Feb 14: Today may have been the most difficult day so far. Today I learned how to teach pre-school lessons. There are at LEAST 6 songs to sing each lesson. Mind you I'm the kid who dropped out of 5th grade chorus because even at a young age I realized my "talents" should be taken elsewhere. We sing the Hello Song, the Weather Song, the Alphabet Song, the Letter Song, the Unit Song, and none other than the Goodbye Song. Besides the singing part, the storytelling and other games involved seem pretty fun. It's interesting because the Japanese students are reading the same storybooks as American kids at the same age. Due to all that brain plasticity they soak up everything that is taught to them. I sincerely feel Japan's society has a very bright future with many kids growing up already fluent in English and Japanese, the language of the world and one of the most artistic languages. Starting next year I believe, English will be required in 5th and 6th grade of all public elementary schools.
Today was a crazy day so I just returned back to the hotel and laid low for the night. No adventures tonight...
Feb15: Training in Fukuoka is officially OVER! After grinding out 10 trains of training, I am now ready to sing alphabet songs and dance around with pre-school kids, play games like monster ball with elementary school kids, read stories to little babies, chill with junior high kids, have open forum discussions with adults and teach 3 types of adult lessons. My bosses congratulated me for surviving hell week and handed me my official name badge.
Tonight I went for a run to Nishi Park (Samurai park) for some meditating. When I arrived at the entrance, there were 3 junior high kids at the bottom of the hill (picture of the hill is featured on FB) doing sprints halfway up. My ego got the best of me so I pounded my chest and did a full sprint to the top. Little did the know when I was out of sight I laid down gasping for air. After some recovery time, I went back down and figured I would chat with the kids a little bit. In Japan, junior high students and high school students follow a similar schedule. Here's a little timeline of a typical day:
730AM-830AM: Commute to school
830AM-330PM: Class in session
330PM-630PM: Clubs/Sports
630PM-930PM: Karate class, Self Study and/or English lessons
1100PM: Fall asleep watching Naruto or some other anime
These kids are normally quite busy during the school year up until they reach college. It's quite different from American schools. In Japan, students study very hard in junior high so they can get into a good high school then they study even harder to get into a good university. It's extremely competitive to get into certain schools and due to so much stress some kids don't even make it until college, if you know what I mean. However, once you get into a good university, it's smooth sailing. The classes are not nearly as demanding as many American universities, and traveling is highly encouraged during this time. Around the end of the 3rd year of college to beginning of 4th year, students start applying for jobs. These days, it's just as difficult to get a job in Japan as it is in the U.S. But those who are successful have a job lined up once they graduate.
Ah so anyway, I had a nice talk with the kids, made them do pushups with me, and told them if they want girls to like them they better start working out everyday before school. Hopefully they received some inspiration and not discouragement to ever travel to New York. So tonight is my last night in Fukuoka, then tomorrow I will take the bus down to Sasebo. I will check in to my school as well as my new apartment and I will be posting back here hopefully this weekend!
Thank you again for reading, I hope you enjoy the new post.
the american invasion!
ReplyDeleteIt is really amazing that the Japanese pre-schoolers and kindergartners are learning how to speak and read English. I can really relate to that with my kindergartners. They come a long way throughout the year, and you are so right..the brain plasticity enables them to learn so much more!
ReplyDeleteEvery country should teach languages at a young age! I like how you teach using song and hand gestures. The more modalities involved in learning helps with retention of information.
I give you a lot of credit! You have your hands full! It must be a lot of work to plan so many different lessons. You have so many levels and ages to teach.
Keep up the great posts! It is very interesting hearing about your work and the history of Japan. Can't wait to Skype again!