where cider meets condensed milk: Teaching at the school

where cider meets condensed milk

Monday, January 15, 2007

Teaching at the school

We all split up and taught for 2 days at the school, and A-belle and I were in the kindergarten and nursery rooms. I desperately wish I could have been working with this age group full-time while in Japan, but I'm content enough with my part-time elementaries. The kids have free play in the morning, and then at 9am they would clean up and sit in a circle. One of the teachers would light a candle in the center of the room, while all the kids sat quietly with closed eyes, sneaking smiles to us every few seconds. I don't know what was being said by the teacher, but the kids surprisingly all calmed down completely for about 15 minutes. Japanese students are like drugged housecats compared to the little Thai tigers you see at Baan Unrak, so calming the younger ones was a task.

From there we led songs and some games that I used to do at BCC and at Kids' Place, and did some other activities. Even the tiny 3-year-olds know a lot of English songs, particularly "Jingle Bells," which they will sing 20 times in a row before you need to intervene. On the second day we did masks as well, before heading to the nursery until lunchtime. The nursery children have less structure, and mostly were playing with clay and having snacktime. One little toddler who had some physical/developmental issues loved Annabelle, and when he saw her later at dinnertime, he yelled and wiggled away from the house mother so Annabelle could hold him. He then started licking her face. Oh, those kids...

posted by Raychaa @ 1:49 AM

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