You've enjoyed a May full of updates! More than any month previous. But sadly, that frequency is at an end, at least for a couple weeks.
My laptops AC adapter blew out last night and despite my damnedest effort ("Oh my god I need to play video games now now now") to fix it, alas, to the AC adapter heaven she went.
It came at a pretty bad time. This past weekend, I played WoW with Nolan, Trevor, Jeremy and Nolan's wife Jill and had a great time doing it. We had scheduled another time for this coming weekend, but now that's not going to happen while I wait for the adapter to first go to Mom's and then be shipped to me, which will probably take 2-3 weeks.
Here's hoping it goes faster. I'll try to update when I can.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Friday, May 25, 2007
The Sixth Grade Problem
From first to fourth grade elementary classes, I usually cannot get the kids to be less enthusiastic about English. I show up and they're hugging me, trying to talk to me and are ready for just about anything I throw at them. Likewise, seventh through ninth graders are typically compliant and willing to do activities with me. My classes are breaks for them. We study English, of course, but my classes usually have them doing something that gets them away from the studying grind and working on communication skills.
But there's a dead zone working with the fifth and sixth graders. Right now the fifth graders are really energetic and willing to work on anything, but as they approach the sixth grade year, their interest plummets. At Ie elementary, I have little to no problem with fifth and sixth graders, but at Nishi elementary, the sixth graders are incredibly ambivalent, at least when it comes to my classes.
They're a big class, almost 40 students, and ever since I started classes with them all the way back when they were fourth graders, they've been less-than-enthusiastic, to put it lightly. When they were fifth graders the problem continued, even though they had what I thought to be an excellent teacher, and one I liked working with. Shotoro-sensei left the island at the start of the new school year and they have an all new teacher, Hisato-sensei.
Our first class of this year was on Thursday, and true to their previous behavior, I came off as the most boring teacher in the universe in the space of a minute. Now true, I'm not the best or the brightest teacher, but I had prepared for this contingency.
We warmed-up and I asked some simple questions before leading into the grammar point for the day. Their waning interest waned more and I knew it was time. I told them we were going to play a game.
I told them we were going to play baseball.
This form of baseball is a vocabulary game. The class is divided into two teams and a member from each team stands at the front of the class, looking toward the back of the room where I am standing with a stack of vocab cards. One student is the batter, the other the pitcher. I hold up a vocab card with a word in Japanese and the batter and pitcher must say the word in English. Their entire team must then repeat the vocab. If the batter and their team is correct the fastest, the batter is allowed to take a base. If the pitcher and their team prevails, it counts as an out. When someone makes it home, that's one point.
They were slow at first, and quiet. The boys took to it faster than the girls and seemed to enjoy being in direct conflict with one another, but soon the girls were responding just as well. When teams tied over a piece of vocab, the students began to bicker over who had finished first, and there were audible groans when a teammate lost it for the team with bases loaded.
Oh ho. I had them now.
We ended the game a minute before the end of the period with a tie of 3-3. We went over the vocabulary one more time (with more enthusiasm then they displayed previously) and we finished up.
I won the first battle in a war of eleven classes. Ten more to go before they become seventh graders.
But there's a dead zone working with the fifth and sixth graders. Right now the fifth graders are really energetic and willing to work on anything, but as they approach the sixth grade year, their interest plummets. At Ie elementary, I have little to no problem with fifth and sixth graders, but at Nishi elementary, the sixth graders are incredibly ambivalent, at least when it comes to my classes.
They're a big class, almost 40 students, and ever since I started classes with them all the way back when they were fourth graders, they've been less-than-enthusiastic, to put it lightly. When they were fifth graders the problem continued, even though they had what I thought to be an excellent teacher, and one I liked working with. Shotoro-sensei left the island at the start of the new school year and they have an all new teacher, Hisato-sensei.
Our first class of this year was on Thursday, and true to their previous behavior, I came off as the most boring teacher in the universe in the space of a minute. Now true, I'm not the best or the brightest teacher, but I had prepared for this contingency.
We warmed-up and I asked some simple questions before leading into the grammar point for the day. Their waning interest waned more and I knew it was time. I told them we were going to play a game.
I told them we were going to play baseball.
This form of baseball is a vocabulary game. The class is divided into two teams and a member from each team stands at the front of the class, looking toward the back of the room where I am standing with a stack of vocab cards. One student is the batter, the other the pitcher. I hold up a vocab card with a word in Japanese and the batter and pitcher must say the word in English. Their entire team must then repeat the vocab. If the batter and their team is correct the fastest, the batter is allowed to take a base. If the pitcher and their team prevails, it counts as an out. When someone makes it home, that's one point.
