Facts
1. I ride by rice fields on my bike ride to work.
2. I also ride by a 7-11, a life sized (or slightly larger than life sized) stuffed E.T. doll, and a fiberglass dinosaur with sunglasses and a red baseball hat advertising for tires. ***Note. After further inspection of tire-hawking dino, I must correct an error. Dinosaur is NOT wearing sunglasses.
3. I have been in Japan 24 days.
4. I have been in the classroom by myself for a week.
5. I have absolutely no recollection of what I was doing one month ago.
6. At 7 a.m., noon and 5 p.m, a mechanical song (like what a music box might play) is broadcast over a citywide speaker system here.
7. I have had a group of 20-plus students bow to me, call me "sensai kathy" (sometimes pronounced "kassie"), and say in a chant-like manner "domo arigato gozaimasta." I in turn bow and say "arigato gozaimas." They then turn to a miniature shrine ("shrine" might not be the right word) of Buddha at the front of the room and bow and say "domo arigato gozaimasta" to Buddha.
8. I don't know the difference between "gozaimasta" and "gozaimas."
9. I have watched "When Harry Met Sally" approximately half a dozen times since I moved into the apartment 13 days ago and have never seen the final scene.
this will be an ongoing list.
Going to work. Please, fill me with understanding and perspective and compassion and so much love. These are just kids who are going to another school, after regular school, when they could be playing outside or being with their friends, and everything that's said in the classroom is a foreign language to them. Please help me to be understanding and kind and fun, and give me concentration to focus on what we're doing in class and to be prepared to lead a structured, well-organized class. Help me to comprehend that I am the teacher, and that students are paying attention to me and mostly following my lead. Please help me to be enthusiastic and forgiving and unselfish and, really, full of love. Patience and love.
2. I also ride by a 7-11, a life sized (or slightly larger than life sized) stuffed E.T. doll, and a fiberglass dinosaur with sunglasses and a red baseball hat advertising for tires. ***Note. After further inspection of tire-hawking dino, I must correct an error. Dinosaur is NOT wearing sunglasses.
3. I have been in Japan 24 days.
4. I have been in the classroom by myself for a week.
5. I have absolutely no recollection of what I was doing one month ago.
6. At 7 a.m., noon and 5 p.m, a mechanical song (like what a music box might play) is broadcast over a citywide speaker system here.
7. I have had a group of 20-plus students bow to me, call me "sensai kathy" (sometimes pronounced "kassie"), and say in a chant-like manner "domo arigato gozaimasta." I in turn bow and say "arigato gozaimas." They then turn to a miniature shrine ("shrine" might not be the right word) of Buddha at the front of the room and bow and say "domo arigato gozaimasta" to Buddha.
8. I don't know the difference between "gozaimasta" and "gozaimas."
9. I have watched "When Harry Met Sally" approximately half a dozen times since I moved into the apartment 13 days ago and have never seen the final scene.
this will be an ongoing list.
Going to work. Please, fill me with understanding and perspective and compassion and so much love. These are just kids who are going to another school, after regular school, when they could be playing outside or being with their friends, and everything that's said in the classroom is a foreign language to them. Please help me to be understanding and kind and fun, and give me concentration to focus on what we're doing in class and to be prepared to lead a structured, well-organized class. Help me to comprehend that I am the teacher, and that students are paying attention to me and mostly following my lead. Please help me to be enthusiastic and forgiving and unselfish and, really, full of love. Patience and love.
posted by kathy at 12:06 PM
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