58 posts tagged “school”
After work, we had a drinking party, so I went in to work again after coming home to wait for people to be ready to leave. I was surprised to find, on my desk, a flyer advertising a "Canadian Food Tasting and Info Session", taking place my school on Thursday. I'm not sure who's in charge of this, but I think it may be the 2nd grade social studies teacher, as he'd borrowed my big japanese-language fact-book of Canada.
Now, this factbook has lots of stuff about history and geography and economy and stuff like that, but not culture so much, and nothing at all about food. As such, you'd think they'd come speak to the resident Canadian (yours truly) to fill in that information.
They didn't. This was the first I'd heard of it.
With trepidation, I looked at their list of foods.
1. Tomato, Bean and Bacon Soup.
Now, though I've not had this, and I wouldn't necessarily call it CANADIAN, it's not unlike soups I have had back home, and so I will give it a pass.
2. Salmon steak covered in shredded cheese and grilled.
WHAT. WHY WOULD YOU RUIN A GOOD SALMON STEAK BY PUTTING SHITTY QUALITY PRE-SHREDDED CHEESE ON IT AND BROILING It??? THIS IS APALLING.
3. As a beverage, maple syrup.
I hope I don't have to explain what's wrong here.
What the HELL. Why would YOU DO THIS TO ME.
The proper answer for this menu should have been:
-Cheddar Cheese Soup (they get a soup, they get their cheese, and as we know, Campbell's Cheddar Cheese Soup is as Canadian as Ketchup chips)
-salmon with a maple syrup glaze
but nope! They've fucked it!
I found a bear near the Old Man Elephant.
He named Rockiy by Takae.★ROCKIY's PROFILE★
At fast Rockiy was boy.
Rockiy became girl to Takae.
But now Rockiy is boy.
Rockiy is from Miyazaki. Miyazaki is mango world.
Rockiy is kind of foreign.
He came to Tonami two years ago.
Rockiy's color is Orange. Because he is mango.But I don't found Rockiy's master.
That is the exact bear that was drawn beside this entry. How she found a bear from a franchise that was popular 25 years ago, I have no idea.
I am afraid of storange smell.
My pojicon is near the Umeki.
Umeki is suspicious.
I don't like him smell. KUSAI
Because hes smell isn't goodThis is "YUGIOH"
I have a friend who likes YUGIOH.
I'm not sure how Yugioh is related to smelly Umeki, but whatever.
Juniary 26
I played soccer at school.
Do you know about the soccer "ruuru"
I know soccer "ruuru"
Bay the way. Do you like soccer and baseball?
I like coccer.
In Europe and North America, there has been a liberalization of marijuana laws over the past few decades. Whereas before it was horrible horrible and you'd get in all sorts of legal trouble, now, in many places, no one cares if it's for yourself and you're not some sort of giant violent pot kingpin or something.
This is not the case in Asia. In various SE Asian countries, possession of illegal drugs (including marijuana) is punishable by death. This isn't the case in Japan, but it's still a very serious crime to have pot or pot seeds or pot paraphernalia.
But if it's just a DRAWING of it, that's okay, and is, in fact, very popular. Pot leaf air fresheners, pot leaf hats, pot leaf necklaces, pot leaf pencil cases, all very popular, even more so than playboy bunny goods.
It's strange, and weird. But it sometimes furnishes a bit of entertainment. In my 2nd grade class today (that would be kids who about 14 years old), one girl had a pencil case adorned with two huge pot leaves and "CANNABIS WORLD" emblazoned on it.
Another kid's pencil case was better though:
THERE ARE NO WORDS, PEOPLE. I'll just shake my head and continue on.HEMP
Smoke dope and addicts!
Is rearry bud for me?
Before this one third grade class, I was waiting around, making small talk with the kids if they wanted to. This one kid who's totally awesome even though he doesn't like English much (he has the ability, he just doesn't like it, so doesn't apply himself) noticed my piercing for the first time (even though i've been teaching him for three years), and was like WOW, THAT'S AWESOME! and we talked about it for a while. That was good.
