GEEEEENKKKKKKKKKIIIIIII

Hello my religious readers of the blog:

I didn't realize how many people actually read this! Great! Motivation to keep up with it! Today was my first day at Elementary School. GEEEEENNNKKKIIIIII!!!!!! I walk in and I am greeted by the teachers with such enthusiasm. They are all wearing nametags in English. Domo Arigato Gozaimaassuuuu!!!!! (Thank you sooooo much). One woman spoke excellent English - thank goodness because she is basically it for that school. They show me my desk which has a cute little poster on it with a ribbon. See Picture.
I am then told to go sit with Kocho - Sensei and Kyoto Sensei (Principal & Vice Principal). I do as told, and we try to make small talk with limited Japanese and English. I don't know if we really discussed anything of material. We found out Kyoto Sensei lives on the other side of my house that I didn't think anyone lived in. Most of the people that live in these houses have that as an address but actually have a real house somewhere else. We semi discussed how one teacher spent time in Boston last year. Other than that I don't know if we really managed anything else. Thankfully, it was now time for me to go to my welcoming ceremony. I cannot even describe my welcoming ceremony. I really wish someone was there to video this. I arrive and all the kids are lined up and standing. When I enter the room, they all start clapping. I am showed to walk down the middle of them - and I do. The kids start pushing each other to touch me. I was seriously celebrity status. I then go sit up on stage while I am introduced by Kocho Sensei. Then, one of the teachers interviewed me before I went out there. Things like my favorite food, foods i hate, my hobbies, when my birthday is, what is my favorite animal, etc. She then turned that into multiple choice....When is Sara Sensei's bday? In April, June, or November? Then kids take turns raising their hands. I am then asked and I respond and the kids all go YAYYYYY! if they guessed right. It was quite fun, the kids are absolutely darling. Imagine 120 kids smiling, laughing and pointing super excited like I am there to bring presents or something. Impromptu speech ....Sara Sensei is now going to give a speech! Oh, am I? HA! I don't even remember what I said, but I had the microphone and rambled something or other off - heck yea, after a while you realize there are probably only 3 people that actually understand you when I have to do it in English. I could be up there saying YOU ALL SMELL! (they don't really) - but they'd all still be smiling. When you think that way, it's not so bad being up there with a microphone giving a speech. Afterwards, the ceremony ended and I am brought back through the middle of the kids where I am touched like a celebrity again. In the teacher's room I am briefed on my instructions on what to do in the classroom. I thought the Homeroom teachers would also have an idea so I was listening but didn't ask many questions because I thought I was going to be guided. Big mistake.

First class of the day - combined 3rd and 4th graders.
Task 1 : Perform Greetings:

"Good morning, everyone!"
Blank stares at me
"Good morning, everyone!"
No response
"How are you today?" Nothing. " How are you today?" Nothing... ook time to get creative...
"Are you happy?" Pointing to a big smile on my face...."Are you sad?" Make a frown and point.."Are you hot?" Fan off my face..."Are you mad?" Make an angry face...."Are you excited?" jump up and down with happy face "Are you tired?" Yawn and lay on the ground and pretend to sleep. I at least got some giggles out of them but I don't think they understood...time to move on!

Task two:
Self Introduction
I used the same material as I did for Junior High School. This morning, I threw together our currency to show. THANK GOODNESS! I explain New York State, where I come from, my name, age, pass pictures of my family, do the whole favorite foods, music, hobbies etc. Yea, they looked interested but I am sure they had no idea what I was saying. For my hobbies, I used reading...so I brought a book and said reading and pretended to read it. For hiking, I hiked and looked out into the distance. For running, I ran around the classroom. I think they just thought I was crazy. ha! For food, I used thumbs up and thumbs down gestures, I used happy faces, sad faces, i pretended to throw up when explaining vegetarianism. Really, just get a visual of me doing these things in front of 50 kids with adult bystanders who are just curious about me. They must think I'm REALLY wierd. So, with all this clown work and pictures and posters...I take out my american currency. Well! Talk about the weird things that kids LOVE. The kids went CRAZY! If they were older, they would have been throwing punches over who gets to touch it first. Haha!

Task 3: London Bridge
After that, which was kind of a flop in my opinion...we did London Bridge... I am singing it for the kids, then we try to do the circle thing that I forgot how to do. Anyways, the teachers didnt' know how to do it either. But apparently, when the songs says "My fair lady" - you're supposed to "capture" the kid under the teacher bridge and then they have to be the bridge. It didn't work out that way. It was basically me and the teacher being the bridge and the kids running in circles. Another flop.

