Hey All,

Thursday and Friday I thaught Gr. 4s. The two schools are at different lessons for the same grade. On Thurssday I was at Izumi North and today I was at Izumi. I liked the classes at Izumi better. Thursdays classes were half good and half bad. 2 classes went really well and the others didn't go so well. I had one class where no one asked me any questions at all after my self-intro and then when I taught the review and started the new lesson the kids just sat there. It was like pulling teeth to get them to participate. Some of the classes ask tons of questions and we run out of time in the class. 

Friday I taught 4 classes back to back. In the first class I did a short self intro and then did a review of the different body parts but focussed on the head. Then we reviewed big and small. After that we played a kind of pictionary game.  The students sit in 6 rows in the classroom so each row was a team.  The kids went up the board and each drew a circle for a face. Then I would call out something like....3 small eyes, and the kids would draw it in the face...after much deliberation of where to put the third eye lol.  I had them draw 1 big mouth, 1 big ear, 2 small noses, 7 big hair, and one small ear.  Some of the kids didn't seem to grasp the big and small concept in relation to parts of the body even though they did ok when I quizzed them about big and small animals. lol  In the end I picked the face that was the best, the closest to what I had asked them to actually draw. There was only one face that was perfect. lol

None of the other classes got to play the game that day, we ended up spending the entire class focussing on my self intro...lots of questions in the other classes and the teachers didn't mind that we didn't get any of the lessons done.

Fridays at Izumi have their own schedule. The kids are done classes by 12:30 and they are done school by 1:30. The rest of the week seems to end at 3:30...although I think the 1st graders leave earlier than that. It seems that every school has its own schedule.  At Izumi North each grade has a different schedule. All classes start at 8:20 but the grade 1s leave at 1:30 on Wednesdays and 2:30 every other day. The grade 2s leave at 2:30 every day, the grade 3s leave at 2:30 most days but on Tues, and Thurs they leave at 3:30, and grades 4-6 leave at 2:30 on Mondays and Fridays and 3:30 the rest of the week.  I think on days that they leave early there are club activities that they can take part in instead of going home.  It isn't unusual for kids to still be hanging around the school at 4pm when I head home for the day.  It's weird.

Yesterday I had lunch with the teachers. We had ramen noodles in a really good soup full of vegetables, and two octopus balls and milk. I was really full when I finished eating. So the lunch that I had brought with me ended up being my dinner instead.  

I taught the kids TGIF. 2 of the classes got it and the other 2 didn't get it at all. lol We'll see if they remember it next week.

One of my favourite shirts stretched. the little ring in the middle that used to be up at my chest is now down around my navel...it still looks ok I guess...it's just not what I remember it looking like. I don't like it as much this way so I'm a little sad about it. :(  The good thing is that no one here knows what it looked like before so as long as it doesn't get any worse it should be fine.

The sun is setting earlier now...it's 6:15pm and the sun is pretty much down now. And it's now a little after 5 before it comes up in the morning now too. That's good for me! I can sleep a little longer before being woken up.  Now if only it would cool down a bit. It's going to be 35C all week. We don't use humidex factor here but I know we are at about 85%humidity...so it feels a lot warmer than 35C. It's September! It shouldn't be this hot! THe schools have no AC...it's hot.

Today I spent all morning chatting on msn. I downloaded Skype and got a long distance plan that gives me umlimmited calls to Canada for 690 yen a month...that's about $8CAD. But it's under 7 bucks for me with my pay check...so I'm happy. I can call home whenever I want and I can call my friends and chat.  I called home today and talked to Eric for a bit.  Just as we were about to hang up, mom came home, so I talked to mom for a few minutes. Going to call home again tomorrow morning (tonight for mom).

I went to Taira today and I bought a broom. Didn't find a swiffer though so I'll have to look some more for one.  I got a broom and a dust pan, and a little drying rack for my dishes, and I got an ice tray and box.   I got a notebook to practice writing kanji and a package of loose leaf for writing notes and stuff. I also got some detergent and mini packets of tissue/kleenex. It turned out that most public washrooms (at train stations or in a park, ect.) don't have toilet paper in them. You have to have your own.  So everyone carries around those little mini packs of kleenex. So I bought a bag of 6 packets for 138 yen.  Then I bought groceries....Taira is more expensive than Izumi...but there is a lot more selection for somethings...so I think I'll be splitting my shopping up between the two stores.

So now I need to get an account with Go Lloyds so I can start sending money home.  Then I'm all set...or I will be as soon as I find a swiffer!