Rolls-Royce teachers & professional concern

Blue Sky thinking!

I am very impressed with the tag-team-teaching going on in A & M class with the littler ones. These two are very good together, a complimentary blend of skills & styles, and run a class like a Rolls-Royce motor; super-smooth. Can't see the joins. Only problem is neither of them have any English between them - which rather undermines my 'not being able to speak/understand Japanese' role!

However, they do give me warning about topics they are going to do, and do ask if I can help with a song ahead of time; they do acknowledge me in the room. They also join in with my TPR, and cannot stop smiling...

Nevertheless, even this class suffers from the after-lunch free-for-all & hands off. Dominant kids bossing others (and me!) about. If even slightly directed - theme for the day or even background music I am sure would work a treat. I do not understand why there is a hole in the children's day.

As this class had a nap, I went walkabout. A quiet chair in a bigger classroom was not quiet for long; the dangle-crowd would not let me be & quickly wound me up. As A-sensei was off today, The Dragon was pinch-hitting...she knows my role is to join in as a kid (fair enough) but if she thinks I can sit "seiza" (traditional knees folded under) she is tragically over-estimating the limits of my ligaments. Calling me out for not complying earned her a mouthful...for a start I am not supposed to understand Japanese, nor have we interacted before, and I cannot physically comply - what are your sanctions?

While we pondered that, I returned to the sleepy-heads after their nap, there given the job of tucking shirts & t-shirts into trousers. I needed a chair to do that from (see previous paragraph about knees!) and enjoyed the few moments one on one to connect - an important moment I realised for teacher to not just tuck in undies & return their charges in a decent state etc but to give feedback to each child individually, quietly, warmly on their day...Can teachers still do any of this at home? I mean, tucking in? Would some kind of "perv alert" go off? God knows, some freak-shows would be busting a nut just reading this...have I been vetted by the police? Is anybody really checking if this is giving me jollies? Is this a suitable task for the new guy?

Connect Pink Floyd & Nancy Sinatra?

I think I will answer these issues elsewhere - I am trying to be unobtrusive here from the back of the class, not the front. I did become very aware of how exposed I was in my professional position this afternoon; that there are no background checks in this country whatsoever for anyone involved in this line of work, and I am supremely unmonitored/trusted...