April 8, 2005

• well everyone is really impressed that my japanese is so "skilled" as the literal translation goes.  the new teachers that is.  i couldnt manage to produce "i warmed it up for you" on the spot (willywop), but i might understand it if i read it.  i mean, what the hell have i been doing for the last few weeks?  i was so bored that i studied a ton, but then in this last week, i launched an amazing overhaul spring cleaning.  that has been taking longer than expected and now im thinking of other things i could be getting done but i have to finish what i started.  i wish i was redoing my self into, making those classroom englist signs, putting a cool display on the english bulletin board.  what was i thinking?  shucks.  but the cleaning is mostly done.  wait til you INTJs hear what i did!!  i took all the old binders full of this publication from our prefecture's JETs called Teamwork Tokushima.  i think its quarterly and its usually 40-50 pages of activities and ideas and suggestions for all 3 levels of school.  its supposed to be for when you are in a bind to think of something or to just share stuff with each other.  it would probably be better online and there are tons of repeats as the institutional memory is only 3 years maximum.    there was a pile of crap roughly a foot thick.  i went thru all that and took only the senior high (and some junior high) activities.  and special needs since i might have some of that now.  then i separated into a few categories, then i went thru and coalated all the similar activities or subjects.  then i made cover pages for each section like a table of contents.  now i have a master list of activity descriptions that is almost 8 pages typed!  the duplicates  were just annoying me to no end.  most games can be grouped into a few categories anyway.  borderline OCD?  yes maybe, but its not like my apartment is clean or anything.  tho it might be cleaner than most....  the final categories were whittled down to ACTIVITIES: games and classroom stuff, CULTURE: stuff about countries, customs, holidays, GEN INFO: tips for starting, managing the class, explanation of the japanese school system, the ALTs role and schedule, and TRICKY ENGLISH: onomatopoeia, idioms, similes, metaphors, expressions using colors, counterintutive phrasal verbs.  im quite relieved that all that mess is in order now.  and i lovelovelove throwing things away.  its so cathartic for me. 

  
  

  opening ceremony was today.  some students around.  ....it starts. 

  
  

  and who knew that Singin' in the Rain was about silent movie stars?  not me.  why doesnt anyone tap dance anymore?  Gene Kelly, what a looker!  BTW, musical within a musical- always entertaining for some reason. 

  • 2:33 am
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