During class, I noticed that he was actually trying, working with his partner, staying on topic, repeating after me when he was supposed to, etc. It was good!
Then the teacher decided she wanted to show a slideshow about England (because we were at the "Yuki goes to London and a creepy man talks to her bout harry potter on the plane" program), so we start that. Now, the kids have seen most of these photos several times before, and they weren't interesting the first time, so why would they be now? So they were talking quietly among themselves. ALL the students, pretty much, were doing this. But about 3 pictures into her slideshow, she snaps at this kid and is like SHUT UP! IF YOU WANT TO KEEP TALKING, GET OUT. And I was like whoaaa, that's hella harsh :/ But I didn't say anything then, because I hoped things would just move on.
Well, the kid is clearly shocked, looks around in disbelief, then gets up, walks to the front of the room, closes the lid of the laptop the teacher was using for her slideshow, says "I don't need this", and walks out, slamming the door. Then she spends 5 minutes trying to justify her actions with the rest of the class. "He was talking right? You heard him talking yes? He's always talking right?"
I dunno, it upset me.
Whenever i make some small form of progress, someone always does
something boneheaded to set it all back. 
This is my friend youya miyoshi He is 13 エイズ 00 11 He plays dasedall, but he doesn't play bredall. He is likes takoyaki but he doesn't like beef. He is from osaka.
De is mi frand Kakeru Kawai. He from Toyama. He plays soccer. He like sushiandnebubutshe doesn'tlike Tomato He watchesgames.
TIHS is My fiend Kento. He plays the trombone. He likes hnbaaGu.
●This is My frend Mika
●She plays clarinet, but she boesn't play piano
●She likes pan very moch, but she doesn't like surimi
●She watches
I have a funny friend. She is Nakano. She is from Takanosu. She plays badminton.
Shes likes Kamiji Yusuke, I lick him too.
I have a good friend I like ALL SPORT
This is my brother Shunta He plays basketboll every day He likes hanbagu He doe ssn't like gurinpisu He doesn't Play track and field
This week, I'm marking writing tests. The horrible ones make for more better reading, but I'll share the ones that get perfect as well, just to show that not all my kids have troubles. :) The marks are in brackets at the end.
My favorite food is a cake. I like fruit trat the best. There are bluebery, melon, oragen and raspberry on it. I have ever fruit trat made it. But it was very diffcult to made it. So I want to made a very good fruit trat someday. (5/12)
My favorite sport is basketball. At first. I don't like basketball. Because I don't many run. So, winter taraing was very hard. But I again winter taraing. So, I like basketball now. (5/12, but she misspelled her name, so 4/12)
My favorite red is coler. It's interesthing. It's used red coler tomato and posto. My family it so much. But my sister only now. I want something red guds. (3/12)
My favorite game is "星のカービィー,,. "星のカービィー,, makes me happy. It is The most interested some games of "星のカービィー,,. "星のカービィー,, is very easy. So, "星のカービィー,, loved many Childrens. I love "星のカービィー,,!! (4/12)
My favorite food is chocolate. Because chocolate is very sweet. I like sweet. But I don't like 生クリーム. My friend don't likes 生クリーム too. 生クリーム makes me but. Do you like 生クリーム? (5/12)
My favorite band is Hysteric Blue. This band ended four years ago. I listened to their songs for the first time when I was five years old. Then I thought their songs are very good. Their songs made me happy. "Haru~spring~" is the most famous of all their songs. I like this song very much. (12/12)
My favorite sport is badminton. Have you ever played it? It's fun for me to play badminton, but it's difficult. I've practiced it for five years. It makes me excited. My dream is to be a good badminton player. (12/12)
My favorite book is Harry Poter. Harry Poter is very long story. This book is wreten by J.K. Roleng. It is very intelesting. I leed a this book. Are you leed a Harry Poter? (5/12)
A: My favorite svject is much?
B: I like much.
A: My favorite study is English?
