It's been a while! A decade already?

 Although I have not posted since 2015 (when I stopped sitting in with kindy classes for whole days at a time), I have continued teaching & creating activities/content for & with kindergarten/preprimary children.

The Secret Kindy Kid - outed!

And I haven't died! Probably not grown up much either ;)

The children I originally shared kindergarten classroom with when this blog was conceived are already at university! Do I feel old?! Parents are friends, little brothers & sisters are already taller than me. Encho-sensei retired, and our contract with one school was lost to - an app, for crying out loud. Apps don't share moments, give hugs or take up the slack when the teacher is overloaded...I could whinge for a long time on this topic.

Resurrecting the blog will be a slightly different focus - more on the how classes are taught, materials delivered, and the methodolgy underpinning the successful outcomes from the front of the classroom...as a teacher, no longer the ghost in the room (but still not the expert!)

I want to highlight the 2026-7 English class journies I will have with about 100 students, in three age groups. 

The youngest groups (two classes) have never had any English classes before, and each class is a stand alone event (no text book), though there is an underlying current of joined up themes week to week, varied activities from week to week. It's an exciting adventure to make 30 minutes with very young learners fun, memorable, creative and rewarding.

The older two age groups have adopted texts, and my task (self-imposed!) is to try to cover the content in the 30 or so 40-minute lessons I have over the year. It's not comprehensive, nor is it flawless - in fact, loads of "oops" & learning opportunities along the way. I hope you'll follow the bread crumbs, not be too critical, and join me & the "chibbies" (little kids in Japanese) as we grow this year.

Fifty - not out. Too old for this?

Choriso brought a little choir to sing at me & iLeader interviewed me. Nice!

Barn Owl booted a football up a mum's bum...hilarious, but then bizarrely then tried to rub it better!
I'd have been arrested for that!

Jim Time = "How's the Weather" building a roller. Stealing coffee & soft drink cans from the bins. Not as planned but process a success. I think.

Tick Tock, Tick Tock

Early departure for the clock museum. Strikingly attractive waif there as guide, excuse me, spoke some English too. Must go back & say hello properly.

Introduced my student (owns the restaurant next door) to Minnie. Too much bowing & high pitched platitudes.

High speed lunch, prepped Jim Time for next Tuesday which Sarong warned me about - otherwise would have been a disaster!

Corridor conflict with Yuki as usual, including another punch to the nuts. Blindsided and arms restrained by dangling others, I lost big time. This has got to stop.

To Luna where the Chinese torture continued....

At the back of the room

Tanjobi -Kai (birthday day) & some hot mums. Naughty me?

Decided I don't like the fake that is Barn Owl. Given her the benefit of the doubt (I got Choriso very wrong) but the jury is in. Nope.

Boss wearing really inappropriate shirt "The Front of Armament". What the hell? He'd get lynched for that elsewhere, especially US  & their tidal wave of school massacres. Really think very poor leadership being demonstrated (and for now we are only talking about clothing).

Disengaged all day really - rooms too full/teachers with a game plan. Lunch = got "How's the weather ?" finished. But crap I think.

The afternoon - Barn Owl athletics in the hall, avoided by helping super-slow girl in green class finish her lunch (was left on her own in the room - wouldn't like that myself).

Cranky, cheeky, boy in yellow class occupied the rest of my time in between The Fink Yuki biting me in the fucking groin. Jesus. Never, ever, ever, have I experienced that before. Even in New York. How the hell do you react to that?!

So much for the lesson plan - no furniture

Lesson plan all messed up :(

Planned to use chairs & tables for Jim Time, but lo there are none. Fuck! Sitting here getting pointed at trying to adjust on the hoof. Fuckitty fuck!

Roaring success! 

Bingo to "I see something blue/pink"

 colouring shapes asking 

'Jim Sensei, Jim Sensei, What colour?' 

Lots of review/production

Boss again impressed to bits (as with Brown Bear last week) in passing. But that is all he does. Has no concept of the lesson/objective/outcome - a snap look at the theatre only. Would feature in any actual feedback, hat tip in a blog posting or like etc to our FB page. Think not.

