Elevenses

Choriso exciting 4 groups in one & eliciting smiles & participation for tonight's sleepover.

Just found out we finish 11:30 (yesterday told 1pm). Guess I can catch up notes, calendar, quizlet, blog, drive, scoop it, buy some screens, apple TVs, curtains....and finish my shelving?

Would like to have known about this a little earlier...you know, get head around the day, plan to use that extra half an hour usefully?

They think it's all over; earthquake practice

Earthquake practice - under tables & quiet, then head count in yard. Debrief with Minnie after was very good, as it involves kids making rules for themselves and explaining why such things are important. She is excellent at this; not preachy, not critical, not with a shopping list to tick items off. Full of praise for all ideas. A pleasure to see in action.

Swimming costume changing practice?! F%@^, just go to the pool & figure it out! Minnie pulls some bright yellow budgie smugglers out of a bag & waves them in air before realising she can't make her point with a g-string. Hilarious.

Can I help get changed?! T & A show once again; genuinely shocked to discover that K is a boy. Classic double take moment for me, a la Crying Game! Practice paddle with plastic, and the can't do anything prerequisite in Japan which is the lazy stretching & whistle instructions...Club Med all over again! This is where the do as you are told mentality comes from; bizarre!

Several postponements later, had about five songs with them at the end; this is OK because Minnie is very good (whereas the other class in the same entry-level age group is grumpy, frumpy & negative)

England already going home from the World Cup in Brazil, after just 5 days actually in it. Chris Waddle off a long run up with criticism well-aimed. 

Yes, you can't go in the pool!

A first sortie to the open-pool out by the airport this morning, but not allowed to go anywhere near the water! How cruel is that? Marched around being reminded of the rules, while baking hot and dazzling reflections off the cool blue water and the Greek-white surroundings. Staff very busy doing seven shades of bugger all too! No chance of anyone leaping in to disturb the beautifully inviting water. Must admit, I was sorely tempted!

Trip preceded by 'getting changed' practice, so bare bums everywhere. Yet another scenario to deal with without any briefing (no pun intended!) - like, what am I supposed to do?! Plenty of tangled costumes and limbs going through the wrong holes, and clearly in need of assistance. Elsewhere, touch and be prosecuted, short walk to jail and life-time on an offenders' list. Career well & truly cooked.Now, with all that swimming around in my head, still a classroom of little ones in need of timely and gentle sartorial assistance. You give it, don't you, and give them a chunk of esteem which includes looking funky in new trunks, having them on the right way round and not being last/having to take everything off and on again because you're still wearing your pants underneath?!

Seems I have picked up a bad cough.

To the farm with a nodding off Choriso, and dozy contemplations of cup size.
Radish & baby carrots picked regimentally!

Reluctant artists kill my ice cream lesson

Boss & iLeader both down in the dumps, not sure why but hopefully nothing I have/haven't done!

Enjoyed putting long range shots past Choriso to make my footballing self feel better about life (see below); therapy!

Madge & Legs11 off to see Ibuki's dad's construction business; hope my own student who works there is ready for two minibus-loads of sticky fingers! Different venue, in the end I heard, but made a TV commercial?

Meanwhile, Fski doing a ninja race = red/white squares as a giant othello type game. The probation teacher having time in front of Choriso's class in the playground (lesson minutely planned I'm sure!)

Bento day ; forgot again, saw Mrs Boss in the supermarket and I am sure dobbed-in before I could walk back. Good job I had second thoughts about a crafty tube before heading back!

Jim Time = middle ones x29 doing Brocolli Ice Cream

A4 in 12 segments 3x4, listen/draw ex. 

Keep forgetting this age not very good or keen at drawing. 

Reading "lunch" was more fun

drawing a "thank you bento pic" did nothing.

Football update: Suarez brace, and for me a rattle in my chest & puked/coughed as game in Sao Paolo wound down.

Dental hygiene & Henrietta Hippo

Little Rino showed me a hole where a tooth had jumped into a donut; timely as today's big screen prezzo in the hall for all = dental hygiene with communal practice. Not my favourite topic, gawping into people's mouths/communal tooth-brushing & gargling. And yes, there was a song for that, along with animated nasties eating away enamel.

Kept myself busy with Edmodo.

Made it up as I went along, with Henrietta the Hairy Hippo

Bacardi keen to observe a class again for her son this week.

Late last night rearranging my room & getting board up, PC shifted, while trying to listen to the exciting 1st Test at Lords v Sri Lanka ending in a draw, last man in w/ 5 balls left etc...gripping stuff

Meditating and football results

Five minutes accapella with lovely Legs11 before meditation practice at the temple half a mile away; good job we're not doing this tomorrow after 4am footy - don't think snoring in the corner would impress anyone!

Not sure if  one is supposed to plan how to organise & carry out flower planting for the afternoon when the whole building is quietly considering belly buttons.

Spain crashed out & they have a new king.

What can a Hippopotamus be

Cycled to work in the light drizzle, and then practiced drop kicking plums across the yard as there was no one to play with!

My 1st time with tiddlers in the red class, who are super small easily underfoot! Allan's brand of  classroom spontaneity, mostly asides & internal dialogue broadcast sotto voce. She always strikes me as cranky & too quick to blurt. Bit crap on piano (always clock-watching or forgetting the next line) & doesn't engage with the kids very warmly.

