It’s that time of year again, I dress up for nearly all my classes and give them a heavy dose of Western culture. Each year I try something different and spend the money to make it authentic. Two years ago it was STAR WARS with a real lightsaber, last year it was a soldier with [...]
Music was my life for so many years. I got paid a decent salary to play the trombone, and during that time I learned to love jazz. Ten years ago I pretty much stopped playing but it is impossible for me to stop listening. I listen everyday. Jazz goes daily, for hours in my classroom [...]
ET: The student I saw today came in straight away and said his one point, not just from his last lesson but from the last time I saw him. Routine: The routine we did was The Meeting. My student claimed that he knew the story already so, I jumped to the questions to test him. [...]
Last week a student of mine asked me for a brochure to give to her friend who is interested in studying English. Great! Then today, another student showed up to her lesson with a friend of hers, who asked for brochures for her and her friend, who are interested in studying English too! Wow! Today’s [...]
Just a little note here to say, flyer helpers ROCK! Today my first helper and I were out there bright and early. The time zoomed by; people stopped to talk, ask questions, smile, and take a flyer. The waves of rushes weren’t bad because I knew “J” was there catching some of those people I [...]
Usually when I write an entry here it’s to talk about how lucky I am to be a teacher here in Japan and to have the opportunity to help the people in my area but tonight I thought I’d focus on something else that I love – technology. I’m an avid computer user (mac and [...]
I’d been reading about the flyer helpers in Kyobashi, wishing I had access to those people to come help me in Kofu. I found it so much easier to do flyers when Gavin, my trainer, was here training me, than after he’d left and had to face me trotting over to the station by myself. [...]
Today’s first high level student came in all excited because she had a very interesting recent news article that she wanted to discuss. After reviewing the ET: I am sick of (a) because (b), her example being; “I am sick of gossips because I am not interested in their private lives,” we moved onto the [...]
E. T. Will you eat lunch tomorrow? I asked, hoping to prompt the previous lesson’s one-point, “I’m sure”. This did not happen, but only because the student was confused about her one point, thinking it included their whole example from last lesson – “I’m sure I will go shopping tomorrow!” Not a bad general case, [...]
It has been a great day today so far. First I got up a bit before 6:00am, had breakfast and went out and handed out flyers at a train station from about 7:10am to 9:00am. As always I greeted people with “good morning”, ” hello” or “how are you”. Some people kindly replied and that [...]
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