In my new tradition of writing two posts in one day when I get around to updating here, I wanted to share my day with you. I had two classes, both covering the same lesson (Shopping - something I consider myself pretty knowledgable about!).
The first class was with Nakamura-sensei, one of my favourite teachers to work with. I anticipated a fairly cruisy class, having a good time with the teacher. However, the game, variation on Bingo, dragged by. It depends on the losers standing up and receiting the alphabet as a 'punishment' - something the classes find either funny or dreadfully embarrassing. This class just found it awkward and uncool. There were miscommunications (am I the only one who doesn't know what a 'reach' in Bingo is??) and it was pretty much hell in a 3x3 grid. I was really releived to get that over and done with and I handed out the new vocabulary quiz. Only it WASN'T the new quiz! What I hadn't realised was that the other ALT who teaches on Tuesdays - using my lesson plan and class materials - had put my scrap paper (old quizzes) into my lesson folder, so I had handed out the wrong quiz! The students never said a word and it wasn't until they were finished and I was about to start giving the answers that I noticed it was titled with the wrong topic! Having wasted their time so badly, the rest of the class was a bit of a blur as I just hung out for the bell to ring, trying to focus on the rest of the lesson and not how I felt sorry for myself for looking like an incompetant dickhead in front of the JTE (Japanese Teacher of English) and 20 students!
This did not bode well for the second class... My second class for the day is a class that is new to me. The other ALT had got into some kind of battle of wills with them; he told me that in 14 years in Japan he has never had such a frustrating class. They basically just talked straight over him, while their JTE didn't have the strength of character to control the rowdy class. If it sounds like I'm knocking him for not coping with them, I don't mean it at all. If there is anything I have learnt over the last year and a bit, it's a) that you never know what students are going to drive you crazy and b) once a student or group of students gets you worked all up, that's it, you're probably never going to get things smooth again. At my first school in Japan I mentioned to my boss that I was struggling with one particular group (about six kids, average age roughly 10. They once spent an entire half hour lesson laughing at my skirt. Apparently black skirts are funny??) and he straight away said he would try to avoid ever rostering me on with them. He said he also had a group he couldn't handle - hence why I taught them every Thursday evening! Anyway, the point of all that is that I'm NOT knocking the other ALT for letting them get him wound up (wind, wound... is that right?? Hey, both wind and wound have two different pronunciations with very different meanings. Man English is confusing...). But all the same, I was pretty darn nervous about taking them on. One part of me said (is still saying) "You're the new teacher! They'll be awesome for you... today." The other side of me said "What if they've enjoyed infuriating the ALT and intend to do it again for kicks?"
As the kids all filed in I got a number of "Charly!"s and one "Good morning!" (full marks for enthusiasm, but it was 1:30 in the afternoon). We did the game and they thought it was FUNNY singing the alphabet as punishment! Yay! They were getting into it and being a model class - which I was really releived about as no less than three senior staff members stuck their heads in during the lesson to check how things were going! The Head of English stayed the whole second half!
To continue with the lesson, they were then given the quiz. They did that and looked pleased at my marking system - students who speak up with the correct answer get a point on their little 'hanko charts' (when they complete the chart they get a certificate and a mini KitKat). We then moved onto practising the names of items of clothing in preparation for the shopping dialogue. Having taught the same activity this morning it was a dream run and they played straight into my hands (needing prompting for 'sweater' - although I explain the NZ word is sweatshirt - and explaining that the Japanese term 'short pants' gets shortened down to 'shorts'). They then completed the handout QUICKLY with enough time to practise in pairs. Despite looking unused to having to stand up and practise dialogue, they quickly did what they were told and, being a louder class, they really enjoyed activities which involved lots of speaking.
I felt like the cat that got the cream after, with their teacher and the Head of English looking at me with grateful relief because the class went so perfectly! I think everyone was at their wits end how to fix the situation, so the fact it has been resolved so well is a huge weight off their shoulders. Concerned about counting chickens before they hatch, I did say that if they gave me any trouble, I was sure it would be in a week or two, but the Head of English looked like he didn't really appreciate that suggestion, so I added quickly, "But I'm sure it'll be fine." I promised both of them that I would keep this 'noisy' class busy with speaking activities and that it would all be easy. Now as long as no-one from high up the food chain drops into any of my classes where I have to bang the whiteboard marker on the filing cabinet to get any attention, I get to go down in history as an Awesome ALT! Whoop whooop!
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