I thought I would actually write about what I've been doing pretty much everyday for the past two months. Hah.
For all of May, I just had a job in the office Tokyo. It's the main Interac office, and I'm working with the Recruiting Department and doing odd jobs for whoever else needs help. My usual work consists of paperwork, computer data entry, filing, and email correspondence. We work with the applicants for the ALT positions and then offer them jobs and after they have accepted we check paperwork for visa applications. Pretty exciting stuff.
At the end of May, I was able to go for a job for 2 days at a sort of English day camp. The high school there has a "communication club" that has a two-day camp. They have 2 ALTs already, but they request a third for the camp, and since I was handy, being in the office, I was chosen to go up. It was in Tomioka, in Fukushima Prefecture. It was like 4 hours by train, and it was in the middle of pretty much nowhere. The camp was a lot of fun. In the morning we taught workshop-style classes and in the afternoon, we helped the students prepare for presentations based on the morning classes. The first day focused on reading fables and the second on writing and performing skits. The kids were really advanced for high schoolers, and the days there were a blast.
When I got back to Tokyo, they had another assignment for me. I began teaching at two elementary schools in Tokyo - in Bunkyo-ku. I'm still working at them now, and I'm still working in the office as well. The schools are 3 days a week, and the office is 2.
Kanatomi Elementary is one - the environment there is great. The students are generally enthusiastic and I enjoy teaching them.
Showa Elementary is the other - this is an interesting situation because there are parent volunteers who come to every English class. They are usually a big help, but sometimes they are added pressure.
At both schools I teach 1-6 graders, though at Showa with the 6th graders, I teach as an assistant to the Japanese homeroom teacher. Other than that, I am the main teacher for all my classes. I usually teach 4 or 5 classes each day.
The main point of English in elementary school is to just help students gain an interest in English. We are selling the idea that at one point, they could be English speakers. So, the main goal of classes isn't really to teach English, but instead to make English fun. Not to say that I don't teach English, because they are certainly learning as well. The lessons generally center around a target structure like "How are you" "I'm ____." I would teach those along with the coordinating vocabulary - fine, sleepy, hungry, hot, cold, etc. After drilling, though, class usually consists of games using the vocab or target structure. So yeah, class is a lot of fun.
Recently at the office I've gotten a new project, too. They have a library full of textbooks and resources used for classes in the past and some not used at all, so they are going through them and donating all the ones they don't need anymore. My job is to help with that and also to catalog the books they are donating so they have a list for tax write-offs. Pretty exciting stuff.
Well. That's what I've been doing. And that's probably what I'll be doing til the end. I don't forsee any changes in assignment coming. We'll see, I guess, though.
I leave you with a picture of one of my schools, Showa ES. I'll get Kanatomi and the office up soon so you can see them, as well.
p.s. I really will be updating my flickr soon, so check it out!
