I've been really busy the past few weeks. The curriculum for junior high school has changed. There is a lot of new vocabulary added also the students are expected to be able read and write after just a few lessons. The first test the students had they had to write a self introduction, at least three lines long. After just two months of study that is really hard! One problem is the students now have English in elementary school, so it is expected that they already have basic vocabulary but most elementary school teachers don't have English and rely a lot on ALT, most of whom are not teachers but hold some kind of degree! The result is that the students English experience varies a lot. Some love it but a lot hate it and find it difficult and boring! I would love to go into the schools and teach the teachers so they can do better!
To help the kids that come here I've been rethinking how and what we teach. I want to make it more relevant to what they have to learn in school and hopefully make it easier for the kids and more enjoyable. My biggest problem is my lack of Japanese. I need to study more to be able to explain things more clearly. I have my work cut out for me!
