

Nope. This year, getting a government car is preceded with a BAC check…and specifically it is done in the morning.

 

I laughed my ass off.

 

I wonder how many issues with government workers showing up drunk, or drunk from the night before, prompted this change.

parasitegirl: (Default)

My supervisor and I drove to two Jr.High schools today to meet with ALTs. Before we left city hall my supervisor had to drop into the security room to check out a car. He mumbled “Time to check my alcohol level…”

 

Japan has 0 tolerance for alcohol and driving, but I thought he was making a joke.

 

Nope. This year, getting a government car is preceded with a BAC check…and specifically it is done in the morning.

 

I laughed my ass off.

 

I wonder how many issues with government workers showing up drunk, or drunk from the night before, prompted this change.

parasitegirl: (Default)

 I’ve been making paper airplanes for the summer English program. I am ready.

 

It was hard to walk past the rows of desks, with my handfuls of paper airplanes, and not launch an attack on the government workers here.

 

I have also become the trash queen today. The recycle bins are giving me the PET bottles I need for the bowling lesson as well as the newspaper for tonight’s packing.

 

A large chunk of my morning was entering the info for all the summer camp name tags. The Japan version of creative name spellings is creative name kanji…although I was relieved to find that if I got stumped on how to enter a kanji on the computer despite having the reading… it was hard enough that my co-workers also struggled. The two worst kanji I managed to find in my giant kanji dictionary before my Japanese co-worked found them in electronic dictionaries. I have kanji-cred for the day

 

(for the しいreading in a name was one of the stumpers…as was 滉 in some context)

 

My brain is fried after 150 names.

parasitegirl: (hate)

 I’ve been making paper airplanes for the summer English program. I am ready.

 

It was hard to walk past the rows of desks, with my handfuls of paper airplanes, and not launch an attack on the government workers here.

 

I have also become the trash queen today. The recycle bins are giving me the PET bottles I need for the bowling lesson as well as the newspaper for tonight’s packing.

 

A large chunk of my morning was entering the info for all the summer camp name tags. The Japan version of creative name spellings is creative name kanji…although I was relieved to find that if I got stumped on how to enter a kanji on the computer despite having the reading… it was hard enough that my co-workers also struggled. The two worst kanji I managed to find in my giant kanji dictionary before my Japanese co-worked found them in electronic dictionaries. I have kanji-cred for the day

 

(for the しいreading in a name was one of the stumpers…as was 滉 in some context)

 

My brain is fried after 150 names.

APPLE!

Jul. 9th, 2010 03:05 pm
parasitegirl: (Default)

Four rounds of the Ninja Game with 6th graders and we top off the week with 12 or more special needs students from 1st-6th. I am knackered. It is Friday.

 

I love working with special needs classes (in part because the teachers get my style in ways normal teachers often don’t) but this group should have been broken into two smaller groups (1-3 and 4-6) for sanity sakes. Still, we touched colors, talked about fruit colors, talked about color mixing, and then mixed colors in our hands and made a handprint flag. Then I answered questions…which were more about trying to understand and then reacting to whatever a child with a raised hand wanted to say to me and thanking them…for example the question of “Haruna…Banana!” get answered with “Haruna, nice to meet you. I like Bananas too! Haruna likes bananas! Thank you, Haurna.”

 

Like 1st and 2nd graders, they still find magic in hearing what words are in English and they still need a great deal of repetition and structure. Those students, unlike more grown-up students, don’t crave new experiences…because it’s all new and confusing for them. You have to work the new in carefully and then repeat repeat repeat.

 

Next time I am here I know the special needs teachers will be requesting me, they are very happy right now.

 

 

 


APPLE!

Jul. 9th, 2010 03:05 pm
parasitegirl: (Default)

Four rounds of the Ninja Game with 6th graders and we top off the week with 12 or more special needs students from 1st-6th. I am knackered. It is Friday.

 

I love working with special needs classes (in part because the teachers get my style in ways normal teachers often don’t) but this group should have been broken into two smaller groups (1-3 and 4-6) for sanity sakes. Still, we touched colors, talked about fruit colors, talked about color mixing, and then mixed colors in our hands and made a handprint flag. Then I answered questions…which were more about trying to understand and then reacting to whatever a child with a raised hand wanted to say to me and thanking them…for example the question of “Haruna…Banana!” get answered with “Haruna, nice to meet you. I like Bananas too! Haruna likes bananas! Thank you, Haurna.”

 

Like 1st and 2nd graders, they still find magic in hearing what words are in English and they still need a great deal of repetition and structure. Those students, unlike more grown-up students, don’t crave new experiences…because it’s all new and confusing for them. You have to work the new in carefully and then repeat repeat repeat.

 

Next time I am here I know the special needs teachers will be requesting me, they are very happy right now.

 

 

 


parasitegirl: (Default)

Sweaty hot today, still. One of the teachers tried to tell me that it was 120degrees…but I suspect his calculations were wrong. It’s simply in the 80’s with high humidity.

 

Tomorrow is my last school teaching day of the semester. I’ll be doing the Ninja game with 6th graders and then a special class with the special needs students. I’ve made a hybrid of a few lesson plans for the special needs group but it will all be around color and will culminate in us mixing two colors with our bare hands and making a class hand print flag of our original colors. I miss doing special needs classes.

