On a sweaty Friday

I picked up multi-region video player this morning & carted it over to the kindy on the back of my bike - our old school gadget today to share Wallace & Gromit's Wrong Trousers, which I can't get hold of digitally too easily. 

The Boss jury-rigged a screen for me in the hall, hope they love it! Meantime this am stranded in Fski's class (avoided 'aerobics' making a pic for the video) and that was about that for the day.

On my mind (and unable to think straight in her badly behaved unarmed combat class) is the training session I'm running in Shibuya tomorrow, and how I'm going to get there; will be in class til 9pm tonight - recharge my batteries on the train down?

Forty-nine yesterdays

No bike - 3 weeks to fix a bloody spoke?! Collected it on the way home, and lost Y3000 for the spoke. Jesus!

Furious mood yesterday - school landlord spouting bullshit about spare types & 3 blocks under the stairs around the back; we had to put them somewhere you arsehole, and they have been there for three years. What do you think rent entitles us to do? Boil your head.
Meanwhile, a client being stingy about hotel after I travel last thing or sparrow's fart? No respect = no co-operation
Also trip to recycle centre in between being badly advised filling in the bank loan form & making a mess of it. 
Also very angry my business class yesterday did not prepare, with Droopy tipping me over the edge with his routine lack of any gumption/personality. Imagine (fat) Ronaldo crossed with Michael Keaton.
Then asked to lead tourism map project with augmented reality.

Mundane start to today; some kids had made a mud cake + cherries with iLeader for me - thank you!. Double Jim Time today = keeps me busy. No complaints, as I far prefer to do stuff. Trying Three Billy Goats DVD & obvious technical issues with no chance to set up ahead of time; Choriso practical. Not much warm up as a result, & in the end coloring took far longer I imagined.

Other lot been on a trip & late back > lots of sleepy heads & lunched out.

Again, more with less, partly as we had less time to set up & Bacardi was unsure of the sockets. 

Same procedure "Hello" song

 "One little finger" then straight in after quick intro 

Three Billy Goats. 

Outro = I wrote something on finished product. 

Cherries & birthdays

Well they're nowhere near ripe yet, but showing promise outside red & pink classrooms; plums in the yard swelling. Hot & very sweaty cloudy; rainy season here?

My bike needs fixing - spoke, axles, and chain so I drove, which took 15 minutes longer. Spent last night at my school's new location imagining the rooms from a teaching perspective. Compared to our previous venues, squeezing large pegs into tiny holes; but needs must and a healthy paring of resources due. The actual teaching space worries me, especially if we do (we will) attract more YLs and need floor space. Our old school has that in abundance, but we must move before we all go mad!

Birthday day today - for the month - which is a nice idea, sharing the glory and not bigging-up one particular kid at a time.

A student teacher (do they all have to make their own naff anime character apron's as a project or something?) introduces herself during the show - a full school event in the hall, birthday mums (rarely a dad) clutching phones as cameras, often video cameras in the other hand too! She wisely plays piano to familiar tune. Instant success! Welcome Rina Sensei.

Wonky Donkey & lunch-box envy

Trying to remember the Wonky Donkey this am & think of actions

Spunky = brow wipe

Hanky Panky = hit wrists

Cranky = angry horns

Stinky Dinky = pinch nose & wave away a fart

Lanky = stretch

Honky-Tonky = guitar

Winky = wink

Wonky = hop foot to foot

Early start & tried to stretch it; lot of blank faces asked to draw a donkey, but wanted to do before video which they'd copy. Check out 30+ originals.

Mums hovering as they are observing tiddlers today.

One older kid having a 'mare & howling the place down; continues after the bell & is consoled a bit by friends, which doesn't do any good! I sit with her but that does sweet FA either. Old gate-ball playing lady pushes candy thru the gate (am sure her grumpy spouse would like to push her through the gate, miserable sod). Boss tempts howler away with promise to phone mummy. Boss carries her back into class all smiles 10 mins later & sits her down. Tells class Y has been told a big secret & she's promised not to say. Great strategy & makes her feel good, others jealous, not pitying.

Allan unusually industrious, taping things up; half school disappeared on an excursion. Boss redirects Allan & can see her lower lip drift to usual setting!

Meantime, long briefing from Legs11 that loses me, found a Wonky Donkey app & lined it up on YouTube with my phone. Treasure Hunt mums & toddlers looks engaging. Some of the mums look engaging too ;)

Bunked off to go to the convenience store as I had not brought my own lunch today (analog schedule I was given 6 weeks ago taped to my calendar at my office probably; old lady who has obviously never used an ATM in front of me! Enjoyed a/c in Seiyu, spoiled for bento choice but had to choose something unlikely to raise too much interest). Competitive mums as usual gone over the top prepping these precious morsels. No wonder they all look knackered. Just don't do it (but then my own wife does too...).