B: No, I don't. (3/12)
My favorite sport is soccer. I have played soccer for five years. But i'm not good at playing soccer. I watched a soccer game Of my favorite team in Osaka last April. It made me happy. I think soccer is the most popular sport of all in the world. (12/12)
My favorite eat is chocolate. It's very very sweet. I am a at once brithday. I want chocolate cake. It's chocolate cake is soft and pleasure. I'm exciting. (4/12)
My favorite singer is Namie Amuro. She is very cute. And shi is good as sing a song. I like she's songs. When I listen this songs, I am happy. I want to be such a her. (5/12)
My favorite singer is Avril Lavgen. I listen to her song every day. 「Hot」is the best. When I listen to this song, I became happy and fun. I want to go to her live some day. Please listening to her song. (7/12)
My favorite cake is are chocolatecakes. I like sweet teste. Because It's very sweet. It is happy for me to cakes And. To makes for lot of fun. I want makeis chocolate cakes some day. (4/12)
My favorite color is Penk. Becaus very cute. It is makes me happy. I have mene penk teings. My pencace is pink. It is wahcing very happy. So I like my pencace. Penk is mene popure. (5/12)
My favorite animation is Suzumia haruhi no yuuutu. It is made by Kyoto animation. They makes animation is beautiful. It animation from book story written by Nagaru Tanikawa. He made story is exsiting. He write story is poputler in all over the word. Animation is Japanese culthir. (6/12)
My favorite food is potato chips. People call it potechi. The potechi made from potatos. The potatos made in Hokkaido. I like "USUSHIO" the best. I often eat it. (5/12)
My favorite subject is English. It is important for me to study English. I want to go to America. If I go to America, I have to speak English. But I don't speak English very well now. So I have to study English very hard. (12/12, and she got an "I <3 NY" sticker for her trouble.)
My favorite sport is basketball. This sport was taught by Mr. Oka. I played basketball for the first time then. I'm not good. But it made me happy. I want to be a basketball players, so I want to become good. (12/12 from the wheelchair girl)
My favorite sport is skiing. I have skied since I was four years old. It is difficult but very interesting for me. I can't ski very well but I love it. I want to improve my skill of skiing by practicing more. I'm looking forward to coming of winter. (12/12)
My favorite music is J-pop. J-pop is the likest of all. Because the rhythm is good. And, because it settles hearing it. It because it energetic if it hears it even if depresed. There fore, I like j-pop. (5/12)
My favorite food is takoyaki. takoyaki is kawa in tako. it is toro nuwa, oosaka max king tako xakl . I eat takoyaki yesterdey. I eat fukoxaki brek East (4/12)
My favorite car race is WBC. WBC is run the many diffalent roads. WBC has many team. for example, Japanese car team is Subaru. Other country team is Ford, Lancia, Abarth. I like subaru very much, because it is very fast and rally car is very cool. in the future, I want to be rally briver. (11/12)
My favorite food is pasta. I like napritan better. I make napritan. I want to go to Itary. becouse I wan to Stidy Itaryan. food but. I don't speak Itaryan. (7/12)
My favorite animal is dog. I have a dog. It name is Rokettu. The likes fish. I like too. It's make is me happy. (6/12)
My favorite sport is basketball. I have played it for seven years. My brother taught me how to play basketball. He can play basketball very well. It's interesting for us to play basketball. I'm going to belong to a basketball club in the high school. (12/12)
My favorite sang is EXILE. They are vocal and danceres group. cool and nicevoice. They are Dream happines Love. I listen EXILE everyday. All over word poprear. (5/12)
My favorite food is Stor bery. (ed.: here, she drew a picture of a strawberry) That first! She have very cute. Second! It's buteful folm. Last! very very boono. We are likes Storo bery? (2/12)
My favorite book is Demonata. The author of this book is Daren Shan. I like the book. It is very popular among young people in England. (9/12)
My favorite food is Sukiyaki. Sukiyaki is very people. (2/12)
My favorite sport is baseball. My father taught me how to play it when I was 5 years old. So I have played baseball for ten years. It's exciting for me to play baseball. I want to be a baseball player like Ichiro. I will practice baseball in the high school. (12/12)
My favorite sport is judo. I like judo. I Played judo evray-day. Bed, I didn't stronge judo. My flende is Played Judo. He is an stronge an judo. (6/12)
My favorite like is kada das is mai kada is I and (0/12, with a note that German class is that way -->)
My favorite book is "tomorrow." It is a war story. live or die. I help bear me teart. I was sure scared to death. I want to world peace. (5/12)
My favorite music is BUMP OF CHICKEN. I like to listen to them songs. So I have a lot of CDs sung by BUMP OF CHICKEN. I favorite them song is karuma. Them songs make me happy. I have never gone to them concert. so I want to go to them concert some day. (7/12, and a note to review her pronouns).
