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.

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.

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

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?

On, off, on, off: Karate Kid scheduling

Jim Time for 60...

cancelled last week, 

on again inside since Friday, 

off this am but on again,

outside this pm. 

Pissed off. 

My prep assumed Bacardi would be within eyesight! But no, running the audio from the office behind the hedge at the far end of the yard and over a hedge? For fuck's sake, and then at crap volume? Can you make my job any frigging harder?

Madge a massive help outside, basically running the show as kids either collecting gravel or trying to hump my leg. Either way, paying stuff all attention to me.

Not frantic but concentrated lesson plan prep this morning; good excuse to bail on yet more graduation ceremony preparations & lunch bollocks (green, wasn't missed).

Up up up (Everybody Up song)

make a massive circle

Janken race in middle, losers run chaotic. Fun? 

I see something blue etc (recycled posters made last week) but too many making head start. 

Tag "Stuck in the Mud" finished everyone off - hot & dusty.

 Was presented with a paper plate, as this last JT

Chief says that another school nearby also having a foreign player in next year. Who is .......?

Ten minutes online finds a tattooed Saffer chancer, not local and not destined to become one. 

Hina Day & reset hiring button

The Danish teacher project is Kaput due her biological clock; exasperated. Spoke to her on skype and checked her out on FB & Youtube. Would have been a tremendous addition. However, would have had to endure my own domestic protests probably much worse than the Kindy itself, due to nationality & location (ie not being here already). Hiring is going to be a bitch of a job, given the microscopic overlap of parameters I am expected to meet. Won't.

Today = mixing up groups ahead of next year, & maintaining rank by saying thank you to elders & gambatte from the the toddlers. Allan unable to function with me and Sari in her room! Could see her gears popping, migrating to Minnie's lot a very nice outcome. Madge's alpha males came in & predictably misbehaved; newspaper shrinking Janken game. Stayed for lunch.

Escaped to prep JimTime, which must be changed to indoors. Rain/mud.

Mackeral

Still 3 classes MIA, pitched in with Minnie, but ended up nodding off as Allan made butterfly paper cup photo holder things.

Heavy fried mackerel sent me direct to the jacks.

Drew a puzzle piece for missing /Hh/

fairly on the hoof Jim Time

using ABC floor tiles minus inners

 & x2 jigsaws to establish letter order. 

Traced shape of letter to make standing alphabet, then static as stuck along wall. 

Made an ABC pavement then kids sit on a letter. 

Say alphabet in order you are sitting, then get them to move 

eg all boys switch places etc. 

45 mins high octane & Kaisei/Nao being tw&ts. 

Pretty newbie also here. 

Flu, anyone?

Three entire classes closed this week ie 90 kids MIA (yellow/blue/green) & Jim Time lobbed out the window. At least I feel a ton better than last week (tad selfish?!)

Dancing Elves

Jim Time really good with Madge joining in & setting the mood. I took the piss out of the nose pickers & thumb suckers. They loved the SANTA letters falling down, & second (original) "What do you want for Xmas" version better. Made an Aura very quickly AND it worked across devices! Shocked silence as SANTA sang "We wish you a Merry Xmas" back at them!

Lunch = pinched to sit in red class, next to boy being aggro after his mum had another baby. Hard time to adjust.

Madge made origami Xmas trees, not had time to snapguide it yet.

Lunch & prep time drawing SANTA & letters/lyrics, some hilarity with Dancing Elves app (esp. Boss suited & booted). Boss & Dragon laughed their tits off! (Copy & paste faces into a video).

Stranger Danger

A young woman very touchy-feely in the yard with multiple kids. thought she was an unidentified mum at first. Chief expediently called end of playtime & UFO vanished (back to the hospital, she thought. Any peril? Best not take the chance & find out the hard way.

Snow flurries all the way here, & continuing. Chief chatty (but blue?) & gave me a coffee while a class practicing in the hall. Much better option. She's making a silk ball for Juan. In class, legs11 involves me with telling the date & weather, ok which she warns everyone tomorrow will be even colder - minus something when we wake up. The horror!

