I'm going to explode unless....
...I have a little rant. It's what blogs do best...allow to have our little vents, rambles etc...an outlet for the niggles, narks, and general grumpiness!!...so here goes!
1. Am I invisible this week or what? Yesterday I was at my base school. I am there every thursday...lessons in the 2nd and 5th period, and leave around 4.30. The usual pattern that I have been following for the last 18 months! However, yesterday it appears that the rest of the staffroom just didn't realise I was there. Not only was I blanked on more than one occasion by some teachers when I gave them a smile and a 'konnichiwa' on the corridor, but I was also locked in the staffroom when they all went off for a teachers meeting!!! Thats right 'locked in'!!! I was sitting at my desk...I had just finished cleaning supervision...and I saw the teachers starting to file out of the room for their monthly meeting. I had been told about the meeting, and so it was no surprise to watch the room becoming gradually empty. What was a surprise, however, was the room being suddenly plunged into dimness, as all the lights were switched off, and then hearing a click, as the door was locked from the outside! What the heck!! Hello.....Roren's still here....at her desk.....with no light.....and now she can't see, nor can she leave! Well actually, I soon realised how to unlock the door from the inside...but still...that's not the point! Jeez...way to make a girl feel wanted in the workplace!! I left 10 minutes early, on the basis that they had been mean to me!!
2. Why doesn't this country have raspberry yoghurt? This week I really wanted a big tub of organic raspberry yoghurt (Alex, what's the name of that one that we both realised we liked...I've forgotten!)....but what am I stuck with...boring strawberry, not-right apple, or stupid aloe! Aloe!!! Who wants aloe yoghurt!!!??? Not me!
3. Why can Japanese people only walk in a straight line? They seem to have no ability to walk around someone...or move to the side....therefore it's always down to me to move, even if it means me walking into a lampost, a door-frame, a rubbish bin. For god sakes, move over...if you're in a group, learn to move into single file, just for a minute to show some common courtesy to the person walking in your direction.
4. Why are people in this country allowed to teach high school english even if their ability is so poor that they come out with the following sentence ; "another....type...twice."...the teacher then corrects himself after minutes of stammering, to reveal to me that the sentence was supposed to be "it will be cold for another 2 months." And the government wonders what they can do to improve English proficiency within schools...I'll tell you a very easy way....make sure all your English teachers have a good grasp of the language!!
5. Has anyone else had one of those classes where you are asked to speak about your country...only then for the teacher to criticise and pick out their perceived bad points about your homeland. So today, I was talking about England...and my teacher interrupts me to comment "oh, but the food in England is very bad. Tell us about that!" I gave him a look, and then said I disagreed, and actually liked the food in England a lot. Especially at this cold time of year, British food is hearty, warming and filling...and if cooked right...very tasty! Can Japan provide me with a lovely roast meal, some chunky homemade soup, a good ole pie with gravy...no! His argument..'ah, but it is not healthy!'....oh, but I suppose coating everything in breadcrumbs, and using msg whenever you feel like it, is great for the health! Back off!
6. Not everything belongs/comes from Japan. When I said 'bye bye' at the end of class, last week, some of my students were shocked! You see, Japanese kids always say bye-bye...and a lot of them actually think that the word is Japanese! No my dears...it comes from the word 'goodbye'....therefore, don't look shocked when I use words from my own language! Also, Thomas the tank Engine is not Japanese! One of my kids (16years old....a little worrying!) said that he was interested in the Japanese animation, 'Thomas'. I quickly realised (through drawing a picture, establishing that he meant the little blue train) that he meant Thomas the Tank Engine. The look on his face as I told him it wasn't Japanese, but actually British, was priceless!
Ok...rant over! Thanks for listening!
1. Am I invisible this week or what? Yesterday I was at my base school. I am there every thursday...lessons in the 2nd and 5th period, and leave around 4.30. The usual pattern that I have been following for the last 18 months! However, yesterday it appears that the rest of the staffroom just didn't realise I was there. Not only was I blanked on more than one occasion by some teachers when I gave them a smile and a 'konnichiwa' on the corridor, but I was also locked in the staffroom when they all went off for a teachers meeting!!! Thats right 'locked in'!!! I was sitting at my desk...I had just finished cleaning supervision...and I saw the teachers starting to file out of the room for their monthly meeting. I had been told about the meeting, and so it was no surprise to watch the room becoming gradually empty. What was a surprise, however, was the room being suddenly plunged into dimness, as all the lights were switched off, and then hearing a click, as the door was locked from the outside! What the heck!! Hello.....Roren's still here....at her desk.....with no light.....and now she can't see, nor can she leave! Well actually, I soon realised how to unlock the door from the inside...but still...that's not the point! Jeez...way to make a girl feel wanted in the workplace!! I left 10 minutes early, on the basis that they had been mean to me!!
2. Why doesn't this country have raspberry yoghurt? This week I really wanted a big tub of organic raspberry yoghurt (Alex, what's the name of that one that we both realised we liked...I've forgotten!)....but what am I stuck with...boring strawberry, not-right apple, or stupid aloe! Aloe!!! Who wants aloe yoghurt!!!??? Not me!
3. Why can Japanese people only walk in a straight line? They seem to have no ability to walk around someone...or move to the side....therefore it's always down to me to move, even if it means me walking into a lampost, a door-frame, a rubbish bin. For god sakes, move over...if you're in a group, learn to move into single file, just for a minute to show some common courtesy to the person walking in your direction.
4. Why are people in this country allowed to teach high school english even if their ability is so poor that they come out with the following sentence ; "another....type...twice."...the teacher then corrects himself after minutes of stammering, to reveal to me that the sentence was supposed to be "it will be cold for another 2 months." And the government wonders what they can do to improve English proficiency within schools...I'll tell you a very easy way....make sure all your English teachers have a good grasp of the language!!
5. Has anyone else had one of those classes where you are asked to speak about your country...only then for the teacher to criticise and pick out their perceived bad points about your homeland. So today, I was talking about England...and my teacher interrupts me to comment "oh, but the food in England is very bad. Tell us about that!" I gave him a look, and then said I disagreed, and actually liked the food in England a lot. Especially at this cold time of year, British food is hearty, warming and filling...and if cooked right...very tasty! Can Japan provide me with a lovely roast meal, some chunky homemade soup, a good ole pie with gravy...no! His argument..'ah, but it is not healthy!'....oh, but I suppose coating everything in breadcrumbs, and using msg whenever you feel like it, is great for the health! Back off!
6. Not everything belongs/comes from Japan. When I said 'bye bye' at the end of class, last week, some of my students were shocked! You see, Japanese kids always say bye-bye...and a lot of them actually think that the word is Japanese! No my dears...it comes from the word 'goodbye'....therefore, don't look shocked when I use words from my own language! Also, Thomas the tank Engine is not Japanese! One of my kids (16years old....a little worrying!) said that he was interested in the Japanese animation, 'Thomas'. I quickly realised (through drawing a picture, establishing that he meant the little blue train) that he meant Thomas the Tank Engine. The look on his face as I told him it wasn't Japanese, but actually British, was priceless!
Ok...rant over! Thanks for listening!
posted by Lauren @ 9:37 am
2 Comments:
At 5:03 am,
Turning Japanese said…
Now can I give this link to a certain teacher.
Hee hee hee hee
Mwahoahoa (evil laugh)
At 2:57 pm,
mashio spillip said…
i got locked in the staff room the other day too. i popped out the back to do some photocopying and came back and everyone was gone. i managed to escape though.
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