They were slow at first, and quiet. The boys took to it faster than the girls and seemed to enjoy being in direct conflict with one another, but soon the girls were responding just as well. When teams tied over a piece of vocab, the students began to bicker over who had finished first, and there were audible groans when a teammate lost it for the team with bases loaded.
Oh ho. I had them now.
We ended the game a minute before the end of the period with a tie of 3-3. We went over the vocabulary one more time (with more enthusiasm then they displayed previously) and we finished up.
I won the first battle in a war of eleven classes. Ten more to go before they become seventh graders.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
More Consuming
The past couple weeks I've been watching Seinfeld episodes. Hard to imagine the show ended eight years ago and I didn't appreciate it. Watching the old episodes, I can't say that there have been many other enjoyable live-action comedies in the past few years that have Seinfeld's shelf-life. Spiritually, Arrested Development is the only comparable television comedy I know of, though I know comparatively little about what's on TV. I have limited means and limited time, which means I have to be choosey.
I'm looking forward to Heroes now. The season ended and I have twenty-some episodes to watch. Even though it's on every Tuesday here, I've avoided watching since I didn't realize they were airing until midway through the season. Coming in in the middle is never a good thing, after all.
Through a bit of fortune I managed to see Shrek the 3rd, which I heartily don't recommend. I'm under no illusions that the 2nd and 3rd films were designed essentially to make money, but at least the 2nd one was funny. There's now a bad movie trifecta in play: will Pirates 3 suck as well? The summer season, except for Ratatouille and Transformers (the new trailer looks astonishing), seems like its on a downward spiral.
But so it goes. On the reading front I'm busy with The Idiot. Slow going, purely because there's so much packed into a lot of space. Looking forward to more.
I'm looking forward to Heroes now. The season ended and I have twenty-some episodes to watch. Even though it's on every Tuesday here, I've avoided watching since I didn't realize they were airing until midway through the season. Coming in in the middle is never a good thing, after all.
Through a bit of fortune I managed to see Shrek the 3rd, which I heartily don't recommend. I'm under no illusions that the 2nd and 3rd films were designed essentially to make money, but at least the 2nd one was funny. There's now a bad movie trifecta in play: will Pirates 3 suck as well? The summer season, except for Ratatouille and Transformers (the new trailer looks astonishing), seems like its on a downward spiral.
But so it goes. On the reading front I'm busy with The Idiot. Slow going, purely because there's so much packed into a lot of space. Looking forward to more.
Monday, May 21, 2007
On Sunday, Paul, Amy and Juhi--ALTs from the mainland--were over here on Ie, so I joined them on a tour. We climbed Mt. Gusuku and hiked around the island to the lily field, where Paul and I right down to the bottom of the northern cliffs. The tide was just high enough where the water would crash into the cliffs and wash over our legs. It was a little foolish of us--one misstep could have meant severe lacerations, a broken leg or possibly even death if we happened to fall into the water. The waves on the northern side of the island are especially strong, and you wouldn't stand much of a chance against the sharp rocks. I nicked my hand just leaning against one.
We trekked up to higher ground after that and enjoyed some ice cream as we took in the view of the open ocean. Paul and I did some more hiking down to the shore--about a twenty minute walk--and took in the view from a lower vantage point.
All in all, a pretty decent Sunday.
We trekked up to higher ground after that and enjoyed some ice cream as we took in the view of the open ocean. Paul and I did some more hiking down to the shore--about a twenty minute walk--and took in the view from a lower vantage point.
All in all, a pretty decent Sunday.
Friday, May 18, 2007
A Detour
I went out for a walk today, headed for the activity center on the other side of the island. About halfway there, I ran into an older man getting into his truck. He says hello and I, of course, reply. We strike up a conversation, since I'm want for English conversation anyway and he appears as if he wants to sharpen his speaking skills.
We talk about his grandkids and how long he's lived on the island. He was born around 1935 and was alive when the Americans invaded the island. He reaches into his pickup and pulls out a folder. He hands it to me and I tentatively look inside to find photos of the island from 1945. There are pictures of scared looking children, an American G.I. holding a canteen to a little girl's mouth as she drinks greedily and a photo of the junior high school, decimated from canon shells from minna-shima, the island a few kilometers away.
"Wow, these are amazing," I say. Suddenly I feel very small and guilty.