My favorite spors is tennis. Tennis is play very haed. Becaues (2/12)
My favorite Sunday is like. My favorite don't is suneiku. My favorite CD is like. My favorite Comic is love. My favorite tangen is kirai. My favorite Haisya is itai. My favorite it lenee is Sandy. (1/12, but only cuz she wrote SOMETHING)
My favorite flower is rose. It is a beateful. I went to is a rose. But This is a very (3/12)
Today was school festival. It was kinda rough, cuz I went out drinking with friends who are living in Tokyo these days last night, didn't get home until 3, had to be up at 7, so ended up at work tired and hungover. Was hungover all day, even though I sneaked home at one point and took a half-hour nap. Didn't get rid of my hangover completely until supper time, when I was force fed beer at the after-party -_-.
Anyway, here's pictures. I have a fantastic video that I'll share later (it's uploading, and it's big, and will take forever ;_;).
First, not school festival, but food. Collon. In the past, I've seen people post in Engrish forums or whatever HAHAHAHAHAHA COLLON THAT IS HILARIOUS IT IS TUBE SHAPED, LIKE UR COLON HAHAHA THAT'S BEHIND UR ANUS U KNOW TEEHEEHEE, and I've always wanted to punch those people in the face, because you know what, it's not that funny. Then Glico comes out with chocolate and nuts Collon, completely destroying any means of defence I employed on their behalf. Thanks guys, thanks.
So, the government, every year, throws a new idea at the elementary schools to make English education better, but it's all band-aid fixes; they're all poorly thought out hacks designed to get a little bit of improvement without actually changing anything, and unfortunately, that doesn't fucking work, as is evident by the poor results from years and years of tinkering but never actually overhauling English education in this country.
Right now, in grades 3-6, the children are supposed to get one "English activity" time a week. The period this falls in isn't a specific English class -- it's a project period, a time for long-term projects, special things the teacher wants to teach but isn't strictly curriculum, etc. Three periods of that a week, one is supposed to be English.
From April 2009 some schools (all schools must start it by April 2011), instead of recommending that one of these "project periods" is "English activity time", they will cut that down to two periods a week and make an official "English Activity" class. This means textbooks that need to be followed, and an actual curriculum instead of "o hi, just do whatever you like a hyuk".
On the one hand, this is excellent -- what elementary English is sorely lacking is a cohesive curriculum for the teachers to follow. But this is Japan, and Japanese English textbooks are notoriously fucking retarded. But even shitty textbooks can be worked with, given the proper teachers and the proper effort.
The guy (as they always do when talking about textbooks), broke out the, "It is the law that you must use this textbook and not deviate from the textbook so you must use the textbook and not deviate because it is the law," line. "You must focus on speaking and listening!" YES! I totally agree. "You mustn't weigh them down with grammar. Vocabulary is more important than grammar in elementary school." EXACTLY, well played!
"You must never write English on the board. It is not allowed to have the children read in any way." ... what? I'm not saying we should get them reading BOOKS, but learning what some words look like doesn't hurt, so long as the focus is still on speaking and listening.
