Let the Corruption Begin!

Today I had my first taste of teaching English and talking to the kids in a classroom setting, and dear fookin' lord was it awkward! Though yesterday was actually the official first day of the semester there were no classes thanks to the prefecture-wide sports meet every school is preparing for at the moment. That event starts Sunday and runs throughout next week and I'll be attending each day, but for now there's these classes to wrap my head around.

I'm not sure what the teachers here expect of me right out of the gates, but I can tell you it's overly optimistic to say the least. I strolled in today at 8:30 not knowing what the hell is coming at me, as normal, and sat through the boring teacher's meeting for fifteen minutes then asked the English teacher, Suehiro-sensei, when the first class is at. "Oh, it's at 8:50, you have five minutes to prepare."

There's no point in getting angry or trying to haggle the point. This isn't a negotiation and I'm five thousand miles from home, so it's not a choice anymore either. I jump into action, collecting the scribblings in pen I'd made the day before, connecting my digital camera to the printer station's computer and setting it to spit out the entire card's contents. I take the stairs to the third floor two at a time and by the time I reach the class I'm sweating like a hog. Perhaps leaping up stairs in 80-degree heat while stressed is a bad idea. Mental notes...

That first class wasn't a disaster, but it wasn't a triumph either. It was a disjointed and awkward hour, with the kids alternating between a frenzied state and complete lethargy. Just that one hour was telling though. I learned that a question posed at the entire class has about a one percent chance of being answered whereas one asked of an individual will either A) receive an enthusiastic reply and keep the kid awake for the next fifteen minutes, or B) cause all the kids around the asked individual to confer with them, ending up in an unintentional but welcome group participation session. Those group sessions are hilarious, actually, because you're just asking one kid something like "what's your favorite fruit?" and then all their compatriots start an immediate little committee on the issue.

"Well, what is his favorite fruit?"

"I think she said she likes oranges once."

"No, Hiro likes oranges, I like apples."

And on and on...

That period ended, I taught the class clown how to shake hands like a NorCal thug and headed down the hall to the second year students. For whatever reason, the second year kids are much more receptive to learning English. They opened up right away without much fuss. I was instructed to follow my English questions and certain statements with their equivalent in Japanese, which probably helped them understand much easier. I also had my self-introduction shtick worked out from the first period. All and all there was a palpable sense of success that period.

I can do this job, I'm happy to report. Dealing with kids isn't so hard, even in another language. Perhaps especially in another language. Hell, it seems tougher dealing with the staff than the students.

Tomorrow is Kitayamada way down the road and I'm riding my bike there, which is sure to be a hit with the kids. For now though it's time for a jog at the river. Night all!

--Matt