My schedule has been full with my normal classes and special education classes. I also have been doing many elementary school visits. Usually I like going to elementary schools. I do more "teaching" than I normally do in junior high school where I normally just read and repeat. The days usually go by quicker, but they are much more high energy. However the new fifth graders, who I did not teach last year, are high voltage.
Overall they aren't bad. But the bad ones are extra loud and rude. Of course it only seems to be the boys. They like to shout out English words such as, "sex, penis, dick, etc.," in the middle of class. Or when practicing pronunciation, just shout out incoherent words as loud as they can. But this isn't the icing on the cake. The lack of respect shown towards me by saying things such as, "Oh big, penis big?" Followed by a grab to answer their question is a little over the top.
Somehow this is the characteristics of almost all the 5th year classes I teach. I teach multiple classes in five different elementary schools. Seriously, I wonder where this particular generation picked up their dirty English and bad manners. It isn't like they are good at English because they still don't know how to answer, "How's the weather today?" Needless to say, trying to teach a class with disruptive and rude students that you are unable to kick out, because in Japan it is actually against the law to remove a child from a classroom because they would not receive 'education'" is very draining. Teaching five of these classes at two different schools in one day is almost enough to make me go home and down a bottle of vodka.
I think the idea of keeping disruptive students in the classroom so they have an equal opportunity to learn is bullshit. One, give them an education in manners. If they can't behave they they should be punished, instead of allowed to rule over the classroom and create an environment counteractive to learning. I think allowing a student to continue to disrupt a class is the wrong kind of educating. It lets them know they are safe to misbehave, as long as they are in a classroom. Pretty pointless.
Granted, I wish I could make my lessons more interesting. But I am told just to show up and follow the plan the school has already decided. When I ask, do you have materials such as cards, etc. the answer is "yes," and I go in thinking I will not be supplying anything else besides my presence. Then I find the only materials I have are a chalk board, chalk, and my presence. Great! The teacher doesn't have any idea either. So an hour of relay games, key word games and anything else that only an imagination and a poorly prepared teacher can do. Thankfully this only seems to happen at 2 out of my 5 elementary schools.
I was surprised at one of my tiny mountain elementary school visits though. The principle comes up to me, and speaks to me in fluent English. I find out he has lived in Kenya for the last 3 years. Very interesting! Especially since this is the second Japanese person I have met within the last 4 days who has been to Kenya. Not to mention, this guy looked like maybe he was half Kenyan, or maybe it was just his African English accent. It is also great to speak to Japanese people with some perspective outside of their secluded cultural bubble once and a while. Unfortunately, since his English was actually good, when he decided to sit through one of these terrible English classes I felt like a complete idiot.
In the end, life still keeps moving forward until the end.
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