first week of school

Finally coming to Friday was such a great feeling. The only downfall is, though, that I did not teach a full week of classes because school did not officially start with students until Wednesday this week. I at least got in three days of teaching. Every class went better and better, which I am thankful for.

My very first class was kind of a flop because my pace was too quick and I'm sure the students didn't understand what I was communicating to them. Also, this class is a writing class, so comprehension is key. I am not allowed to speak in Japanese to the students, though. The native English speakers get in trouble if we do so! That really makes things difficult for writing. My next class after that went great, though. This class is the youngest grade level: J1, which would be the equivalent of 7th grade in the US. They're really cute and I felt bad because they sat there with their mouths gaping open, completely overwhelmed with all my English. I think I was speaking too fast as well. Nevertheless we played some singing games to help them practice their introductions and practice saying things like, "this is..." or "that is..." Fun stuff.

A lot of my classes are giggly and wiggly and just plain girly. They like to snicker and turn around in their seats to say little things here and there to each other. I nipped that in the butt right from the start with all the classes I have had so far. I simply explained that when I am talking, they are not. Most of them sat there with their mouths gaping open in shock, but I didn't have a peep out of them during inappropriate times for the remainder of class.

These girls are so funny. On the first day of classes, I was walking with Nathan (another conversational English teacher who is also the manager of the Green House long with his wife, Nozomi) to our first class because they were near each other. Some girls said, "atarashii sensei?" asking if I was the new teacher. Nathan nodded and the girls responded by saying, "kawaiiiiiiiiiii!!" They were calling me "cute." It's funny hearing that come from students who are younger than me. Anyway, I got that a lot during the day. Other girls would see me and, not recognizing my face, call out, "Kyasarin?" (katharine?) I would turn, smile, and wave. During class, though, I asked my students to all call me Ms. Herbert as we are instructed to be called by the English department. I thought it was cute that students were calling me by my first name and so excited to see me.

Definitely, the welcome from the students has been the greatest. They are so enthusiastic to meet me! Most of them are shy and hesitant to come up to me, but I simply smile a lot and try to be as welcoming and approachable as I possibly can be. At the same time, though, I make sure to start off strict so the students come to respect me as their teacher rather than a new foreigner. I feel confident about the year so far, so that is reassuring.

We also had our first Green House meeting on Thursday. We are hoping to use the first month as team building time so there were no students. We prayed over the ministry and shared our summer events with one another. I am hoping for an excellent year. Please pray for us.