Saved a girl's shoe off a roof; got pissed off with K humping my leg. Earlier gave Tigger a rev in Madge's class for being persistently naughty/AWOL. Farming lot came back shattered. TGIF....

Bloated, cranky and not very positive

Feeling fat, bloated & tired, barely able to chase a ball this am

Yellow class doing scissor skills (quite well) cutting circles, squares & triangles; my job to lean in & 'help', using English? That's hard for everyone concerned (and least useful for the least co-oordinated?). Introduced posing TPR which was nice & drew out energy!

Babies & mums in hall; scared a few including iLeader's niece - oops!

Sleepy & not in the mood today, and really gone off a lad Tigger who is sneaky...another lad Tatty, who had an obviously painful & worrying eye operation (for months had to wear goggles taped on to his face), now a daily ball-stabbing pain.

Black Cat a bit flat with Dragon lurking. Achieved little; did scribble down a shopping list of stuff I'd like to invest their money in. Scroll on to see if anything becomes of my recommendations.

Is it the parents?

Slow kick about with one irritating lad hoofing it far end of the yard every chance; dopey tw*t. Takumi showing promise. Didn't feel too bad landing the football on the recently bullying lad with Mohawk; wasn't so cocky after his bubble burst. Now I know how Paul Scholes feels?! Other MUFC news is that Giggs takes a back seat to a certain Luis van Gaal.

Main activity this morning seems to be collecting very small plums off the tree in the yard.

Proper drum practice in hall but I have surprise x2 middle classes today & not the Black Cat repeat I was expecting. Bit of a panic. Theme "Ten in the Bed" but Fski's rabble not really much fun.  

Hid after lunch & planned/remembered ideas for rest of month & June, almost. Felt guilty hiding but can't think with kids dangling off every limb, & don't get paid preparation time. Fair, I think.

More with less 2nd time round + useful Choriso help. She's instinctive & kid-focused. "Hello" song milked, a lot more, & "Ten in the Bed" avoided violence.

With my other work cap on, speaking examiners sorted for Cambridge FCE everywhere :) 

Family news = my step-father has been given his marching orders; well done mum so proud & so helpless far away...standing around watching mums apparently happy wondering which ones are in the same situation as you were through my childhood...

My little brother's birthday...and a disorganised day

4th new schedule in 24hrs = totally confused & annoyed. Yesterday's cancellation & loosing track what I have done with whom.

Gate ball baggy balls again in yard, miseries.

Touch your buddy's head etc, then join mums & do as 3s; Mums watch (seen a few for the first time in other rooms, especially blue class), then registration. Older & younger buddy to a draw picture of the mum the person they're paired with, chairs as desks. Jim paired with 'orphan' but mum arrives. 

Madge moves & monitors, loud praise & subtle encouragement; mums happy to spectate close up.

Let's go meditate

Tim Sherwood lost job at Spurs
200 miners dead in Turkey
Boko Haram still have 300 or so girls kidnapped

Not always great catching up on the news on the way to work - as if I care about THFC!

Early departure for a long crocodile-walk to a temple to meditate; dangerous roads, shoes coming off, slow coaches lagging & generally everyone overheating. Very chuffed that last years' kids spotted me as we crossed a bridge over R19 & started yelling!

Quickly the entire school settled into silence & being still; significant achievement! Monk lacking any charisma "taught"  the meditating position & breathing and a lengthy discourse on how to pray...turns on his world music CD & closes his eyes - good way to make a living. Absolutely no idea what the point of doing this with kindergarten kids is. Five minutes of increasingly fidgetty nippers, with stern looks from teachers; usual suspects evading detection.

Then another delivery of oratory delight explaining what to do with the statues; you clap at a shrine; at a temple put hands together silently.

iLeader great 'in charge' & Bacardi looks like Buddha: still & radiant!

Self-defense & miso soup

Blowing Bubbles - as I'm sure Sam Allardyce won't be next season

Got pushed off the slide (and poked with sticks) & felt vulnerable with two hands busy in the air while cods exposed. Situation normal, really, but not a lot of fun. Only defense I have left is a knee in the air, which is a tad dangerous (but stunningly effective).

On the early shift (surprise) so not a brilliant lesson plan today; needed to overcome thudding of taiko in the hall next door as  well as well - barely hear myself think let alone deliver a lesson. Mostly circle time today + Choriso & the little lot; pass ball hello hello hello how are you to next person, & stop the music > my name is...seemed like an ok pace to me; never get any timely, formal feedback nor time to reflect myself.