"Would you like to see some more?"
"Sure."
We jump in his truck and he takes me to his house. He leads me inside and begins pulling out photo albums and pointing to pictures. "Here's Ernie Pyle the day before he died." He pulls out a map and points to the southwest shore of the island. "Here's where the American ships came to shore," pointing at the map and again to another picture, this time of an entrenched shoreline. "And here," he said, pulling out another album and flipping to the middle, "Is a paper dropped a month before the Americans came."
The 60-some year-old paper, pressed between the album pages, had Japanese writing on one side and a drawing of the Pacific theater on the other. Moving toward Japan were simply drawn American ships and planes, filling up the entire Pacific ocean.
"The Americans dropped it?" I asked, already knowing the answer.
"Yes."
"Wow." I said this a lot. I can be quite the conversationalist.
"Come on, I'll show you something else."
We got up and jumped in his truck again. We didn't drive very far before he pulled into a yard. He pointed at a large gajumaru tree between two houses.
"Two Japanese soldiers lived in that tree when the Americans came. They hid during the day and looked for food at night. Americans never saw them."
I'd heard this story before; the elementary school students perform a play for the surviving Japanese soldier every year. I had been slightly incredulous, but seeing the tree, massive and overgrown, I could believe it.
"Was it the same size in the 1940s?"
"Yes. About the same."
We admired it for a moment before we jumped back into the truck. He took me past a cave, where 20,000 year-old fossils from an extinct deer had been found and where people hid during WWII. Then he took me past a large airstrip.
"The bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki. It refueled here before heading back to the U.S." He said this nonchalantly, more interested in the history. A tingle zigged-zagged down my spine.
Satisfied he'd shown me enough, he took me to the activity center and we exchanged phone numbers.
"Next week, you can come to dinner. I'll give my grandson a note to give you at school."
"That sounds great," I said. We shook hands and he got in his truck and drove off.
I went inside for a swim.
We talk about his grandkids and how long he's lived on the island. He was born around 1935 and was alive when the Americans invaded the island. He reaches into his pickup and pulls out a folder. He hands it to me and I tentatively look inside to find photos of the island from 1945. There are pictures of scared looking children, an American G.I. holding a canteen to a little girl's mouth as she drinks greedily and a photo of the junior high school, decimated from canon shells from minna-shima, the island a few kilometers away.
"Wow, these are amazing," I say. Suddenly I feel very small and guilty.
"Would you like to see some more?"
"Sure."
We jump in his truck and he takes me to his house. He leads me inside and begins pulling out photo albums and pointing to pictures. "Here's Ernie Pyle the day before he died." He pulls out a map and points to the southwest shore of the island. "Here's where the American ships came to shore," pointing at the map and again to another picture, this time of an entrenched shoreline. "And here," he said, pulling out another album and flipping to the middle, "Is a paper dropped a month before the Americans came."
The 60-some year-old paper, pressed between the album pages, had Japanese writing on one side and a drawing of the Pacific theater on the other. Moving toward Japan were simply drawn American ships and planes, filling up the entire Pacific ocean.
"The Americans dropped it?" I asked, already knowing the answer.
"Yes."
"Wow." I said this a lot. I can be quite the conversationalist.
"Come on, I'll show you something else."
We got up and jumped in his truck again. We didn't drive very far before he pulled into a yard. He pointed at a large gajumaru tree between two houses.
"Two Japanese soldiers lived in that tree when the Americans came. They hid during the day and looked for food at night. Americans never saw them."
I'd heard this story before; the elementary school students perform a play for the surviving Japanese soldier every year. I had been slightly incredulous, but seeing the tree, massive and overgrown, I could believe it.
"Was it the same size in the 1940s?"
"Yes. About the same."
We admired it for a moment before we jumped back into the truck. He took me past a cave, where 20,000 year-old fossils from an extinct deer had been found and where people hid during WWII. Then he took me past a large airstrip.
"The bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki. It refueled here before heading back to the U.S." He said this nonchalantly, more interested in the history. A tingle zigged-zagged down my spine.
Satisfied he'd shown me enough, he took me to the activity center and we exchanged phone numbers.
"Next week, you can come to dinner. I'll give my grandson a note to give you at school."
"That sounds great," I said. We shook hands and he got in his truck and drove off.
I went inside for a swim.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Not-So Busy
Students are busy preparing for midterms, which largely cuts me out of this week's schedule. My time has been mostly mine to fill. I fill the time with Japanese studying and focusing on working my speech students.
