Quick and easy Wednesday

Today went by pretty easily. I didn’t really have a problem getting up today and things were going pretty smooth. I did get to the station a little late this morning, which caused me to be about 10 minutes later to walk into work. That was fine though since I didn’t have any obligation to do in the morning, but just eat breakfast. I like it during that time because most of the teachers are in their homeroom classes and I can eat without having other teachers watch me.

First period was pretty good. We did do it, say it, draw it in class today with the 11^th grade yuri class. They were pretty spot on and didn’t have any real challenges for the things that they chose. They were creative and did very well with it. Half way through the class, CP suggested that we make things a bit tougher. I usually take her advice, even if I like it or not, and do it. But I usually segue my own way. We decided to make it harder by having the students give the answer in a sentence as a group. It slowed them down a little, but not by much. They did very well with the sentences but some groups missed the correct answer by a word or two. It is a little strict, but they were able to do it. I think they enjoyed it and it was fun for everyone. That was something that I liked about it. I have started to hate being told what to do in front of the students. It does undermine my ability and just gets on my nerves.

Second period with 8^th grade yuri was pretty chill for me. They got the evaluation form for the first time, so they saw CP give her speech and then they evaluated her. They needed to understand the evaluation points and what they meant in order to improve their own performance to be able to speak well. I really noticed that CP really does like all the attention on her, which is really bad in a learning environment. She would consistently bring the attention to her as she was reading her score in front of the class. I thought that the time would be better spent for the students to be practicing their speeches on a personal one to one basis, but I guess not. They did have about 5 minutes to work on it with their partners, but I don’t believe 5 minutes is going to cut it.

Third period was with 10^th grade Fuji. They had a “test” today where they got into groups and worked on a review session that quizzed their ability to answer questions about the environment. It was good that they had to review it. I helped them study, which was a good thing and I learned how to best present the information to the students. I really didn’t know what would be on the “test,” so I couldn’t really help them prepare, but I made them take out the papers went over to each table and helped them all out. I would make them answer questions, for which they already had answers to. I like to think that it helped, but you never know. They did fairly well on the test though. Some of the questions were a bit tricky about the environment, but overall they managed to get it done. It was a monopoly style game that if you were to get a question right, you would be able to move forward, but if you got it wrong you’d lose points.

I spent my off periods working on a paper for the 9^th grade classes. They will be studying about tax and tips at restaurants in the US, so I made a little worksheet for them to do. It really has become more like a Math class, but I think that it is important for when they go to Santa Barbara.

6^th period with 9^th grade Fuji was a bit tough. They really have lost their motivation for things. Even the students who normally participate didn’t today. I’m sure that she was probably sick, but that really puts a damper on everyone else. I really needed to push them to speak up today. It was hard, but I had to go to each and every single student and ask them the questions in order for them to do it. That took a bit of time, but I think that it was good that they are at least able to do it, even if they think that it is probably a waste of time. I didn’t like the activity either, but you know, I have to do it too. It took up the whole period, but I still have a backseat teacher instructing how to do the class, so I often feel that it is unimportant for me to even bother. It really does undermine how things are run in the class and there is a power struggle. I know that she can’t help it, but it really gets annoying you know?

I tried to chill a little bit after class to let myself cool off. I was about to explode and I’ve noticed that my patience has grown very thin. CP split really quickly, which is very characteristic of her, so I couldn’t get any last minute details out of the way for Monday’s class. I think that I am missing some papers that I need for that class and I think that she accidentally took it home with her in her folder. But the problem is that she will be in Canada and I will look dumb for not having it, not her. I have to figure out how to get out of looking dumb and still present it in a good way. I think that I have figure out how I’m going to take care of the Monday classes. I really need to be on target and be the best teacher I can be. It’s a rare moment that I have to shine, and I need to prove to the teachers and myself that I can do it and do it well. So I spent the rest of the day preparing for that. I wanted to leave a bit early so I could get to the travel agency to ask about tours to Korea.

I didn’t get to leave that early, but I did leave early enough to get to the office 1 minute before they closed their doors. I asked about tours and learned that they don’t offer any. I had to go to a different office to do that. So I went to the Curry restaurant near Shin-Sugita station and thought about that. My trip to Korea is now in jeopardy because I might not be able to go on a trip at all. The only way I would go, is if there is a tour and I have someone to take me around. I want to only get a few things out of the way.