2006 December 4 Monday.
My first gig of the day started off at 10:00, at the Young Buds Kindergarten めばえ幼稚園 located in Kamui. Today, all of the students gathered together at the same time and we sang the song: Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer あかはなのトナカイ , first in Japanese, and then a few times, more slowly, in English. I also introduced the students to another new song. A rather long song entitled: The Green Grass Grew All Around. I used the 10 full-color, laminated A3 sized flash cards, that I had spent somewhere between 8 and 10 hours making, during yesterday, and the day before. You can see the flash cards in the photo on the left. As you can see by looking at the last card, resting on the upper left corner of the table, the last verse of the song is very long. Too long for the kids to learn in just one lesson. I will be using these same flash cards many times again in the future. That is why I don't mind taking the time up front, to make something really good and long lasting. It will make my teaching time much easier and more enjoyable. Give first, receive later. Being fully prepared before you walk into the classroom, makes the students happy, and makes the teacher relaxed. Unlike many teachers, I don't need to prepare before each and every lesson. I have already done all of that preparation work, during my "free time", and at a time of my free choosing. I can use my numerous lesson plans, over and over again, with different groups of students, over many years. For the students, it seems like something new and original, and it is. But for me, it is a well rehearsed routine that I can perform again and again, with very little EXTRA effort, each and every time. PAY IT FORWARD. Like we used to say when I was in the U.S. Coast Guard, Semper Paratus ALWAYS READY. In other words, training and experience make the actual job performance, almost automatic. This works well for almost any job or profession. Working hard? Yes, but also working smart. After that gig was finished at 11:30, I drove back to my classroom to eat brunch before my next lesson started at 13:00, at the 神楽公民館英会話を楽しむ会. Again today, most of the students were in attendance, and we had some lively and interesting discussions about various things. One of the ladies, Mrs. A., had a very amusing story to tell. Every year at about this time, some of her friends who live in Honshu, send her a box full of permissions 柿. This year, she also received a box, and without opening it, wrote a quick thank you message on a post card, and put it into a mail box, outside of her home. When she got back home and opened the box, she discovered to her horror, that it was not permissions, but mandarin oranges みかん that were inside the box. I can clearly imagine the situation. She probably wrote something like; "Thank you so much for the delicious permissions. My family and I are very much enjoying eating them." Realizing her confusing social faux pax, she quickly wrote another postcard that said something like; "Sorry my mistake, the mandarin oranges are very delicious. Maybe I have Alzheimer's Disease." She then posted this second postcard into a mail box outside her home, on the very same day. Does this story sound amusing so far? But wait, there is more. After she had written the second post card and put it into a mail box, she went back home again and discovered that underneath the mandarin oranges, there were also some permissions!!! "Oh my god! Now what have I done?" She came to the conclusion that, HASTE MAKES WASTE 急げば回る。 Yes, I agree. It is important to stay calm and think with a clear mind, BEFORE opening your mouth to speak, or BEFORE picking up a pen to write a message. I almost couldn't stop laughing at this amusing and very interesting story, as told by Mrs. A. After listening to her fascinating story, I said to her; "That is a very amusing and true story. Also, it is a bit embarrassing, but you do have an ALIBI. You can say that; "I opened the box upside down 逆さま, and I saw the permissions first. I wrote you a thank you card immediately after that, and posted it right away. When I came back home, I discovered that there were also mandarin oranges at the bottom of the box. Thank you so much for both of these gifts." It's just my wild idea, but please feel free to use it, if you need to, or if you want to. Ai yai yai yai! Social customs can be both interesting, and amusing. Maybe even embarrassing, from time to time.
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