Jim time about 10 mins: 

jumping killed the CD player doing Everybody Up! 

Hello song, one little finger, & see you later. 

Lots of smiles & joining in. 

One girl though immediately uses me as a groin-level punchbag. 

Deputy Dog lookalike in the class?

Roped into painting hands and the risk of getting to my next class red/blue/green, but grabbed by Dragon to read a book (What can a Hippopotamus be?)  bilingually - two separate books they have on their library shelf, with them responding 3rd time through with resounding "NO!" Bit of improv & reading from the back of the room :)

Back to lunch with tiddlers - fried tuna & crisps/daikon salad (must be a broccoli & cucumber shortage?)

Where's my Teddy, but no Gruffalo

Cobbled together Jim Time today, "Where's my Teddy?" 

Middle bunch + Fski this morning, cutting out bits to make a teddy. Time consuming but I think fun?! 

Colour after lunch if you want. 

Read the book but very flat response. 

Issue was I couldn't get pcs working in time to sort out The Gruffalo last night at work. Finished wirelessly networking them all at midnight, as well earthquake-proofing the bookcases. Think the books will all still fall out, but at least no one will get clattered by the furniture.

Eyes half closed after lunch; need a nap! Wandered around not connecting anywhere, hid upstairs a bit as no Dragon about. 2nd Jim Time cut bodies of the teddy bears out first, & attached body parts bit by bit to prevent losses. Allan pinch-hitting with me, & much less enjoyable, more 1 to 1 but she notices less. Instead she spends half the time trying to chat with me & I don't have the first clue what she's on about, certainly not when I'm trying get a class done actually monitor the children.

Very hot & sweaty; tons of rubbish to move from our old premises, and the network apparently not working...maybe just the operators, I think.

RIP Rik Mayall; staggering news he's dead at 56.

Suicide Blond

Called Jimiko today for the long blonde wig I was wearing on gate duty, which was very amusing. A lad who thinks he's Pele got pinged in the ear playing footy in the yard (oops!) & a lack of bladder control later in the day added up to a fair pegging back of his rather large opinion of his short self, and a pegging-back of his Alpha male status. Have I been watching too many Animal Planet documentaries?!

No interaction during Fski's; film in the hall. No Jim Time either, which leaves me thoroughly dissatisfied & feeling my time has been wasted being here today. Twattish boy calling me "unko" (turd) & presuming to boss me around eg fetch that ball. I really don't think so - but how to get that message across without lending him a thick ear? I do not know how to do these things in L1, let alone L2...what training course would that be on? PGCE?

Made a bird in class with the children, lending the less dexterous/attentive a hand doing the origami; had to get onigiri (rice ball) from Lawson's (needed the walk to calm down) and ate in the yard with all the children picnicking (a no school lunch day).

A phone call from a friend about a very close friend's recent suicide casts a cloud which I find hard to shrug off.

Rainy season arrived, buggers up the move we are in the midst of with the school. Last 3 nights I've put in 4am finishes, painting & decorating. Last night = unmasked downstairs & cleaned up, nearly finished the toilet.

Tonight = gallop to pack materials for a Cambridge examination in Nagoya tomorrow, as well as the smart clothes I'll need, teach x3 classes  in between & make the last train.

Just a quickie

Flying visit for Jim time only (& then with wrong plan!) - spent the day painting the upstairs of our new school premises, & then dumped off bookcases at scrap.

Trying to implement google Drive...

After 10 months, I endeavoured to get Boss organized a little more & shared the LP schedule they've been nagging for (& I was able to produce & share in no time)

However, today's schedule has already changed...

iLeader teaching Madge's class; not like for like for but certainly no downgrade. She's a very smooth operator. I picked up Rino & her chair for a dance; she's shy but loved being at the front, and entertained all the children. Phone call about paint (can I decide by phone/photo or go back to the shop sometime 'together' - like when, exactly?!) & thought I sorted Boss wrt Drive & new email account.

A mum playing piano in Legs11's room was lovely, then a play outside in the heat. Slow pace about lunch today, with everyone feeling drowsy - me included!

Playing outside in this heat has a serious overheating risk. Very uncomfortable & lots of sticky icky fingers! One lad as toban (monitor) today deliberately sticking fingers in food while serving the class at lunch & doing his best to be a Smart Alec. Allowed to be the punk as he's the biggest lad in the class, and easier to let him do what he wants and maintain the rest; he attracts my attention on purpose or not I'm not sure, but I certainly find his 'can't touch me' smirk annoying.

Jim time failed - Wallace video got chewed

Swiftly into Mr Wolf outside & impromptu janken race around a clock. 

Idea = team counts the clock numbers as teams race around it, 

rock/scissors/paper when meeting. 

problem with this should be obvious - counting beyond ten, as well as half the participants having to count backwards. And everyone has to count with the numbers upside down to them - I don't think I have seen a board game or teacher resource yet with the numbers facing 'out'. Have you?

Memo to self = check the tech will work

2nd memo to self = have a viable plan B to hand

Melting after that, tidying up & trying to rescue my precious video tape. 

At the end of the day, iLeader talking about a broken nendo board & value of friends' things. Nicely done group telling off, with their participation & agreement. Strong collective feeling of chagrin, losing the teacher's high regard and a group failure. no one in particular told off.