 

In other schools occasionally the special needs kids come in with their assistants and join the regular students when it comes to English Communication classes…but that can be embarrassing because those special needs kids kick more English ass than the regular students: they’re not embarrassed about answering, they enjoy simple memorization tasks and grouping words, and they are probably more in touch with “learning to watch for clues as to what to do when you don’t understand” than the average kid…and have probably been better drilled in how to deal with the frustration of not understanding.

 

I realize that much of what I do is teach students how to cope with frustration. I usually have to talk to teacher before class and say “Yes, the first time they get into groups and have to answer this questions they will be very confused, but you need to let them be confused because after they try…and they see my reaction… they will fully understand what is needed of them and will be able to do the task and will be better able to deal with the stress of answering while not being 100% sure in future English classes.”

teaching stuff )
parasitegirl: (Default)

Sweaty hot today, still. One of the teachers tried to tell me that it was 120degrees…but I suspect his calculations were wrong. It’s simply in the 80’s with high humidity.

 

Tomorrow is my last school teaching day of the semester. I’ll be doing the Ninja game with 6th graders and then a special class with the special needs students. I’ve made a hybrid of a few lesson plans for the special needs group but it will all be around color and will culminate in us mixing two colors with our bare hands and making a class hand print flag of our original colors. I miss doing special needs classes.

 

In other schools occasionally the special needs kids come in with their assistants and join the regular students when it comes to English Communication classes…but that can be embarrassing because those special needs kids kick more English ass than the regular students: they’re not embarrassed about answering, they enjoy simple memorization tasks and grouping words, and they are probably more in touch with “learning to watch for clues as to what to do when you don’t understand” than the average kid…and have probably been better drilled in how to deal with the frustration of not understanding.

 

I realize that much of what I do is teach students how to cope with frustration. I usually have to talk to teacher before class and say “Yes, the first time they get into groups and have to answer this questions they will be very confused, but you need to let them be confused because after they try…and they see my reaction… they will fully understand what is needed of them and will be able to do the task and will be better able to deal with the stress of answering while not being 100% sure in future English classes.”

teaching stuff )
parasitegirl: (Default)

A teacher here told me that moving in Japan makes people sick. I believe that…although I am never sure what to believe about “We Japanese…”

 

Last week a teacher, when I couldn’t come up with the English word for electric fan quicky, said “Aaaaah, that’s because you don’t have fans in America. Everyone has air conditioning!” I explained that in America, like Japan, we have a variety of hot-weather solutions including electric fans, thank you.

 

Still, it doesn’t top my favorite myth of America. My old school, at lunch time, once let it slip that they thought American women don’t go through menopause. This group included a school nurse.

 

At the high school I worked at a teacher once told my coworker (Giles) that he couldn’t help Giles find a podiatrist because Japan doesn’t have podiatrists because, due to taking their shoes off at the entrance, they don’t have foot problems. Universal gaijin reaction to hearing this has always been “has he ever LOOKED AT HIS STUDENTS' FEET?!?!” as Japanese high school girls are always a rich source of some crazy pidgeon-toed and knock-kneed issues.


parasitegirl: (Default)

A teacher here told me that moving in Japan makes people sick. I believe that…although I am never sure what to believe about “We Japanese…”

 

Last week a teacher, when I couldn’t come up with the English word for electric fan quicky, said “Aaaaah, that’s because you don’t have fans in America. Everyone has air conditioning!” I explained that in America, like Japan, we have a variety of hot-weather solutions including electric fans, thank you.

 

Still, it doesn’t top my favorite myth of America. My old school, at lunch time, once let it slip that they thought American women don’t go through menopause. This group included a school nurse.

 

At the high school I worked at a teacher once told my coworker (Giles) that he couldn’t help Giles find a podiatrist because Japan doesn’t have podiatrists because, due to taking their shoes off at the entrance, they don’t have foot problems. Universal gaijin reaction to hearing this has always been “has he ever LOOKED AT HIS STUDENTS' FEET?!?!” as Japanese high school girls are always a rich source of some crazy pidgeon-toed and knock-kneed issues.


Looovely

Jul. 7th, 2010 02:55 pm
parasitegirl: (Default)
A little boy in my third grade lesson today started things off by raising his hand and telling me that his father told him there's no reason for Japanese people to learn English. I'm guessing manners aren't stressed in his home either.

I didn't tell him his dad is an ass. I told him his dad is right..unless he wants to ever travel the world or make new friends who aren't Japanese, or enjoy movies and comics that don't get translated into Japanese, or work anyplace that isn't Japan...because in those cases, English is mighty useful.

I did get him under control and past moaning about English.

I also worked with a teacher I had to narc out (at another school) last year for being unprepared and an in-class mess. This year, she did ok and seemed to trust me in the class and genuinely enjoy the lesson. Yay!

Looovely

Jul. 7th, 2010 02:55 pm
parasitegirl: (Default)
A little boy in my third grade lesson today started things off by raising his hand and telling me that his father told him there's no reason for Japanese people to learn English. I'm guessing manners aren't stressed in his home either.

I didn't tell him his dad is an ass. I told him his dad is right..unless he wants to ever travel the world or make new friends who aren't Japanese, or enjoy movies and comics that don't get translated into Japanese, or work anyplace that isn't Japan...because in those cases, English is mighty useful.

I did get him under control and past moaning about English.

I also worked with a teacher I had to narc out (at another school) last year for being unprepared and an in-class mess. This year, she did ok and seemed to trust me in the class and genuinely enjoy the lesson. Yay!

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