First Week in a Blur

Happy Friday or Saturday everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful week :) This first week of teaching at my elementary and middle schools has been so much fun and I was able to meet many students. Some were shy and quiet, others were loud and mischievous and then there were the students that would start talking in English with me as soon as they saw me. Definitely a variety of students that I look forward to teaching for awhile :)

The students and teachers have continued to amaze me on a daily basis. On my first day, the school had a welcoming ceremony and all the students sat in perfectly straight rows in the gym with their hands clasped around their knees and heads bowed down in total silence. If a needle had dropped to the floor, I would have heard it. I asked the vice principal why they did this, and she explained that it's a practice called 黙想 （もくそう）which helps the students concentrate and focus on what needs to be done.

Every day, the students clean the school at a specific time for 15-20 minutes. Every student has an area that they are responsible for such as sweeping a hallway, washing the sink, wiping tables, etc. The teachers participate in this as well and I was put in charge of sweeping the area outside of the teacher's room. It's a good way to talk with the students and to see what they can be like outside of the classroom.

My 2nd year OTE showed me some of the work that her students had finished during their summer break for homework and I was so impressed with it :) Their homework was to introduce their town to me since she told them that I was new to Japan and that it would be nice to have suggestions of places to visit. The sign alone was adorable~ ^^

Did I mention that their artwork was amazing? I wish I could draw like them~!!

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! :)