Resolution for the day: make a better effort to keep up web journal.
Normally I have a hard time thinking in pencil and paper. But today I am
writing
this at my desk. Why? Why am I writing instead of working?
Work you say?
And that would be....?
The time is now 10:10 am, do you know where your JTE is? Mine would be
in class,
working. I think he must be doing a wonderful job with this team
teaching lesson,
but since I am not there, I wouldn't really know.
I have three classes scheduled for today. Periods 1, 2 and 3. Its
now second
period. How many classes have I had? Zero, zilch, nada,
nashi. Yesterday I
had two of four scheduled classes, both were ichinensei
and with the same
teacher. There seems to be some miscommunication among
the second and third
year teachers. Either they don't actually know
when our classes are scheduled, or
they don't realize team teaching requires two
people. (Or they just don't like
me.) I even have one English
teacher I've never even taught with. I haven't even
actually met her. I would introduce myself but I don't know who she
is.
The class groups are divided in
half for English. So for every class on my schedule
there are two teachers. I think they just pretend I am supposed to
go with the
other guy. I suppose I could bring this up with them, but with only
one week left,
I don't have the energy to deal with the 'hmmm...I see..", Especially
when I could
be using this time to do NOTHING!
I
figure there are two possible scenarios for the solution here. A: I get to
have
class with 'I live in the hermetically sealed office of Hypertension down
the hall'
sensei. He gives me plenty of warning on lessons, and tells me to
make some
activity for said grammar point. I come up with an action packed
activity that
requires student participation. He says, 'hmm..I see, but I think
they'll get
confused.'. I then come up with a new not necessarily hard activity
that requires
a long explanation which the kids wouldn't understand if they were awake
and I
was speaking Japanese. (Well, no, let's be honest, ANY explanation
is too long).
But, since we've had no discussion and its not the last minute, we use
this second
activity. Then, I show up in class, only to discover that this is
the FIRST time
these kids have even seen this material. So he spends half the class
explaining it
in Japanese, (though with a lot of genk, I must admit), while the kids sit
there with
their eyes crossed. Then we do our 'communicative' acitivity
whereupon half the
kids take a nap. If I poke them, they glare at me indignantly and
then I think
about how much I wish I could be sleeping right then, too, and move on.
We
help some of the kids who actually do try, but there's usually not much time
left. But I don't want you to think that every class is that
bad. Just sort of
kind of really dull.
Afterwards,
he fibs and thanks me for making the good lesson, then we trudge
through it again with the next class. 'Hmmm..I see, lets not confuse
the kids with
fun.'. Of course, at this point, I think something fun really would
confuse them.
In scenario B,
I get to teach with 'got a worksheet?' sensei. He comes to me ten
minutes before class and says, 'Hey, I don't have anything prepared, any
ideas?
Do you have a worksheet?'. But, since he lets me do anything, I whip
out that fun
board game or quiz game I have pre-made. He seems to have gotten the
half of
the students that have a heartbeat, albeit a slow one, so this class
doesn't go as
bad. My partner however, disappears into the corner, or leaves the
room, or
takes out his computer and starts working. I've gotten used to it by
now, and with
twenty students, its not so bad. Boy, I really had a blast when it
was 40 unruly
kids and I had just started teaching. I would try valiantly to make certain
kids
quit screaming and/or wrestling, or repeating everything I said in a
really loud
obnoxious voice, and he would just look at me with a 'I told you we
should've done
a worksheet' smirk. Yeah, sometimes worksheets aren't so bad.
I
only have a couple of days left now, so I guess I'll content myself with the few
first year classes I have. They're always fun anyway. Besides
being cute, the
kids actually stay awake and listen. Unfortunately, I don't actually
have any
first year classes today. So I am just going to have to keep
writing, have a couple
cups of coffee, maybe scope out a secret room where I can take a
nap. I might
even get some studying in. I also have to write a speech for my goodbye
ceremony. I wrote a heck of a tearjerker for my last school.
But I am not sure
what to say when I've never even talked to half the teachers here, and I
haven't
even taught half the kids since April. Maybe I'll thank them for all
the free time.
Note to self:
DO NOT give web address to any Japanese teachers!
UPDATE!!
OK,
so its not much of an update when its posted simultaneously, too bad. The
next day,
I had two classes scheduled with scenario B teacher. As I prepare to
go with him to
the second one, he informs me that I'm mistaken. He then apologizes
profusely for
teaching by himself. They then reschedule another first year class
so I can teach third
year with him. I almost start to feel guilty about thinking he was
so apathetic.
Apparently he was just misinformed. I didn't listen too closely when
he mentioned a
business trip. Well, that business trip happened halfway through
class. Poof! The
disappearing JTE! Well, I suppose he wasn't doing anything
anyway. I take back all
feelings of guilt. I am an assistant teacher, not a substitute
teacher, blastit!