Within days of finishing classes for the semester, I was standing at Amagozen bus stop with a return bus ticket to Nagoya in one hand and a plane ticket to Seoul in the other.
But first—just to rewind a moment—let’s go back to the final two weeks of school. With 6th grade graduation ceremonies looming, English lessons were winding down for the year. By this point, we had covered virtually everything in the informal syllabus that dictates the elementary school English education system in Kaga City. Little Kenji now knew the difference between a ‘giraffe’ and a ‘zebra’ and Kumiko could confidently count from 1 to 60 (excluding 11 and 12, which as we know are impossible to remember).
But because I go to so many schools, I had my ‘last day of class’ for maybe two consecutive weeks. What I didn’t expect, though, was the overwhelming gratitude I got from students and teachers. A lot of students had organized thank-you-notes which they presented to me and some even did musical performances (which were meant for 6th grade graduation ceremonies, but never hurts to practice on the foreigner). Some students made me presents, but most wrote me animated little letters that went along the lines of, “Mike-sensei, thank you for teaching me English. Even though I don’t really like it, thanks to you, I can name colours and fruits.” The best part is that, more than my actual bosses and team teachers, these kids are too young to mince words, so I got a fairly comprehensive job appraisal out of it. It was sweet of them to write me letters, and now I have pictures and stacks of notes all around my desk space. One school even gave me a bouquet of flowers as though I were departing the school forever and thanked me publicly in the teachers office.
My review classes generally involved me carting in all of the flashcards, posters, props, and other materials covered during the term and doing a rapid-fire review of everything. After that we would get on to the fun stuff, which was usually comprehension quiz game show-type activity or some other review game. Vocabulary and grammar differed depending on grade level. Results were mixed. Some exceptional classes were able to rattle off everything they’d studied as if they’d learned it yesterday, while others acted like it was the first time they’d ever heard of it. I think most of the students learned something, though, whether they know it or not.
But first—just to rewind a moment—let’s go back to the final two weeks of school. With 6th grade graduation ceremonies looming, English lessons were winding down for the year. By this point, we had covered virtually everything in the informal syllabus that dictates the elementary school English education system in Kaga City. Little Kenji now knew the difference between a ‘giraffe’ and a ‘zebra’ and Kumiko could confidently count from 1 to 60 (excluding 11 and 12, which as we know are impossible to remember).
But because I go to so many schools, I had my ‘last day of class’ for maybe two consecutive weeks. What I didn’t expect, though, was the overwhelming gratitude I got from students and teachers. A lot of students had organized thank-you-notes which they presented to me and some even did musical performances (which were meant for 6th grade graduation ceremonies, but never hurts to practice on the foreigner). Some students made me presents, but most wrote me animated little letters that went along the lines of, “Mike-sensei, thank you for teaching me English. Even though I don’t really like it, thanks to you, I can name colours and fruits.” The best part is that, more than my actual bosses and team teachers, these kids are too young to mince words, so I got a fairly comprehensive job appraisal out of it. It was sweet of them to write me letters, and now I have pictures and stacks of notes all around my desk space. One school even gave me a bouquet of flowers as though I were departing the school forever and thanked me publicly in the teachers office.
My review classes generally involved me carting in all of the flashcards, posters, props, and other materials covered during the term and doing a rapid-fire review of everything. After that we would get on to the fun stuff, which was usually comprehension quiz game show-type activity or some other review game. Vocabulary and grammar differed depending on grade level. Results were mixed. Some exceptional classes were able to rattle off everything they’d studied as if they’d learned it yesterday, while others acted like it was the first time they’d ever heard of it. I think most of the students learned something, though, whether they know it or not.
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