I hate children.

No, seriously. It's been my mantra since I was a snot-nosed kid. Now I'm a snot-nosed adult.

I just wrapped up my first week at school. I have 4 English teachers to defer to, and I sit next to the head English teacher. I'm constantly mispronouncing his name, which turns it into "Scissors" in Japanese. On Friday I called him that in front of his class and they all erupted into giggles. I think it might become his nickname before long, though...

As far as classes go, I am only in the English Conversation class with one other teacher, and she sits across from me. This of course makes planning lessons, etc., very convenient. While some AETs have multiple schools, I only have one, but I thus far have only had 4 classes a day or less. This is in part due to the half-day schedule for the home visits that teachers do here, and three of the English teachers are doing said home visits this week.

I have 4 classes of each grade, for a total of 12, plus two Special needs classes. When I interviewed for Interac, I was asked how I felt about the possibility of working with special needs kids, and I was honestly apprehensive at the idea because I had very little experience with the mentally handicapped in general, never mind teaching them. I was apprehensive here, too, especially after meeting one of my sempais' students that has Down's Syndrome, but I was told to expect to have one disabilities class if not more. Well, I met my kids, and their main instructor told me that the majority (of less than 10 kids) of them are in fact retarded, one has ADD, and one has Aspherger's and PDD.

I'll be honest: They're probably my favorite group of kids. I get emotional at the idea of working with them so closely, and hopefully being a positive influence in their lives. One in particular had written that he didn't like English because it was hard to learn, but if it could be made easier he'd like it more. I met him after reading that, and after class he conveyed that he felt a little better about learning it with me.

I sat with their teacher on Friday and asked what sorts of materials and topics I could use to work with them, because my teaching games resource, while a wealth of ideas for elementary-level minds, mostly has games that require lots of kids. I have 5 or less in either of these classes, and while that's great for conversation purposes and giving them adequate time with me, I can't play many games with them! I want them to have some fun with me. So I had to find out what I was working with, and sensei was ecstatic that I was ready to jump in and work with her kids. (And she's such a dear; she loaned me an elementary level Japanese book after she saw I could read Japanese and some kanji T^T)

I spent lunch this week eating with the 7^th graders, moving from group to group each day. Some talked around me, one didn't say anything at all (even to each other) until I probed them all with goofy Japanese, but the group on Friday was happy to talk to me in Japanese. We even got the whole side of the room to dance to one of the songs playing. ^_^ Next week I'll be in a different 7^th grade class.

Finally, I roamed around after lunch and checked out some of the clubs. My favorite is the art club, but right next door is the chorus club and they're all very excited to have me sit and listen to their lovely voices. On a side note about that, Friday morning they were walking the hallways together and they greeted a teacher, their voices harmonizing like they were singing. So adorable! I also helped out with the gym clubs, after which I played some with the table tennis club. But I always end up at the art room, which has illustrators, painters, sculptors, and etchers. They're talkative but not too lively, which is perfect for me. And VERY creative! I love to just sit and watch them work. One girl in particular started writing my name with a brush, and then her friend did the same in much prettier writing, and the first girl got discouraged at her own skill, especially with how nonchalant her friend was about her own talent. But I have the paper the first girl did, sitting on my desk for all the teachers to see. She also began painting a spacescape with meteors and stars, and she ran out of ideas to add. She then handed the paper to me and asked me to add to it, which I eagerly did. She kept pooh-poohing her picture, but I think it's beautiful (sound familiar, anyone?). I'm also a sucker for spacescapes, but she did a nice job besides. If she ever decides she doesn't want it anymore, I'm snagging it!

That's all for now. I have laundry hanging outside now that my washer is hooked up and usable. :D I need to wash my colors and darks next... My laundry is racist; Whites first!