I can't get my trousers on, and I hate you all!

Minus Five again today! Treacherous cycling this morning, as I couldn't see the ice for the freshly fallen snow :(

I-sensei starts on positive notes as usual, inclusive smile & invites me to begin (and joins in) with genki "Hello" (Super Simple Songs) & on the spot "Walking Walking"! Love her "I'm not happy pout" cheeks that still smile! Kids absolutely do not want to compromise that beam of joy. Sucked straight back into line & behave well.

Nice little girl having a meltdown as she can't tuck herself in; ignored for quite a while, but even with K's uncheerful help she remains in a right old state. Kid's a wreck, I would've picked her up five minutes ago, bu not the style here which I have to respect. She ends up hating everyone until classy I-sensei takes her into a hug & tucks her in very sweetly, but the distraught girls does a "my bum looks a mess in this" number & cracks up all over again. Can't win!

• Library books, whispered names & taiko backing! 
• Class Dojo hard to do at high speed. 
• Phantom tooth brush mystery resolved after bento envy. 

A double bolly whack left me feeling physically sick; sought coffee refuge upstairs, to no avail - knacked again within minutes of emerging. Had an absolute gut-full of this crap, so took my phone to explore the library in more detail, with Goodread looking for titles I can download (? Find online) & read/record/request from the local library.

We've a Santa down, and other crises

Remembered to try & use Class Dojo app on my phone with the funky red class. It is useful to manage attendance (take a roll call). Unfortunately, it assigns each child an avatar (monsters) so it is impossible to look up and spot a shy responder or reinforce that name on your memory. I would like to take snapshot portraits and import those. It also alphabetises a class list by first names...the teachers take attendance in a few different ways here! By gender, by age group, by 'team'...and always family name first - and that according to hiragana order, not alphabetical. Of course students always know when their name is coming up next, but try flicking through thirty odd names in a hurry as the teacher is trying to make it fun or fast! Looking around for alternatives.

Got hit on knob for the third time already this morning, and although the snow is gone and the football clique back in action, I'm not in the mood for it.

Cleaning up detail by the looks of it today. 

Breaking news...fucking Santa just bailed out on me for the Xmas party. What is the date today? How many shopping days left for Father Christmases is that? Thanks a fucking heap Gary. You only promised, a cast iron guarantee, in September...now what do I do?

I found out that M-sensei is a big fan of (big) readers, so will try & do something to satisfy her, and in the meantime showed her group the Wheels on the Bus song - loads of actions. Would be more useful if my activities were not tagged on to filling in at home time.

Meanwhile, across the hall, I-sensei bollocked her naughty boys - strongly. Loads of tears as they really want her love. Devastating loss of favouritism for them! Meantime, I did something painful to my shoulder picking up kids = let's try not to do that anymore!? At least my stiff neck finally cleared up - spent whole of September feeling like I had a hunch!

Elsewhere, R-chan laid the smack down on A's attention deficient miscreants - various boys in tears and about time too. A-sensei forever goes walkabout for a gossip & just does not notice what her lot are up to. But, beautiful piano playing to get them singing & a personal note about her own kids recovered the feelgood factor


. Clever.

Class Dojo - diverting myself

A flat day sitting on the floor at the back of the class - the blue class - inputting students' names into the Class Dojo app on my phone. Don't like the random avatars but stuck with them for now. I do like Seating Plan, but in turn it has limitations...probably should use both - one for facial recognition, t'other for behavioral analysis?

Class Dojo lists the names alphabetically - western concept (and one that works for my personal way of organising people!) by first name. The children are called in Japanese according to their age group (mixed classes here) and then by hiragana order of surnames. Hmm. So when the teacher takes the roll I really have to listen hard for first name (said last) and then try to remember the preceding surname IF they are absent )prefer to minimise the workload and assume all present, knocking off absentees from the default 'here'. Already noticed that with some of the teachers I have no chance, as they go too fast or are not saying things clearly
enough for me; it's a familiar order for them all.

Hilarity then when I asked if I could double check my list & also take the attendance later -  in the 'wrong' order for them, including using first names first & without age groupings. Added to that my interpretation of how their names could be pronounced - stress in the wrong place or sounding like a boxing ring announcer etc. But, at least I did get to find out who was in class. Without a picture though, that info stayed in my head for all of 3 seconds.

I also took time out on my own in the classroom to animate some of the nice art work in Chisato's blue room. I recently came across the Chatter Kids app (from Duck Duck Moose) and love it - add a talking mouth to a picture! The above were made with a minimum of fuss, and when applied to the kids' hands, socks, lunch etc - gales of laughter (and sticky fingers all trying to have a go on my precious phone!)

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It's Yamaga time - let's run around a lot!

Your Yamaga mission today, kids...

On the one day I am asked to pump up the ball, by time I get back with a valve there are 40 odd pink & yellow ones everywhere! Bloody Yamaga football coaches!

Frost melting into my shoes below the eaves I noticed too late, and my December schedule has me working Christmas Eve, which utterly buggers my plans for turkey prep.  The dentist yesterday screwed my morning plans as well, & gave me a headache instead...pointless hospital appointment today does same for this afternoon, taking my in between time out. Instead, will be sitting waiting to be patronised by a doctor so far up his rectum my eyes water. 

 

Meantime, my son is also very ill with burst eardrum > fever at 40*. All very distracting...

Satsuki playing new songs but day started again with tears & a fight. "Can u fill 10 mins?" brings me back to the classroom. Erm. iPhone left backing up last night & Xmas CD not listened to yet! Wing it necessary. Nothing to do later (my profession skills exhausted ?), amused myself with a chatter kid app, but it attracted too much grabby/pushy attention. One kid with a curry beard trying harder than any (going some) to get a hug, required complete change of clothes middle of room; glad I missed wearing that!

During the Christmas play reading, I disturbed the boss asking for student list I could read. Unfortunately, the sudden leap into action had him spill coffee all over his work in progress - oops!

I'm checking Education management apps. Class Dojo looks ok, but I want to add pictures of kids and not random avatars.

Goal-line technology required!

Rico-chan stood out today in the football practice, but I don't think the coaches are talent spotting though, as Atsushi missed again. Very nice coaching nevertheless. Short, sharp, not very competitive activities which involves everyone nicely.  Multiple, mixed teams with small goals & playing area, almost no rules, more than one ball and plenty of encouragement.