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Konnichiwa, I am teaching 16 to 18 year old students. Most are first year at senior high school and I have three classes of children who choose to learn English. They think it is an easy option but I don't think so. The children are allowed to do basically anything they want and it is very difficult to not tell them off.
Once a month the children's uniform is checked. The children are not allowed to have coloured hair, earrings, watches or the wrong shoes. The children here wear sneakers to school but once they get to school they all have a shoe locker and have to take them off and put on their karate shoes (like from the 1980s).
..... Then if they go in to the gym they must put on another pair of shoes that they have not worn outside on the concrete. If they train for baseball they must wear another pair. So as you can see they have shoes for every occasion. The teachers must do the same. Imagine if we did that - we would spend all day just chainging shoes. Even the children in elementary school must do this.
If the children do not have the correct uniform their names are marked and if it happens again they get talked to by the teachers. However the students do not care very much.
I had some classes yesterday and children were talking while I was and I had to try to stop myself from kicking them out. The children here can do whatever they want and the teacher does not have much control. If they want to talk or draw or read a book they will. The teacher will tell them off but they can still carry on. You can not kick children out. I stopped talking at one stage and they all wondered why. I think I will do that more often. It is very hard for me as I have to let the Japanese teacher do the disciplining. I do not know how long that will last.
On a daily basis life is very simple. I wake up about 6am every morning with the sun as it is sooo hot here you cannot sleep any longer. Then I get to work about 7.30am every morning after riding my bike about 10 minutes. Today I got caught in the rain so that was not so nice. I ride my bike in tshirt and shorts but most people ride in what they are wearing to work. Very unhygienic.
At work there is a morning meeting at 8.25am every day. They speak in Japanese so I just look interested. Then school begins at 8.50am. I teach 13 classes a week, 50minute lessons with a Japanese teacher. All the other times I can spend planning or doing whatever as long as I am on site. Sometimes I am allowed to go to the bank if I need to because they shut at 3pm.
Most shops here do not open until 10am and they usually shut between 8 and 9pm. The end of my day is 4.15pm and I go home on my bike. Then Karna and I will go to the gym for an hour. We must ride 25minutes to get there. Then we go grocery shopping as in Japan you shop every day because your bike can only carry so much. Home time for shower and dinner and then go to bed about 8.30pm and 9pm.
On the weekends we go for day trips on our bikes and we will be out for about 8hours. Sometimes I miss home because it is difficult to get things done here and it takes a lot of energy to explain yourself. But I should come back one of the best ESOL teachers around (I hope).
When I was looking at those Auckland sites it made me a little homesick. We have gone from total luxury in Auckland to basically camping out but in a cabin. Oh well! I came for the experience and I am getting one. The teaching is not difficult so I will enjoy the rest of Japan.
Next Saturday we are going to a place called Nakamura where there is a lovely beach. We are staying with a Kiwi couple who have been here one year already.
Sayonara. Otsukaresama deshita - that means thank you for all the hard work today.
Mrs Luke.