Task 4: Make Name Tags
This was easy because the kids got to do it themselves. I basically went around the classroom trying to spend time with the kids. As expected, the girls loved me and the boys hid from me. One girl was touching my hair over and over and over (because it's not black like theirs). Japanese people wear shirts all written in English even though they have no idea what it says. So, I went from kid to kid to kid reading what their shirt said to them. It was actually a big hit.

Task 5:
Goodbye greetings. I didn't expect anything after the hello greetings. Ah, relief, first elementary class is over.

5 Minute break

1st and 2nd graders combined

OOOOOOOOkkkkkk

First task same as before: Hello greetings, complete flop, try the whole emotion things again, more giggles no responses.

Task two: London Bridge, except I am asked to sing it by myself without a CD. Okay, here's my little secret...I know the verse but I don't know the ENTIRE song. I tried remembering it from the earlier class...ended up needing the lyrics in front of me...Now, yes it's just ME singing in front of everyone...ME! I hate singing! ha! I suggested to the teacher the game, where we become a bridge. Language barrier. No luck. Next thing I know, they are telling me to teach the kids gestures to the song. Gestures? what???? OKKKKK, more creativity. So, London bridge is falling down....Fall down, over and over. Get some materials and build it up...build it up...Raise hands to the ceiling.
First material: Wood and clay Pretend to hammer
Wood and clay washes away: Mimick motions of a river with your arms
I forget verse two but trust me i had gestures
But Verse two "Bends and Breaks" - Bend your body over and over
Third and last material: Gold and silver Turn hand into circles and just kind of move your arms about
Gold and silver gets stolen or something - Mimick putting coins into your pocket.''
Then end of my creativity. The first time I was "teaching" them or rather making it up as I go along, then they had to do it with me and soooooooo I did it with more confidence.

Task Three: Self Intro

As with any speech, each time you do it, it gets better. Again, the coins were a huge hit. This time I asked them if they had any questions for me...and that they did! About 100! "Do you have a boyfriend?" "What is your favorite flower?" Really a bunch of random questions, many of the things I covered during my intro - only verifying they have no idea what I'm talking about even with my crazy gestures.

End class.

Lunch time. Eat with 6th graders, nothing to report.

Go to 5th graders - Teacher was great to work with.

Greetings, same failures, same tries...etc.

Self Intro - same deal
Skip London Bridge, thank god...5th graders don't want to do that. Instead make name tags and have Sara Sensei try to pronounce the English to make sure they wrote it right. Taught them how to say "It's nice to meet you" and explained handshakes as opposed to bowing and made each student shake my hand.

Followed by Janken aka Paper, rocks, scissors.
Goodbye Greetings

Class went smoothly, turned my self intro into twenty minutes to waste time thinking I'd have to do London Bridge again.

Grade 6

Same deal , except we did London Bridge and it went over okay...teacher understood the game aspect of it.

Random facts of the day: One girl asked me why I have blue eyes and not brown eyes. I explained that my dad has blue eyes so I do. Cute, very cute. Kids love me. Teachers are super nice. School planned out my next visit as well...sucks. There isn't much English teaching just babysitting. I feel like a nuisance in the teacher's classrooms. Like I go in, make them rowdy, while teachers discipline. I want to actually create my own curriculum. According to my teaching handbooks, when I ask a class "how are you?" they should be aware to say "im fine thank you and you?" They have no concept of that. All the teachers are great but I wish I could develop the curriculum. I had my picture taken probably over 100 times today. I was consistently told how young I am. It was fun, tiring, creative, confusing but fun.

After that, I told my JHS base school I'd help the girls with their English speech at 5:00. I show up at 5, and the teachers are all in a meeting for Sports Day Festival this weekend. It's 6:00 and I've been sitting there for an hour and they are still in it. Finally, one teacher walks out with me to have the girl and I sit in a room to work on it. 40 minutes later, we end the session. I used a lot of phonics with her, I love phonics. Really helps with all the vowels and stuff. Go in and ask Yosco to call Saijo San to ask three things.

1. After Elementary school tomorrow, can he drop me off at Brian's apartment.
2. My hot water is broken still and it needs to get fixed
3. Can I get into my preds house to get some things

Simple questions, right? Wrong. Ends up in a meeting at my house for an hour with two teachers and Saijo - san. Frustration. Frustration, frustration.

TGIF. Elementary school again tomorrow then off to the city with Brian to meet up with everyone. I won't be drinking a lot because I have sports day on Saturday followed by a teacher's party somewhat in my honor. I need to be to school at 8:30am. So, yea...

Hope all is well stateside as usual...missing everyone.

Sara Sensei