Switched on

Since returning from winter break, I've been teaching 2-3 elementary school classes a week, rather than the 2-3 a month that is normal. It has been rather refreshing really. The lessons are always in the afternoon immediately following lunch. Thus my energy level is pretty low when I leave the JHS. But, as soon as I arrive the school, the fun starts. The genki kids always make me feel like a superstar (Last week alone I signed over 100 autographs.) and fill me with energy from the moment I get out of my car (they are usually on the playground). Walking from my car to the school, they barrage me with the same questions (height, shoe size, etc.), call me Michael Jackson-teacher repeatedly, and challenge me endlessly with Rock, Paper, Scissors (one day I won 13 in a row, they couldn't believe I would keep throwing scissors time after time).

Standing beside a display constructed for "Hina Matsuri" / Festival of Dolls (March 3)


The different grades rotate each week, so I dont see the same class very often. So, I've settled on a few name games and introduction activities that all seem to enjoy. Last week however, was my last class of the school year at one school, so we did a culture lesson and "shitsumon kou-naa (corner)" otherwise known as question time (all in Japanese). Unbelievable how quickly kids can rattle off questions. One kid wanted to know whether I liked spicy curry or sweet curry. Another if my hair is a perm (no one believes that it is natural). Several ask if I have a Japanese girlfriend and giggle when I tell them its "top-secret". Yet another kid, perphaps not listening before, asks about my curry preferences. Another about my favorite Japanese TV entertainer (gasps when I tell them I dont watch TV). Then more standards about my age, my family, likes/dislikes etc., before one asked something I thought rather insightful for a 6th grader: Why do Americans show their emotions so freely (especially during sports)? It was difficult for me to answer this in Japanese, but the homeroom teacher helped me a bit in explaining the cultural difference, without really giving a reason as to why it is natural in the West to show anger, pride, disappointment, joy, etc....If you've never seen a sumo bout, the winner and the loser leave the ring with the same face, without a single shred of emotion.

So, I have been enjoying my elementary school visits immensely, though I don't know if I have the energy to keep up with the kids all day. They seem to be built with super-charged batteries...

Genki boys
Genki boys outside
Happy 4th graders