What are the kids like?

            It occurred to me I haven’t really written about what it’s like teaching and living here – I’ve been posting about adventures.  But I keep getting asked what the kids are like and how I like teaching.  So here goes.

            To be honest I never really liked kids – teaching kids is a side effect of choosing to leave Canada and live in Japan to find out who I am.  Having taught for 2 months I realized my thoughts haven’t really changed, hahaha!  I’m on the fence with the kids.  For the most part they are good, cute, polite, fun, and smart.  But there are some, as I’m sure you know, who are just brats!  They run, fight, scream, don’t listen, and constantly misbehave.  I know they’re kids and they’ll do that but still – when I tell you to sit down you sit your ass down!  My patience has been getting shorter with my floor classes b/c they are really taking advantage of my kindness.  I started out really nice – my co-worker said it’s better to do that.  But now they think I’m soft and won’t mind if they act like brats.  So I’m trying to balance being a kind teacher while still threatening to kick some major ass.  My co-worker laughed at me b/c I complained he TOLD me to be nice and it’s backfiring!  It is pretty funny tho :)

            I have my faves who just light up my day when I see them.  They’re so cute and helpful and call me sensei.  I can’t wait to see them and play with them and make them laugh.  It’s actually not hard to make all the kids laugh – I thought it was going to be super hard b/c I’m not a kid person and don’t do the baby talk thing.  But I just act goofy, roll my head, “act” exasperated and they love it!  Too funny! 

            Others are very difficult to teach.  I have a class of touchers.  This little girls just keeps poking me with her foot when we’re sitting or trying to pull up or down my shirts and skirts.  Another just reached out and touched my boob.  I know they do this b/c they’re at that curious age.  But I’m trying to enforce NOT pulling down my skirt and feeling my ass.  I’m pretty sure I wasn’t raised to touch my teacher wherever I could.  Anyway, I’m working on it – wish me luck :)

            The floor classes with the parents are really difficult especially.  The babies are fine and the moms are great but the older ones – 3-5 yrs old are total brats and the parents don’t do anything to discipline them.  They laugh and think it’s hilarious when their child throws a tantrum, grabs my supplies, throws them around, screams, pretends to sleep, and slaps them in the face.  I have a class of 2 bros where the mom thinks it’s hilarious her sons are body slamming each other.  Sure boy will be boys but in a classroom where you’re paying a lot of money to learn a language shouldn’t you do your part to ensure they are learning?  And I can’t do anything b/c I can’t discipline the kid in front of the parents.  On top of that she called my manager voicing her concern that her sons are too rambunctious and not learning like they should be – I wonder why!

            However, I have been making progress with my 2 worst students.  One just cries the ENTIRE time even tho his dad is at the window watching an joking around.  The other screams, slaps, grabs things, throws my things, and constantly makes a break for the door, and does a FABULOUS impression of sleeping.  This week, however, they weren’t so bad.  I got the first kid to stop crying after 25 minutes and the other 20 minutes he was laughing, participating, and saying the target language.  The other girl was still acting out but she lost it only once b/c we finished singing a song she decided not to join in on.  If that happens we usually have to start it over just for her.  This time I plowed thru and she recovered and did her new trick of taking out foam letters from the alphabet and putting them back by herself.  It keeps her busy and happy and we repeat the letters.  So lots of progress and I didn’t want to kill them so much – which is great b/c they’re so darn cute!!! It’s ridiculous :)

            My older kids – 10-12 yrs are pretty good.  Some of the private lessons are getting out of hand and again I’m going to have to be REALLY strict.  They keep trying to take my things or waste time playing games or trying to distract me and joke around with me and it’s hard to keep them on track b/c they understand the material so well just the pronunciation is off sometimes.

            I’m starting to realize it’s a delicate balance of keeping their asses in the chairs and still being nice and smiley and not mean and scary.  For other kids when they don’t sit and don’t listen I’m starting to slam the floor and saying “SIT!” – it’s still not always working.  Lots to do and lots to learn on my end but thankfully my fellow teachers from other schools are giving me lots of help!  I’m hoping to implement them this week.

            My emo teens are just as teens are – they mumble, are awkward, and soooo quiet and shy.  It’s like pulling teeth to get them to speak at a normal level or at all and I feel like every game we play or whatever we do they think it’s not fun or beneath them.  But whatever, I can’t cater to each emo kid’s feelings and temperament.  I’m trying with them but that class is probably a lost cause…

            On some funnier notes – my student said “sex” and knew what he was saying.  We were playing tic-tac-toe and I told him he’s “X”.  He kept saying X and then “sex” and gigged and repeated it.  I told him not to!  But it was really funny and we both giggled and he didn’t say it again.

            My other class of twins (boy and girl) was kinda funny.  The sister was putting her things away and kept saying Karay.  “Karay? Karay? Karay?” with her eyebrows raised b/c the name is odd.  I corrected her and she kept saying it.  Then her brother giggled “and rice!”  LOL!!! It was so funny!!! Curry and rice is really popular here and curry is pronounced karay (sp).  Oh man, we laughed pretty hard and I was so happy with the connection he made. It was great!

            There are lots of great moments in my days and I feel awesome when I have a breakthrough with my kids.  But then there are awkward moments when I think I’m definitely making a mistake.

            The phonics for a class was the hard “ch” sound.  The words we were given were “school” and “stomach.”  I like to ask if they can think of others or I’ll think of others.  The first class I taught this in didn’t work out.  She couldn’t think of anything and the ONLY thing coming to mind was Christian, Christen, and Christ!  NOOO!!!!  So we thought really hard and I couldn’t think of a damn thing.  So I wrote it slowly on the board, shaking my head and hesitatingly asked if she knew the word Christ…blank stare.  Then I cringed and asked, “do you know who Jesus is?” …blank stare and I’m standing there thinking I’m a Jevovah’s witness and how I don’t want to be responsible for the education of Christ to this little girl!  GAH!!! My co-worker was like “Why didn’t you just stop?!?!?!”  LOL!  So then I said “Jesus…Jesus…do you know Christmas?”  Then I was like LIGHTBULB!!! You idiot, Kalai!  Christmas!! So I shouted, threw my hands in teh air and she laughed and I wrote Christmas on the board!  Crisis averted!!!  Next class I asked the other girl if she could think of a word and said immediately “Christmas!”  DUH!!! Good gravy that was a close call!

            Teaching keeps you on your toes, huh?