Funky mum announced herself an FB fan, by way of passing at home time. If only I could put kanji to kids' first names to inanimate profile pics...connecting the 'friends of' trail rather hard.

Mobile success

Open day for older kids' mums, and realised all the talent in blue class!

Minnie did a sterling job making simple, dangly mobiles with buddy pictures & stuff. Mums joined in, many babes in arms. Hikari's mum & twins' mum stood out.

Child assesses my infractions!

Water-bucket relay, getting pissed off with usual suspects (Yuki, Hikaru, smug face, bad little one, Manato). Tie stamping a new diversion. (Re-reading my notes, I am not sure what I mean either!)

Chikuwa & carrots for lunch, escaped green class to make something from Hungry Caterpillar. Days & numbers/fruit? Needed the time to sit & think about it, formulate a lesson plan as I was making the bits & pieces. This will work; that's stupid; that will take too long I should do it myself; the size is wrong; the font is wrong; there aren't enough components (need to divide by 32) etc.

Excursion to the fire brigade, same lot as above being shits. Guess the brigade will be busy tomorrow with typhoon damage? Fresh & breezy this afternoon. Job again to make sure nobody runs into a moving big red truck, gets their head stuck in a fireman's wellie or finds too much fascinating gravel.

Yuki bounced off me three times in succession in the corridor....
Strike One: a full on head charge saw him bounce into the shoe boxes.
Strike Two: a ramming assault = stood on the front of his shoe, landed on his bum a bit too hard.
Strike Three: punched me in the legs until he hurt his hand.
Funny thing was, he did an actual recount (like a referee justifying a yellow card) in the corridor pointing out where my offences had taken place. Wandered off to consider other options (such as behaving?).

A pair of twin engine passenger jets flying towards Nagoya this morning, line astern but relatively low. Very strange and something I have never seen before. Did not show up on FlightRadar24...

Orchard Toys to the rescue

Orchard Toys games box arrived. YAY!

Tested Brown Bear story-order lesson plan with Choriso's class - needed a lot of help from her, which she is capable of doing as she has teaching/classroom sense - and she watches me/trusts me that I have a proper game plan (just need the L1 support).

Still very chesty.

Little Azusa helped cry baby Sa-chan out massively today, drawing mum/dad. Satori just gave her a hug & peck on cheek, threw fist at K-nob sitting next to her - good judgement! Sarong not very good at any kind of classroom management - macro or micro.

'Hamburg' lunch, which I dodged out of quickly to appraise games, photograph the assets & stick the rules onto the boxes.

K-nob has the horn for Sarong's ass. She pushes on with weak voice & poor explanations over background noise & fidgeting, misbehavior etc. At this rate, will be an unruly mob by July, & awful later.  One or two miscreants will not be picked out & the meek ones will get trampled.

UK Election Day - Tory (insert the worst swear word you can think of here) forecast to win.

Welcome back - already?

Not much of a holiday - basically only Tuesday off.

Chest rattling like a kid's toy; drowsy as Choriso takes roll call. Nodding off all morning actually - feeling ill & meds combo (plus lack of stimulation?).

Today's assembly in the hall dreary as well. Not Encho's best. Choriso is genki, Sarong unnoticeable even when she's at the front.

Horrible lunch; butt end of a cabbage, gooey fish (tuna?) chunks, miso soup & whatever unidentifiable other offering delivered.

My UK election dream result = booted the Tories out, a hung parliament with a Scottish PM. That would be funny, and counter-intuitively, good for the union, which I think is vitally important.

May Day - I need a double lung transplant?

My chest is gurgling like a busted water pump, despite 12 hours kip overnight - conking out during dinner in my front room last night not a very common occurrence.

Brazilian Steve's mum hung around in the yard & wouldn't leave this morning, catching iLeader's beady eye & Encho's concern. Not sure what the story was with that. An individual mummy with a concerted football theme. Watch this space?