Tureen of hot miso soup on bare legs not good; swapped places with Bacardi to help clean up. Odd lunch today = parsley chikuwa, carrot/fish sausage & sesame salad, flavoured rice & milk. Champion.

Grumpy Old Goats

Grumpy Old Goat playing gateball occupying half the yard this am; a totally miserable git stumping around with his missus fifteen paces behind, being moaned at with every bad shot she makes (and strutting less crookedly every hit he made count). Meanwhile, an old bloke doing a puppy tempt at the gate. Again?!

Boss in flustered mood; Chief entertaining houseful of next year's entry.

Jim Time quick repeat yesterday, but improved by putting names on pics first. 

Group less responsive though. 

Cat in tree popular, with lots of exaggeration. 

Boss came in & suggested pic changes before we find out on the field trip this afternoon!

New schedule pronounced -  change for 15th pm (now old green) & 16th pm (now old yellow). Understood?!

Newly discovered pain in ass yellow middle (Akiho?) hitter, pusher, nose-picker & generally rude name caller. Led others to misbehave.

Chaos: squall as everyone had wees & putting on shoes. Cancelled trip. No wait, it's sunny, let's go!? Naughty boys meantime put on home-time stuff & for once sitting down (on own) ready to go. Times they are a changin'

And I'm off to Tokyo tonight after the day job to train a few examiners; change of pace.

Visiting the local Fire Station

So, last night informed need to include a fire engine theme in today's lesson. Legs11 tells me this am lesson is 10 mins shorter, & then Dragon tells me the schedule changed (again)... but then it hasn't because I already know about the original change. Confused?

Sunny but windy = v dusty. Legs11 running relay races & Chief has a lap dance under the tree. iLeader organised & looking for work as usual; lovely koi no bori tearing in wind.

Dropped London Bridge 

Hello (they started singing!) + how's the weather. 

Cat in the tree (blue story tree) which they liked (art & predicting). 

People who help/care not much good; 

colour a fire engine - what colour?! 

Need to check lamps!

Contrast UK yellow/blue hi viz v trad red. Read firefighters & they made "nee naw nee naw" sounds every time I pointed to fire engine. Green team great, sola inert!?

Early & quick lunch; bus to fire station. See pics...firemen took turns to show the children different bits of kit off the two different tenders, letting them try on jackets, boots etc, and generally looking fairly macho as they did so. Highlight of the visit was seeing Boss crap himself, lifted to max height in the cherry picker.

4 conk out in trip back & all sleepy. Curtains & lie down to listen story quietly. Good job :)

Girl who wets pants did so again today. No drama made, but must get noxious for the teacher?!

Show me your Aura

At least it's only half a day & I know about it; yesterday's early finish caught me out, upstairs fiddling with video edits & trying to make Aurasma work (hard w/out wifi!)

Nervous about this am as missing props for song; I puked twice (yes, I still get stage fright!). Least likely to notice under par performance = Fski, who has been blue for a week. Her birthday today shared with Dragon. Filled time taking portrait shots for Teacher Assistant app.

Boss's teeth nearly fell out when he saw the magic Auras I'd created in Madge's & Choriso's rooms. Heh heh! Will he actually do anything with? Doubt it.

Fski misses stuff; boys getting aggro, enormous bee, bad table manners...I don't enjoy the room. Feel flat anyway, with diarhorrea.

iLeader swoops in & magics the place with charm; all sit down & start singing along with the smile & behave - she simultaneously names & praises performers. V good job.

Introduces a story asking about bums; just as I'm admiring her posterior!

What, no holiday?

Bit nervous; last night got creative with A4 6x3 pictures for how's the weather activity this am. Spectacular flop or pretty cool? We'll see! Gorgeous morning, short sleeve order.

Quick hello song

how's the weather; x1 with my circular thing, modeling answer. 

X1 standing & doing action, model Q & A. 

Young group = probably need more times thru. Gave out sheets to pic randomly, using chairs for desks. Nearly 2x 18, Choriso & I did extra 3. 

Coloring took more than 5 (nearer 10-15) mins, even tho v simple pic parts. 

Asking them glue own parts in a mistake; took too long/too messy/too haphazard. 

Use pre-glued background next time. 

Result v colorful (Choriso managed one pic, I the other) but next time do colour by numbers - more input & more useful picture outcome. 

As is, v hard to read. 

Put colour numbers on board rail; 

make defined border around each segment.