I used to have this friend in New York; one of my ‘next time friends’, (as in ‘next time I’m in New York, we’ll have to hang out.’) Next time, whenever I return from (insert random country name) we’ll definitely meet up for drinks or Thai food or ice skating at Chelsea Piers. Well, she… Read More Where Do I Go From Here?
Yesterday I had an awesome birthday! It goes down as one of the more bizarre birthdays I’ve had (and that’s saying a lot. Last year I spent my birthday in Nepal, feeding a neighbor’s baby orphan elephant lentils out of a beer bottle). But it was nevertheless entertaining. Here are some of the few strange… Read More My Birthday in a Jail Cell with a Zombie…and Other Odd Moments
The mother’s of my students aren’t very friendly towards me. I don’t mean that in a negative “they hate me” way. It’s just a fact. Except for ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye’ they don’t talk to me and I don’t blame them. Like most language schools in Japan, the company I work for has an ‘English Only’… Read More No Japanese! English Only Please…
Today I found out why one of my students’ quit. Apparently her mother thought my lesson was too scary. The lesson in question was my famously fun Toilet Paper Lesson plan, an idea I stole from GenkiEnglish.com, (a useful site for fun game ideas young learners, by the way). We did a doctor/patient roll play… Read More A Cultural Misunderstanding…
My mom came to visit me a couple of weekends ago and it was really nice seeing her again. She brought me an entire suitcase filled with snacks from home as well as English language magazines and books. My fridge is now jam packed with a three month supply of everything needed to make Mexican… Read More Mickey Mouse, A Giant Buddha and My Mom
Some of my students don’t talk. At all. At first I thought they were just extremely shy and I tried to be patient with them. I figured they only needed a little time to warm up to me. So each week, I’d spend the 50-minute class having a conversation with myself as my five junior… Read More Are Japanese Children "Just Shy" Or Is It Something Else?
Photo: Sad Clown Doll Sometimes I feel like I don’t understand my role my as an English teacher in Japan. What exactly do parents expect from me? I thought my job was to depart knowledge. I speak English. I will therefore teach your children to do the same. But now I’m beginning to think that… Read More Teaching English Is No Joke