I've been working for three weeks now!
Hectic? Yes! Rewarding? For sure!
to 2nd grade school. Classes start for children as young as 18 months.
The school is expanding each year, and I currently have the oldest class.
Consequently, that means when I arrived, there was virtually no resources
or pre-made materials for my grade level. The photo below shows the room as I saw it on day 1. Luckily, I had 2 weeks of "in my classroom" time to put it all together. I have a 3-inch thick binder of curriculum information, plenty of teacher manuals and unbelievably great colleagues who are hard working and incredibly dedicated and supportive. The only thing that seems to be lacking? enough time to get it all done!
On my floor are three classes. 2nd grade (me), 1st grade with Jo (from the UK) and Kindergarten with Adam (UK) and Seiko (Japan). On the other floors are the 4 levels of pre-k classes. Only Jo and I teach alone. The rest of the classes have a team of 2 teachers- one native English and one native Japanese.
I teach all subjects to my students except Japanese which they receive 3-times a week. I have both native Japanese students as well as foreign students. All their parents speak fluent English and one of the characteristics of the students in my class is that they are verbally fluent (aka: chatty). This has been both a blessing and a curse! (And its only week 1).
Where are all the chairs and more tables you ask? Well, that's because I only have 5 students this year! That's right! 5.
We hit the ground running and I have now completed a full week with this group. They are definitely problem solvers, they love to read, they love to ask questions and sometimes they stay focused!
We have a full-time Literacy Coach who comes in to work with us teachers and do presentations for the students. He is a great resource and I feel like I am going to grow exponentially as an educator because of the best practices that he is sharing with us.
Like at all schools, there is still a TON of paperwork!
My day starts at 5:40 (when I wake up). I leave my apartment at around 6:40 and catch the 6:50 train (even in the women's only car, I usually have to stand the whole time). Its a full hour-with one transfer to my school station exit. From there its a 3 minute walk to the school. I get to school by 7:55 am. Students don't start arriving until 8:35/8:45. Since everything is so close together. Jo is right next door. The entire school is in a narrow 5-story building- so having the 30 minutes or so in the morning has been great. The parents come in to drop their kids off, the kids change into their indoor shoes and I usually have a morning assignment for them to complete quietly at the table. Parents often have questions, comments or just want to chat a bit (that's new for me). Then they kiss their kids and we can get started.
The school day runs without a break- Jo and I team up to monitor recess and lunch (they eat in the classroom and we have a roof-top play area). Then there is a basement gym for PE time. We cram all the kids in the narrow elevator to transport them around the school. Class ends at 3:15 and if I don't have Crossfit, Japanese class, babysitting or English tutoring, then I stay until about 6:15 or so.
On Thursday night, after work, a coworker organized an excursion to watch a professional baseball game. This is one of the lower ranked Tokyo teams- the Swallows (so cute) and they were playing the Hiroshima Carp- a much better team. The stadium was small and intimate and we were sitting right next to the cheering section and when the Swallows were up to bat, the fans had a unique clapping cheer for him. At several points everyone knew to bring out their miniature fan umbrellas and wave them in the air to the beat of the chant! Since it had been raining earlier that day, I also had an umbrella (not really the correct size), so I waved it right along with everyone else.