Y apparently did listen yesterday & started to negotiate with Boss wrt schedule 2015/staffing, and thought about price. Asks me to hire domestically, now, familiar with Japan etc...as she doesn't want to be here all the time (why would that be?). I flat out refused to countenance idea I do any more, as it is killing me. Put on weight, drinking late while trying to catch up, can't do must do stuff, don't get to email & don't plan any lessons/follow up properly, spend time here stressed about Luna classes, junk food wrong hours for snacks & too much booze.

Rant over.

Stodgy lunch = I was last to finish on my table ;(  Straight to the bog!

Offered more coffee while prepping Jim Xmas Time. iLeader already made cards. Surprised myself drawing semi-decent Santa face for SANTA song, as well as nice A4 letters. Awesome me, later embedded a Chatterkid video of me singing 1st verse with Aurasma. Left Santa up with message, he's watching you.

Dec Jim Xmas Time 

1. Hello Hello clap your hands intro song + TPR

2. SANTA song to Bingo tune + gestures, letters on wall.

3. What do you want for Xmas (Xmas version) - ball, yo-yo, bike...

4. Chairs for tables + crayons, 

draw what you want for Xmas & colour Santa. 

Asked Legs11 1st, she wants a car. 

Time limit, and we write names on each & fold for them. 

Blank inside = too bad - didn't plan that bit.

5. Other version What do you want for Xmas (rocket etc) with actions

6. We wish you a Merry Christmas - words on wall

And it is still trying to snow.

An amazing teacher-save: perspective

Awesome reaction by Legs11 to a girl dropping like a sack of spuds with a seizure in the middle of a play rehearsal in. As first responder did everything right, quickly. Airway, recovery position, get help (send me), manage other 30 kids (GO to Choriso's class NOW) & kept calm.

Boss useful, iLeader fringe player as Legs11 in control; Dragon assumed lead with refugee kids in hall. Very reassuring performance (except me, unsure what role was or what the words were, where stuff was).

With reflection, astounded at how cool the teacher was, and how she got through the rest of the day. I did have 10 seconds to ask her about it later, and she had experienced something similar once and recognised the emergency. Her friends/colleagues were in awe. Apparently the girl had done this at home once before -'overheating'? Any which way you slice this one, teacher did an astounding job.

Earlier, very flat am as footy interest waning (Napoleon's fouls/hoofing the ball). Frost last two nights = time to prune the kiwi plants. Need secateurs. Pining for Poverty Bay, Jimbo?

Bento Day - totally forgot. Nice little walk to Lawson's.

Jim Time with insufficient cards 

Yesterday's LP too noisy because of the Janken

50% not enough cards

Bacardi not the most participative/noisy helper

 Lesson learned but K a permanent noisy, pushy pain,

Legs11 mostly kept in check

Using dummy mic encourages kids to focus, answer Q with a big voice

Also gives me a "I'm waiting for good behavior" prop. 

Tables in a circle, groups 5/6 kids 

Take turns to send a rep up to the front

Ask "How old are you?" Before taking a card, in a stack face down pinned to board. 

Show class, ask table "Do you want.....?" 

Wanting a full answer from group before releasing team rep. "Tummyache" card = too bad. 

Took 45 mins and found 3 winning groups

 lots of energy & English in context

reinforcing last Jim Time (spaghetti chant & broccoli ice cream)

Lack of cards due to iLeader not listening/having a dozen other jobs on her desktop & fires to put out...and again, no, I do not like other people doing my prep. Leads to situations like this, with pants around ankles and only realising half an hour too late.

Guri & Gura - with a cold

Yesterday = streaming cold with 2 extra layers on. Little's class with Minnie, and felt welcome & mostly useful. Guri & Gura in J + E a first. Little ones into big class to sample the majors, meet Choriso etc

Couldn't wait to get home of this 1/2 day; caught 90 mins kip on sofa before my day job...bed before 9. Knackered.

