Returning Players

Well, this week has been the week of returning characters in my blog:

We start with a Genki-chan story.

Every morning since the beginning of the school year, we play "Row or Cross" with the 3rd years. They stand to perform the greeting (This is standard practice in every class), and then we keep them standing while I ask questions. The first person with the correct answer gets a sticker (My kids LOVE stickers) and they can choose row or cross. With that, either the row or the cross (Cross-ways) may sit down. It's a clever way to get them to practice listening and answering (Correctly) English questions.

Well, since we have come back from Summer break, my kids have forgotten their English. So I've been doing a little visit down memory lane for these guys.

So about halfway through I get to: "What color are your name tags?" The kids raise their hands, Ms. Third Year picks one of them, "They are Red" is the reply.

Correct.

So then I ask: "What color..."

Genki-Chan has raised her hand.

Okay... well, thinking I'll be a smart-ass, I pick on her, of course.

"Okay Genki-Chan, what is the answer?"

She looks at me with a perfect poker-face and says (In Japanese); "You were going to ask what color your eyes were." Then in English; "They are blue."

She never ceases to surprise me. She gets a sticker.

The girls are all very fascinated with my blue eyes. They think they are very cool... I have been interrogated by Class3-1President-chan for an entire lunch time about how my eyes became blue (They must have thought they were once brown, but have turned blue with time or something...)

On to the second years:

We have a lovely young lady, whom I have an immense amount of respect for. She is part of the Kendo team, and a particularly strong Kendo-Ka, and she is hideously cute (She's the one who looked at me with THOSE eyes -the ones she uses on her parents to get to stay up an extra hour and watch TV- to get a sticker back in May). Ms. Kendo (This is significant, she is the only one of my students that I call by her last name... I'm that impressed with her). Comes up to Mr. Second year and I after class after completing her assignment and asks Mr. Second Year to put his "Hanko" on the paper.

A Hanko, you might remember, is the Japanese equivalent of a signature. It's a stamp with your family name imprinted on it... it's registered with the government and is your legal-binding signature should you place it on an official document. I happen to have one myself... something I shall treasure)

So, Mr Second Year writes "Ha N Ko" in Japanese letters on her textbook page.

"No, no no..." She says, "Your... um... (English:) Sign please!"

So Mr. Second Year signs the page and she looks dead at me.

I smile (I fear the EYES... so I am not about to turn her down), I sign the page.

She thanks us distractedly and walks away, staring at her new prize as if she had gotten the signatures of the Beatles themselves...

On to the First Years:

It's special class with Mouse-Chan and Direct-Kun. We are working on a written portion of the textbook. Direct-Kun has never been good at writing, in Japanese or English. He really doesn't enjoy it. Mouse-chan has a speech impediment, but that doesn't hurt her ability to write, so she is always finishing these things before Direct-Kun.

So we have to write a little introduction (The First years have, in theory, just learned the Alphabet and the very basics of English, so this is a good start). In the normal First Year classes, they need to write a little about themselves; "I belong to the Brass Band Club" or "I like Sushi". For Mouse and Direct, we have to be a little simpler; so all they have to do is copy the example introduction from the textbook, replacing "Kanta Ken" with their names. It's a simple assignment...

Or so I thought.

I sit down with Mouse-Chan and start the process with her, Ms. First Year works with Direct. Mouse needs a little coaching to get started on things, but once she gets going it takes no time at all for her to copy the entire thing over.

She's done... Direct doesn't even have "My name is..." yet. He looks right on the edge of vapor-lock too... his face is all contorted in concentration.

Ms First Year looks at me and says (In English): He doesn't like to write.

So Mouse-Chan and I begin reciting her introduction (She hates that, but she actually is easier to understand in English than in Japanese because she takes more care with her sounds).

We get three passes through and Ms First Year says: "What's wrong Direct-Kun?" I look over at Direct-Kun and he is crying. Not sobbing, but he is working so hard at writing and is so frustrated that tears are rolling down his cheeks.

Ms First Year starts a regimen of "Don't cry, your doing fine".

I feel bad for Direct-Kun. I've been there in my own way. Hoping that the bell will just ring and I can go on my way, out of the scrutiny of the teacher.

The problem is that Ms.First Year is embarrassed by this, and when she's embarrassed, she tends to laugh nervously... Which makes me feel even worse for Direct Kun. Mouse Chan (Who has sort of become Direct Kun's surrogate sister), looks at me with real concern. I draw my mouth into a thin line, take a deep breath, and continue to work with Mouse-Chan.

Then, Direct-Kun says something that totally shocks me, he says: "Maybe if I write my own thing I can get past this. Maybe I don't like copying out of the textbook."

This totally changes my impression of what is going on. Direct-Kun wants to get past this... this isn't a biding time until class ends tactic (As it was with me in school), he really wants to write.

My respect for him skyrockets.

Ultimately, he finishes the project (about seven seconds after the chime starts to ring), and we move on to the next class.

Direct-Kun, though, seems to be heartened by finishing that paper. It was a little victory for him.

---Me.