Coughing & wheezing, meds onboard & still sleepy. Hope there's an early finish like yesterday?

Squeaky voice & mixed tempo Barn Owl class, sticking bits onto koinobori, which I helped Choriso with yesterday at eye & tail steps.  

Have no rapport here in this class; she has her own slightly annoying way of doing things and not much in the way of connecting with me.

Emergency Exit

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Jim was unable to attend school today.

He got as far as Lawson's, and pebble-dashed their khazi - thanks for the conflicting meds (infection since March, not to be rid until bloody June!)

Did get to work, gingerly, just in time to wave goodbye to everyone. Last thing I really needed was an immediate u-turn to cycle another 5km on a torn ring!

This is not a love song

Not in a good mood this morning, & barmy Kotaro throwing things at me/his mate yelling at/buddy standing directly in front of me....trying very hard to restrain reflexes (not teachery ones).

Sarong does not have control of her groups. Older Jim Time lot not paying attention & compared to yesterday very poor. Would not be quiet/pay attention. Allowed to slouch (pet hate) or goof off in the corners. Not sure her dangling boss's son off her hip the best idea - in fact think that is the worst outcome of his tantrums/attention seeking.

Wasp alert - large bugger and clearly dangerous; but more interesting was Kento's knob, being exposed constantly, while his back to room. Going for a walk & whipping it out everywhere. Free play outside = totally different. I have no idea what the psychology of this would be, but would be fascinated to know!

Syouri needed me at lunch & piggy back/cuddle later - nearly fell asleep! Sarong doesn't set the pace, class all over her. A struggling starter, but I think the school dumped her in the deep end with the Boss's kid as public enemy number one.

Minnie helps save my bacon

Remembered Jim time at midnight; last night's quick plan, photocopied everything this morning and had to start 1020. Bit of a dash.

Minnie very helpful and very useful:did very basic 

"What's your name?" 

"Hello hello" 

"Everybody Up" to start.

"How are you?" song was a mistake

 to do the Janken race after all they want to do Janken. but that's pictures for Chickory in her new photographer role. 

Played animal match & set player order & no leaning/pushing policy. Worked fine. Challenged players to draw their own weird animal > Chatterkids app + What's your name song; 3 results

Reading BIG book version of "No David" - big success

Walking-tour tail-gunner

Green hell. 
Windy & chilly, but no rain at last.
Bike dripping wet so drove anyway.

Tail gunner for walking tour, back streets. Job = keeping the stragglers out of ditches/gardens/dogs, give a yell if a car is coming and try to think how I could possibly keep a conversation going with self-interested nippers holding hands at knee-height in a foreign language going for very much longer than I have achieved so far.

Don't touch the barbed wire fence...
Don't touch the lamp-post; how many dogs do you think have marked this spot on canine FourSquare?
Don't lick your hand after you just touched that wall/fence/plant/car/boy...
Don't walk on that flimsy grating...
Don't eat snot...especially somebody else's?
Don't scream...

Taking the chance to photo familiar things for Yuki, in the hope that a visual organizer might help. Not my job, but keen to see outcome - if any. Trying to think of workable format. Think playing cards & magnets? Choriso likes the idea.

Curry rice, Yuki now decided he would spit at me. Charming.

Planted flowers in the afternoon and generally enjoy myself - same same on course at my school later.

Fisting crayons, anyone?

Cherry blossom streaming off the trees today

Very tired sleep, drove again due rain. Noticing new things after Dot's highlights yesterday eg miscreant Kotaro in blue the only one fisting crayons; his picture is shite (immature & lacking any definition - despite being one of the biggest/oldest/gobbyest). One leftie, which I think Yuki is too. Think Dot's easel idea important too.

Barn Owl plays piano with wildly changing tempo & in different keys. Knows what she is doing (?) but is doing it differently. Started a song I don't know this morning & expected me to join in & carry it on...sat still & looked confused! What would you do, dear reader?