I usually meet them at the end of the day and I am currently drilling them, trying to make sure their speeches are memorized. This has been an arduous process; I can't imagine how difficult it is to memorize a speech in a foreign language, but my students have plowed right ahead, and though they're both still a little rocky, we've started to work on gestures and some actual acting.
Sometimes the process is frustrating. I want them to just "get it," but I can't expect them to. It's difficult for me to ask them to take it slowly because I want to get to the next part of the of the process and it's obvious they want as well. But taking it slowly is the way to go, and I admire their determination.
I usually meet them at the end of the day and I am currently drilling them, trying to make sure their speeches are memorized. This has been an arduous process; I can't imagine how difficult it is to memorize a speech in a foreign language, but my students have plowed right ahead, and though they're both still a little rocky, we've started to work on gestures and some actual acting.
Sometimes the process is frustrating. I want them to just "get it," but I can't expect them to. It's difficult for me to ask them to take it slowly because I want to get to the next part of the of the process and it's obvious they want as well. But taking it slowly is the way to go, and I admire their determination.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Lunch with the 9th Graders
"You have tests next week? What tests?"
"English. Math. Social studies. Science. Japanese."
"I see. It sucks to be you."
"Yes."
"Do you understand what that means?"
"No."
"Well, 'it sucks' means it's bad. Kinda. 'It sucks. 'The movie sucks.' 'To be you' is like, anatani natteiru. Being you, it sucks. Understand?"
"Yes, I do."
"Well, sucks to be you."
"Yes."
"English. Math. Social studies. Science. Japanese."
"I see. It sucks to be you."
"Yes."
"Do you understand what that means?"
"No."
"Well, 'it sucks' means it's bad. Kinda. 'It sucks. 'The movie sucks.' 'To be you' is like, anatani natteiru. Being you, it sucks. Understand?"
"Yes, I do."
"Well, sucks to be you."
"Yes."
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Let's Get Together!
World of Warcraft has fallen to the wayside as I'm playing through Zelda and Paper Mario. WoW has a level cap of 70 and I am currently 48, but I'd like to attain that goal to experience some of what WoW endgame has to offer. I was clipping along at leveling at a decent pace, but between three games, I only have so much time, and since I plan to reactivate my FFXI account come June to experience some of the new content, I've stepped away from one time-consuming massive since I know I'll be busy with another in a few weeks.
But, wonder of wonders, I've been talking with Jeremy and Nolan back in the states and it's possible that we'll be playing WoW together on the weekends when I have some free time. I'm hoping to get a hold of Trevor to see if he would care to join us.
But, wonder of wonders, I've been talking with Jeremy and Nolan back in the states and it's possible that we'll be playing WoW together on the weekends when I have some free time. I'm hoping to get a hold of Trevor to see if he would care to join us.
Red Night
Book club was good. David picked me up and we had a decent discussion of Cities of the Red Night in the car--which was more interesting than the discussion at the book club. That turned into more of a social gathering after the book conversation deteriorated. The general consensus was that no one understood the point and the rampant homosexual sex was distracting. About 1/3 of our number didn't finish the book, citing the graphic sex as the major deterrent. Sex is everywhere, the logic revolves around it ("How do we solve this problem?" "Sodomy?" *insert sodomy act here* "Wow, I have a great idea that totally solves everything!") and except for one or two occasions, there's few instances of heterosexual sex. The novel is tied primarily to masculine experience, and I think it says a lot that the majority of the club's female readers didn't finish it.
I was pleased when I got to defend Equus when Jen expressed some outrage about Daniel Radcliffe's role as Alan Strang in the recent London production. I secretly coveted that role when I first read Equus. It's a perfect role for a young male actor. Equus also happens to be my favorite play, but despite that I've never seen a production. The London production also has Richard Giffiths in the Martin Dysart role. The Alan Strang role for the middle-aged man.
After book club it was back to David's apartment for some Seinfeld and to peruse his Flight graphic novels.
Also: an idea for after JET begins to percolate.
Not a bad night, all-in-all.
I was pleased when I got to defend Equus when Jen expressed some outrage about Daniel Radcliffe's role as Alan Strang in the recent London production. I secretly coveted that role when I first read Equus. It's a perfect role for a young male actor. Equus also happens to be my favorite play, but despite that I've never seen a production. The London production also has Richard Giffiths in the Martin Dysart role. The Alan Strang role for the middle-aged man.
