spring break and my hilarious students

The sun is out, the sakura are blossoming and Gabby is in Miyakonojo! I’m filling time at work and counting down the hours till I can go home and see him.

Gorgeous spring evening on Sunday as I went to pick Gabby up 

 Since the third graders graduated a few weeks ago, things have been winding down here at school for the spring holidays. Last week was tense, since the teachers found out who’ll be moving to another school: they only have about 7-14 days notice and some have to uproot their families to move to a new town after only 2 years. This situation isn’t made any better by the public and dramatic way the reappointments are announced, so everyone was rather on edge. This week the students only have some special classes, and the next will be full of teacher’s meetings and admin.

In my last lesson with many classes, we made time capsules to be opened at the same time next year. Students wrote about their favourite things, goals and memories, and reading them has certainly brightened up a quiet week. Even the band names they’ve written are kind of odd, favourites being Bump of Chicken, Rad Wimps and Goose House. How fowl-centric.

Sakura outside school! 

What will you be doing in 5 years’ time?

•  I’ll be a nice lady!!! Smartness, interesting, lightness, and more…!!! If… crazy...
• I will work hard to somewhere. Perhaps, I may hate my job. Don’t worry.
• How do I look? Am I growing up? I can’t think so. I think that I don’t grow and be still child. The future that no one can look is very dreadful for me. But I am never content to be second best. I will make chagrin hope.
• We will be bad boys together.
• I will associate with girlfriends of big bust.
• I will become a caria woman! [Why do my kids write with the accent of a Jewish woman from Brooklyn?]
• I will sex. Every day so much sex!
• 
  
  

Write a message for your friend to read in a year!

These ranged from the sweetly earnest…

•       You will be a cool man. You will marry to a very beautiful woman. You will be rich. You will be a member of Exile. Then I will see you and get your sign. I believe that. You can do it! You are a good boy. Surely, you will succeed.
•       You are a good boy and I know it.
•       I hope that you will become beautiful woman. I hope that you will be slim. Fight!
•       I love your body.
•       I will search happy and reason. Alive and aliving.
•       I was very surprised by your fantastic hair! 
•       I hope you become a good human.
•       Be careful not to catch a cold.
•       You are a good boy! You are a fantastic boy! You are a very good boy!!

To the abusive…

•       Your body is very weak.
•       You are my servant forever.
•       Fuck you! Oh. Misspell. Fack you. Fack you. Good!
•       Your hair is like hard yakisoba.
•      You look like Highland cow.
•       I love you (lie! lie!) Your smile makes me bad condition.

 To the random…

•  I love information.
• You are god. You are god!! You are god!! You are god!!! YOU ARE THE GOD!!! 
• Your shoulder is high. That’s all.
• You should not touch the hips of others.
• You are tissue.
• You are one of my best friend, and you are a great mushroom.

To the worrying…

•       I liked you. I like you. I bake you. I like you. I like you. I eat you.
•       Help me!!!

And some spelling errors were more amusing than others…

•      I love fiends.
•    My favourite movie is Pilates of Caliban. [I’m imagining yummy mummies in yoga  pants performing The Tempest rather than Captain Jack Sparrow].

 And, finally, I now have my suspicions about where Doge speak comes from...

•       Nacki is very kind. But sometimes he is fear.
•     Many places is very surprise. Tokyo Disneyland is much enjoy. 

I'm pretty gutted to say goodbye to my classes and students, whose determination and dedication consistently blow me away. At least I can still see them around school after the holidays. (Although I won't lie, there are some wee buggers I'll be happy to see the back of!) I'll hear on the 1st April whether I'll teach the new influx of first years, or second years again, and will hopefully feel a lot less clueless than I did in August! 

PS. If any other ALTs or JETs out there are interested in the lesson plan or time capsule hand out, let me know in the comments or PM me, and I'll get in touch!