Dogs' heads origami not done step by step but left to do it once shown. Drawing around it very revealing of kids & group think - similarities by table. Teacher wrote students' brief descriptions of their pictures on the back & reads these to class. 30 of them, so kids still again. Very.

An expert visits and my early childhood development exposed

Self-regulation = self-esteem
Fidget toy or some kind of sensory tool
Visual schedule photos overcome lang reception skills lacking
Give him some control of that, move a magnetic thing over to "finished" box. All here is auditory input - so he can't tackle it?

Turning around = receptive
Staying out = doesn't know what is coming next. Give him control.

Oooooooiooooooooooo: not sure what this note means!

Use vertical surfaces to draw/cookout
Develop shoulders & wrist muscles, & tactile, multi-sensory & gives kids a template

Slack faces indicates low muscle tone & neandertaling up.

Xxxxxxxxxcxxx. Xxxxxxxxx
Dot's brief analysis a big insight for me wrt behaviour & management thereof.


Jim Time shrank to 20 mins with an 11am buzzer. Up up, Hello, walking & in the jungle = all go, fully active & tiring.

Quick lunch & tried to escape, hovering in hall. Yuki found me to count rocks, Choux Creme jealous.

Meeting iLeader the main focus = shopping tips for her trip to Waikiki & brief explanation above. Not sure it went in/passed muster?

A very demanding boy - my job?

In-class debut with Barn Owl hijacked by Yuki from the green class, who seems to behave "better" when sanction of not playing with me applied. Not doing a year of this, ffs. Patience very fucking thin.

Thursday morphed into Friday as well, being manhandled & for bonus points puked on by Yuki again. Shattered & at my wits-end by home time, with Choriso looking even worse. This included trying to keep a promise to Syouri (odd Yuri's little brother from last year). Essentially sitting next to him while he did nendo. Yesterday was nodding off next to Anri, a lovely girl, doing her coloring? Jesus on a bike, hypnotic.

The Rhapsody

Today included Barn Owl going weird like an evangelical nutter at Easter - rapture or something as she expected me to perform like a clown at the drop of a hat. Oh, Jim = instant Jim Time?

No, you may not have me jump through that little hoop.

New Faces

Debut with Sarong in her class, & very underwhelmed. Colour by numbers with a weak voice & lack of personality; looks & sounds like she still has the old college playbook in mind & unable to react/interact with kids. Piano time = lack of participation > correction, just faded out.

Making hamburger papers as marker things - slow. The afternoon walk around the school & yard exploring rules, but with no authority or attention. Barn Owl looked fine, strange voice but audible; this one conveys no message - just copying bits other people have shown her. No flow.

Helter Skelter

This year's dummy-spitting performed by Syouri-kun, being looked after by Rambo. Madge hovering as Sarong assumes her room; smocks on, who am I sitting next to drill?

Barn Owl has a circle with introductions going on, & Choriso plows-in, piano blazing (already won the get ready in the hall prize). Minnie's debut nose bleed already tackled.

iLeader as Regimental Sergeant Major; the Boss greets assembly everyone & picks out names in each class sitting nicely. Teachers quick self-introduce themselves... Minnie won.

Tsutomi = middle lot, 5 teachers on deck today, so keeping out the way
Hana = older lot, Minnie taking the lead.

At first glance, Barn Owl has the miscreants, Sarong the armchair ride. Curious to see which of Allan's bad boys grow up.  Will Super Dry be a baby with Minnie ?(I think so).

Obviously so at lunch, found my level with Minnie. Kids testing parameters, establishing dominance. Revisit the useless nendo time, with MMA from some.

Rain cancels the walk around the block = request for 20 mins or so; quick plan for super easy intro, but even that had 50% conking out tired & sleepy. Long day for all (Minnie herself even yawning but says doing Ego Benkyo - English homework).

PANSIG coming together. Good.
Death up Luna street? Confirmed.
Angrily storming out of the house last night upset my daughter...almost as much as me.
Request to teach a part-time class at Epson - hilarious!