Sutorenjaa In Japan

“If you came to my school, the students would give vigor to you.”- K. Tatumi, 2-2

Grading. It is the best of times and it it’s the worst of times. Piles and piles of notebooks and worksheets seem to have found permanent homes on the sides of my desk. I think I am officially a teacher. I even took stuff home with me to grade yesterday!!! Eek! How could this be?! I thought it was going to be one big party in Jap-iz-an with a little bit of high school sprinkled on the side. I’m not sure if this is what I ordered!
Haha… but it really is GRAND reading through all their stuff. Since I haven’t really TAUGHT them any grammar, style, vocab, etc. I don’t feel such pressure to grade and evaluate how much they have learned, which I feel makes things a WHOLE LOT easier. I can kick back and grade as the mood strikes me… AKA higher scores for all when I’m watchin Monday Night Football (on Tuesdays at a local ‘family’ restaurant- Skylark Gusto?!?) and eating a big plate of pasta marinara (coincidentallysome of the BEST pasta I’ve ever had… for reals. Go J-Italy!).
However, grading also becomes a bit more objective and maybe a little less standardized? Hmmm… I seem to remember having similar complaints about several university profs back in the day (“what do you want from me?! It is SO unclear!!!!”). In any case, they’re always a fun read and these kids say the darndest things! I have never encountered so many kids who have been “moved” by fireworks, movies, festivals, etc. or come from a school that “has a good tradition” (what does this mean? why doesn’t it make sense to me?). Additionally, I think it is high time they learned to replace “and so on” with a simple period…”Seriously boys and girls! It’s OK to end a list with JUST a period!”
So, is there anything else going on at school besides grading, you ask? Well, yes, I am the native English speaker so I do get questions about ‘stuff’ relating to grammar once and a while. Although lately I have been used more as a human thesaurus- basically dumming down vocabulary (is there any more of simple way to say hire???). So if I come back without much of a vocab (or speaking engrish s-l-o-w-l-y) cut me a little slack, ok? I make stuff for presentations and prepare games every now and again but then that’s about it. It’s nice and despite the grading complaints, I SWEAR I have not been jaded or EMBITTERED (eh, hem… you know who you are) by it. I am having a fabulous time and it ain’t that bad a’tall.

posted by KidBach @ 12:50 PM