Still not in great condition ( headache but no runny nose) & with Choriso = nice welcome. Jim Time without music (Madge needed her cord back) so a good job I actually know the songs! Also with cheerful student teacher Izumi - not the mental one that runs up to bow & shout onegaishimasu at me.

'Do you like bananas?' to chorus 

using f/cards instead of music

Yes/no faces again

homemade broccoli soup

Finished on time. 

Middle ones take +50% time drawing. 

Was quick & fun. 

1st Jim Corner requested; poster printing their names best I could think of.

Tokyo & Yamagata this w/end - and Dec lesson plans requested by next Thursday. Yes, I'll do that now (given it takes longer to translate & print. Yada.

Broccoli Ice Cream repeating

Spent (half day) gawping at...; think she knows (even sat on me as well when the boys piled on top - almost enough pressure to decent chiropracting session - left a bit!)

Repeat of Broccoli yes/no lesson plan, 

this time more jumping at end for YES. 

Big success.

Can id this more often, please?

Impromptu going home Jim Time = 4 songs off the cuff.

Happy Birthday Mum...wish I could spend a fraction of my time with you :(

Looks like I'm going to Yamagata next weekend via Tokyo. Love to travel but this all will be at top speed & lacking in socials. Don't think my colleagues have the first clue about the peripherals beyond this tiny centre of the universe.

Teacher Assistant Pro - bought it, but can I use it more than once?

Gave up on footy as Napoleon was being a ball-greedy twat again. Think he maybe noticed I didn't bother trying when he didn't pass or just robbed the other kids to set up a shot for himself.

Nowt doing as Madge's lot made their junk lot cars; taking registration off iPad with Teacher Assistant Pro the highlight. Sat on T to modify his behavior; worked. Stuffed pepper (chalk flavour) for lunch & hour + meeting with iLeader. Dec & Jan pretty much written off Jim Time, and seems she has been anointed chief of staff.

Running around outside, nothing new, waiting for day to end.

November's plan delivered - to me. Think it really ought to be the other way around.

Need Santa Dec 24, about an hour from 10am. Not the easiest day to find a willing lad/dad.

Gruffalo plan tossed. 15-second attention spans claimed, especially as all in English > was actually an issue last year? Don't think so...you could write the entire script in 90 seconds... Wallace & Gromitt a massive success previously, and I guarantee the Gruffalo is magical from our own pre-school experience. But, what do I know?

Shop for games & cards, large books (themed to seasons or series they know)?
Also potato pals would be great.

Dec/Jan Jim Time discarded crassly, so will be waiting for 5 min filling-in drill bollocks again.

So much for the lesson plan, again!

Fed up with point-blank shooting 'practice' in the yard, when they're hitting the little kids in the head etc and risking injury to me too (important!) as there are usually three balls on the go.

Jim Time this am with middle-aged crew - so 36 or so chirpy tots; started early with Bacardi, who at 11 (end time) said "It's ok, keep going til twenty past or half past". Love her to bits but fuck me, just knocked out 30 minutes at full-speed to match "must submit" plan.

Drew crayon faces onto painted plates (angry face), contrasting colors); taped on a clump of hair (pre-cut & tied thank you iLeader,) then noses. Told by iLeader to join in with crayoning while trying to write up these notes :( I do not need your micro-management. After all, had no lunchtime time as I was registering 90 library books. Consider context before elbowing-in with direction?

Read "Hairy Scary Monster" on iPad with Bacardi holding 

(oh for a screen?!)

kids found mini monsters (which giggle when touched) as I got into it. 

Actually surprised how much they liked it :)

Halloween theme & burst lesson plans

Last Friday was going to be productive only it wasn't; about to nail down decent prep for next week & craft the much required lesson plan etc. Instead, dragged out to tail-gun a second expedition to Nonomiya shrine. Interested to meet the the Russian lady again, especially as she now knew my name. Curious.