"You must also never ever practice pronunciation with the children. Pronunciation is in the junior high school curriculum, not the elementary curriculum. Please remember." Okay, here's where dipshit asshats go off the rails. You want us to train their speaking and listening, but we're not allowed to make sure they say things properly? Speaking, listening, and pronunciation are three tentacles on the same English Education monster. You can't speak English if you don't listen to it and learn how it sounds. You can't listen and glean meaning if you haven't had your own pronunciation trained a little bit. I'm not saying we should have 10 year olds sitting in rows doing nothing but practicing their interdental fricatives for 45 minutes; I'm saying that a little bit of pronunciation coaching, i.e., "Ah, to make this sound, you have to put your tongue between your teeth -- like this!", is necessary. If we don't coach pronunciation, you'll get children who have two years of solid vocab and speaking under their belts, but who have been saying "Thursday" as "Saaaaaaaaaaaaaazuday" for two years. You can't FIX IT after they have done it wrong for so long. Mistakes like that need to be corrected immediately, so that the child remembers it and learns the proper way and moves on.
The edict from MEXT, however, would have children happily saying things completely wrong and then getting to junior high school and being told that everything they know is wrong. It makes English suck for them, it makes teaching English to them suck for the JHS teachers, and sets the stage for yet ANOTHER generation of Japanese people who take English for at least 8 years in school and can't understand any English or be understood by any native speaker. We already see this problem in junior high schools in the form of writing. They're taught how to write in elementary school, but they get taught old, archaic, disused systems of romaji, and bizarre letter formation. When we get them in JHS, the first thing we have to do (and it's something we spend 3 years doing) is breaking them of all their bad habits -- habits they learned because no one was around to correct their mistakes. The elementary teachers don't know any better - they lack any training in English at all. Blind leading the fucking blind.
"You must never correct the elementary teacher's English. English is scary for them! They do not know English! They haven't learned it, so of course they will make mistakes. Never correct them, whether it be in front of the students or after class." This, too, is ridiculous! I mean, yes, we must be careful not to hurt the teacher's feelings by being unnecessarily harsh when correcting them, but correction is necessary. If we let people make mistakes forever and don't correct them, they never learn, and if no one is learning, then why the hell am I a teacher?
I often get invited to mini-symposia about English teaching in Elementary schools. The elementary teachers lack the confidence to teach English -- partly because they don't know English, and partly because they haven't been given any resources on what or how to teach -- so they ask me to come and give them pro-tips.
Here is the only pro-tip that has any relevance. It is step 1. Once MEXT has completed step 1, I will divulge the rest of the my clever plan.
STEP 1: TRAIN ELEMENTARY TEACHERS IN ENGLISH, FOR FUCK'S SAKE. USE SOME COMMON SENSE, JAPAN.
Now, I'm not saying we need to train them to fluency -- that would be ideal, but isn't feasible. What IS possible, and necessary, is for the teachers to have a series of seminars giving them the tools and resources and skills they need to teach a foreign language and feel comfortable with it. The other big thing that will give them the confidence and comfort they need is to LEARN THE LANGUAGE. Just as well as their students are expected to know it by the end of 6th grade -- no more. It would take some time in summer vacation, it would take some money, but this is a REAL step towards a solution to the English education problem in this country, unlike the band-aid solutions of throwing textbooks and more hours at it. If the teachers teaching don't understand the subject, and therefore can't teach it, no amount of money or time or textbooks will be worth anything until you get a clue and put the money into TRAINING THE TEACHERS.
Of course, I'm the only one with any fucking sense when it comes to stuff like this, so expect the Japanese to continue to suck at foreign languages until the end of days.
Yesterday was sports day! I took too many pictures. Realized I had taken 650 by 10am, and was going to run out of space on my card. Did some in-camera purging of shittily composed and focused pics so I'd have enough, and then was more selective. In the end, I took about 840 pics, kept 430, and uploaded 88 to flickr. Here are the ones I decided were worth sharing with you~.
Then came 騎馬戦, or the cavalry battle game where boys (and only boys, because cavalry battles are men's work) are held aloft by four of their friends who carry them into glorious bandana battle.
Afterwards, when all the clean up was done and all the kids had gone home, it was time for the after-party. This led to the events of my previous post, the most bizarre evening of my life. -_-
