Last month, I did a one-off session about the English culture at an elementary school, and yesterday I received some thank you messages! This one above basically says that he had fun playing pass-the-parcel i.e. English box, says thank you for telling him lots of stuff about England, and invites me to come again :)
Unfortunately this week, the negatives outweigh the positives. The above obviously being one of the good things that have happened in my life this week. Since September, I've had little bits of vandalism committed to my displays. At one time, the backing was completely ripped off, fortunately it was after I had taken down my Halloween display. On Monday, I had a corner of the new backing ripped off, and after putting up my Christmas display, some idiot decides to peel off a picture, rip off a couple of 'presents' from under the Christmas tree and has stolen away the piggy bank. I put a lot of time and effort into these displays, and it's kind of upsetting when someone has to ruin it for everyone else. Not that I plan to stop making displays, I went into battle-mode and made a whole lot of other 'presents' for backup. Hopefully, whoever it is will get tired of sabotage when their actions aren't getting any response.
Recently, especially after I made a big deal about it in the previous month and countless requests before that, the Japanese teachers have been better at informing me about changes in the schedule... but today, my god was I frustrated. I happen to sit with the 3rd grade teachers and guess what, I was the last person to know, after all the other grades and part-time teachers, about graduation photos. If the Principal had not asked if I'd had my photo taken, if I had gone out to lunch, I would not be in the graduation album. Without even time to glance in the mirror, I was rushed off to the photographer before he left. It's frustrating when no-one makes the effort to inform me, simple Japanese would have been fine, about what goes on in the school. It's the same old same old problem, it's kind of upsetting to think that I'm considered irrelevant, and therefore something that's best forgotten until necessary. I couldn't bring myself to smile during the shoot, nor did I bother checking the photo, not very professional right... but I was trying to keep a tight rein on all these emotions that were welling up, had to go for a cycle afterwards to calm down.
Yesterday, I turned up to elementary school ready to teach, to find, on getting to my first class, that none of the teaching resources we'd decided on a few weeks back had been prepared. No flashcards, no equipment for the games that we'd discussed... absolutely nothing. Right... so how am I going to teach the kids about insects... the teacher did offer to go and print off some pictures, but the lesson had already started... In the end, we managed to make do with the stuff that I had brought, along with some other bits borrowed from another teacher.
Actually, thinking about it now, it has been a pretty bad week.
Well, Friday tomorrow, I hope, for the sake of my mental health, that it won't follow in the trend of what's been going on this week.
2 comments:
Oh Dear! Not Very Good Eh? There is a consolation though????
You have risen above those idiots and are stronger for the experience. Am sure you are not the one to retaliate but to turn the other cheek and eventually consol yourself with the fact they cannot go to bed with a clear conscience, whereas you are happy with your contined attempts to educate the morons.
Thank you for the encouragement Ron ;)
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