After book club it was back to David's apartment for some Seinfeld and to peruse his Flight graphic novels.
Also: an idea for after JET begins to percolate.
Not a bad night, all-in-all.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
This Month in Reading
I'm looking forward to getting off-island tomorrow for the monthly book club meeting. This month's choice is Cities of the Red Night. I'm annoyed with the choice. As the first in a trilogy of books, I am now beginning to realize, with some 30 pages left, that there will be no conclusion and I will be inclined to read the sequels. A good book, as far as I can understand it. There's a lot of skipping back and forth through time and Burroughs doesn't bother to explain any of it. Instead you're just caught up in the flow of time travel, viral infections and sodomy. In any case, Burroughs can't be accused of talking down to his audience and he rather expects me to put it together myself.
I should also note that Cities has given me a few ideas for what I'm currently working on. The shifting narrative is something I'd like to better integrate, and Burroughs does it almost flawlessly. I think mostly because he does it with such confidence.
I forget what next month's book is, or if we'll meet again before the start of the new JET year (August). Either way, it's probably time to head back into the list of books I want to read and doing some light prep reading for July's little book event.
I should also note that Cities has given me a few ideas for what I'm currently working on. The shifting narrative is something I'd like to better integrate, and Burroughs does it almost flawlessly. I think mostly because he does it with such confidence.
I forget what next month's book is, or if we'll meet again before the start of the new JET year (August). Either way, it's probably time to head back into the list of books I want to read and doing some light prep reading for July's little book event.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Funny Animals
I love animation but am tired of "funny animal" movies and would like to see something that is a step up from Shrek and The Incredibles. I was disappointed when it seemed that Brad Bird was taking what I thought was a step back with Ratatouille.
Well, watch this.
Edit: Above link appears to be dead, so here's a page compilation of all Ratatouille trailers and previews.
Well, watch this.
Edit: Above link appears to be dead, so here's a page compilation of all Ratatouille trailers and previews.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
I bought a Wii this past weekend, and true to sites I've seen before, the safety manual is a little whacked.
But now, me and my Wii:
(Sorry, my digital camera broke recently and only have my phone's camera)
I'm working my way through Zelda and Super Paper Mario. Both of which I have little understanding of story-wise, though both seem to have a theme of demonic squares/pixels.
But now, me and my Wii:
(Sorry, my digital camera broke recently and only have my phone's camera)
I'm working my way through Zelda and Super Paper Mario. Both of which I have little understanding of story-wise, though both seem to have a theme of demonic squares/pixels.
Monday, May 07, 2007
Spiderman 3
I love the Spiderman movies. The first was good and the second near perfect, so much so that it's been a long wait for the third. When I saw the third, I was good. That's enough. I never need to see another Spiderman film again. Between the overstuffed plot and dialogue that only serves to set up the next scene, I'm probably good for the next decade.
It does have its moments. Topher Grace in particular is great as weasally Eddie Brock. I had the most fun when he was on-screen. But if this is any indication of what's to come with the rest of the summer movie season, prepare for some major disappointment.
It does have its moments. Topher Grace in particular is great as weasally Eddie Brock. I had the most fun when he was on-screen. But if this is any indication of what's to come with the rest of the summer movie season, prepare for some major disappointment.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Octopi
Yujo handed me the small octopus. "Tako." He said.
"Octopus." I laughed as the invertebrate tried crawling up my arm. It held on and struggled against me, but I finally had it cradled in my palm. It calmed down sufficiently and I carried it along as we waded across the shallows, looking for more octopus.
I'm not sure how they did it, but Toshiki seemed the best hunter. He led the other boys--I followed behind with my octopus friend--and pointed into the clear water when he spotted something. He and Okuma-sensei warned us a few times of puffer-fish and another nasty lobster-looking creature with barbed stingers.
We collected six more octopi. Then we returned to school, Satsuko-san threw them on a skillet and we ate them.
"Octopus." I laughed as the invertebrate tried crawling up my arm. It held on and struggled against me, but I finally had it cradled in my palm. It calmed down sufficiently and I carried it along as we waded across the shallows, looking for more octopus.
I'm not sure how they did it, but Toshiki seemed the best hunter. He led the other boys--I followed behind with my octopus friend--and pointed into the clear water when he spotted something. He and Okuma-sensei warned us a few times of puffer-fish and another nasty lobster-looking creature with barbed stingers.
We collected six more octopi. Then we returned to school, Satsuko-san threw them on a skillet and we ate them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)