Day 29: Swimming Lessons
This morning I awoke a bit earlier than usual, so that I could wrap gifts for the Pieczulewski's and pack my suitcase for another new homestay family. For breakfast we had some of the leftover peanut butter marble cake that Sachiko and Naomi baked, some fresh fruit, and some freshly-made muffins. Time is always a factor here in Japan, and I didn't have much time before school to give the Pieczulewski's their gifts. I made Sachiko open the bamboo napkin holder I made for them first. I think she was surprised to get such a gift. I admit it is a bit strange, but it is something that they can use and something I spent time making for them. I also gave them Wisconsin Badger baseball caps to wear. Secretly my mission in Japan is to change everyone into Green Bay Packer or Wisconsin Badger fans. I think they enjoyed their gifts, and I was happy to give a little something back for their hospitality. They invited me to play in the annual Beatrice Cup Tennis Tournament, which is next Saturday! Tennis is a lot of fun, so I look forward to playing next weekend.
Up to this point at Notre Dame Elementary, I have mostly taught English classes or about Wisconsin. Today, I taught swimming! This morning started with swimming lessons for the third grade classes. Kawakami Sensei gave me a group of students who needed to practice swimming underwater. It was my job to teach them how, which was challenging given the language barrier. I had the students practice each part of the underwater swim: (1) take a death breathe, (2) arms straight and together over their head, (3) keep kicking. It sounds simple, but I just observed the students and most of them seemed to be having trouble with one of the three aspects. Therefore, I had them practice all three steps. It was nice to use numbers with them, since they could definitely understand that.
After lunch I had swimming lessons for the fifth grade classes. The fifth graders classes are a bit more serious, considering they are basically training for their two kilometer swim in the sea next month. I was given another group of students to teach for the two hour class. I focused on the kicking and arm strokes of the breast stroke form. The students really needed work on the kicking. The students practiced their kicks using kickboards and I pulled students out of the pool to work on the form of their kicks. I helped them move their legs correctly, and most of them did experience some improvement in their breast stroke form and speed. I wasn't exactly prepared to teach swimming, but I handled it well. It just goes to show how hard the teachers here work. The teachers clean, setup events, and go along with their students for all subjects. If the students have swimming, then the teacher is in the pool giving lessons. If the students have lunch, then the teacher is in the lunchroom serving meals and leading the students in prayer. The work ethic of the teachers here is amazing.
Today after school I was picked up by my new homestay family, the Otsuki's. Mayuko Otsuki is a fourth grader, and I have had her in English class many times. Together with her mother, we went to visit Ginkakuji Temple. The temple itself was not very impressive, but the zen gardens of rock, moss, trees, and ponds were awesome! I had heard about the temple's spectacular gardens from my brothers, who visited there during their visit a couple weeks ago. This temple was built by the son of the Shogun who built Kinkakuji, with the famous Golden pavilion. The son did a better job with the gardens and landscaping, but he died before he had time and money to cover the pavilion with silver leaf.
The Mrs. Otsuki showed me to my room back at their house. I will be sleeping in their tatami room on the first floor. Their home is narrow, but it is three stories tall with its own elevator! I feel bad because I wish I could spend more time and effort with the family, but I have been busy and tired since Chuck and I took over all of Mr. Yukita's classes. For dinner, they prepared some meatloaf and many side dishes. I was flattered to see that they tried to write "Ryan" on the meatloaf using kernels of corn. What sweet people. After dinner I went through several photo albums with the family. I chose to postpone sharing mine until tomorrow; I was really tired and still had to finish the lesson materials for tomorrow. I completed the work I needed to, setup my internet at the Otsuki's, checked my email, and went to sleep.
Up to this point at Notre Dame Elementary, I have mostly taught English classes or about Wisconsin. Today, I taught swimming! This morning started with swimming lessons for the third grade classes. Kawakami Sensei gave me a group of students who needed to practice swimming underwater. It was my job to teach them how, which was challenging given the language barrier. I had the students practice each part of the underwater swim: (1) take a death breathe, (2) arms straight and together over their head, (3) keep kicking. It sounds simple, but I just observed the students and most of them seemed to be having trouble with one of the three aspects. Therefore, I had them practice all three steps. It was nice to use numbers with them, since they could definitely understand that.After lunch I had swimming lessons for the fifth grade classes. The fifth graders classes are a bit more serious, considering they are basically training for their two kilometer swim in the sea next month. I was given another group of students to teach for the two hour class. I focused on the kicking and arm strokes of the breast stroke form. The students really needed work on the kicking. The students practiced their kicks using kickboards and I pulled students out of the pool to work on the form of their kicks. I helped them move their legs correctly, and most of them did experience some improvement in their breast stroke form and speed. I wasn't exactly prepared to teach swimming, but I handled it well. It just goes to show how hard the teachers here work. The teachers clean, setup events, and go along with their students for all subjects. If the students have swimming, then the teacher is in the pool giving lessons. If the students have lunch, then the teacher is in the lunchroom serving meals and leading the students in prayer. The work ethic of the teachers here is amazing.
Today after school I was picked up by my new homestay family, the Otsuki's. Mayuko Otsuki is a fourth grader, and I have had her in English class many times. Together with her mother, we went to visit Ginkakuji Temple. The temple itself was not very impressive, but the zen gardens of rock, moss, trees, and ponds were awesome! I had heard about the temple's spectacular gardens from my brothers, who visited there during their visit a couple weeks ago. This temple was built by the son of the Shogun who built Kinkakuji, with the famous Golden pavilion. The son did a better job with the gardens and landscaping, but he died before he had time and money to cover the pavilion with silver leaf.The Mrs. Otsuki showed me to my room back at their house. I will be sleeping in their tatami room on the first floor. Their home is narrow, but it is three stories tall with its own elevator! I feel bad because I wish I could spend more time and effort with the family, but I have been busy and tired since Chuck and I took over all of Mr. Yukita's classes. For dinner, they prepared some meatloaf and many side dishes. I was flattered to see that they tried to write "Ryan" on the meatloaf using kernels of corn. What sweet people. After dinner I went through several photo albums with the family. I chose to postpone sharing mine until tomorrow; I was really tired and still had to finish the lesson materials for tomorrow. I completed the work I needed to, setup my internet at the Otsuki's, checked my email, and went to sleep.
posted by Ryan Harkins at 8:55 p.m.
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