 Painted remainder of paper plates.

Today? Til one am repairing lesson plan for 16th (why all the fuss?) & then have to interpret bits for my wife as she translated it. FFS :(

10:20 Jim time returned. 

Used Super Simple Songs' downloadable f/cards

 pre-teach characters > gestures to Let's Go Trick or Treating couple of run throughs + CD = not a bad start. 

Crayon-on faces to painted paper plates eyebrows etc

 teacher sticking on hair/beard & silly fluffy nose. 

Ran 15 mins over, but not my fault; iLeader & Choriso wanted to

(and what does that imply about the point of a lesson plan & no flexibility?)

Oden lunch, ugh, and shucking dried corn. Typhoon again missed but my mum worried again from afar.

We have a plan...it all makes perfect sense!

October scheme.

• No schedule am = 10-15 mins Halloween hello, same idea goodbye time when no schedule. 
• Oct 28 = do some performance to fit birthday day
• Long days no schedule 5-10 mins Halloween vocabulary on demand & 5-10 sayonara minutes. Halloween story book (I'm thinking app as we don't have much up that street at the office) instead of their reader.
• Oct 15,17,28 ,30 = longer goodbye time - song + some teaching, eg vocab via f/cards
• 5 Jim times = 30 minutes a pop
• 18th = skeleton/dem bones song
• Hello trick /treat song

• 14/17 use same LP 
• 16 = all 60 in hall, practice the dances & something else
• 21/24 = same LP Halloween theme, same LP twice
• No Jim time before 14th, just music.
• Give iLeader heads up before big Jim Time for her to help out
• Music onto memory stick? Can they manage that?
• 31st half day
• Oct 7 paint the base plates in the hall
• 14 & 17 = activity time = crayon on the face. See p398  - eyebrows, eyeliner, bags under eyes, scar, mouth + half teeth, glue on fluffy nose. iLeader etc will do hair & strap
• Bring my mask & pumpkin pics ; use American pre-school stuff
• Start with trick or treat song, then intro culture (as above)
• Give the painting etc 15-20 mins ft
• 16th, hall with 60 ~ dream up a dance to dem bones & 2 teachers dressed up in skeleton t-shirts & activity to fill up 30 mins. iLeader needs plan by 10th (absent on 16th)
• 21 & 24 older lot, 30 mins something different wrt Halloween
• Oct 18th 9-12 dads' open day; autumn/Halloween them. Join in with my son? Bit of showing off with songs.

Want a sodding plan for home time bollocks, 17,28, 30, 31 (extended so book or s/thg) - as if that is ever going to work. Always something else crops up or some mini-drama to attend. Am there, ready & set to go. Cannot write down the improvisation required! Daft.

Drip drop drip like an April shower

Pre-camping, in tiny tiddlers class.

Sports practice "rained off" by couple of drops! What is it about Japan & inability to endure a bit of rain? I could understand if it was torrential/yard flooded, but so very not the case. Put on macs!

And now it isn't raining even that little bit at all; Jim time was spontaneously requested (grumble, but can do and will do with a smile...but then mid-planning now being ditched for 'maybe later'. Not sure how they'd view their educational contributions being mucked around/sidelined like this. Guess this confirms that my part in the grand scheme of things very much the afterthought. Outside to boredom after all. 

Jim Time re-requested but for after lunch. Not a copy/paste job because this is the back of an envelope (no wifi, still) and it needs to be a completely different plan as they are low & slow after food - just before sleepies for this crowd.

Make a circle, ss1:2

One little finger, ss1:4 

Skiddamarink, ss3:14

Not a killer plan by any means, but need to have the resources handy and flexibility to slip it into action regardless the kids' situation. All sitting down on chairs? Still sat at tables? All standing up & no furniture? Need to be done in 5 minutes or stretch it to 15? Revving up or revving down? A capella or has the CD player turned up? 

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.