More Goodbyes

Yesterday, I received more goodbye messages and wishes from my avid students. Let me share it here. One of my student, Mr. Yoj, told it to me in person during our last lesson yesterday. He said:

Today is the last day... I should say something. Thank you for the lessons. You are one of my favorite teachers. Ganbatte for new job.

The rest are already through chat message.

I got your message. I'm sad but at the same time I'm glad to know you could find another job. Your experience at GNA will help you with your job. I was really happy to talk with you in the lessons.
See you someday. Thank you a lot. --Miss Ellen

It's surprising for me to resign you GNA. I hope you will be happy. Thank you for every lessons. good-bye. ;(---- Miss Masumi 

Thank you for your message.I'm very sad not to see you anymore.I'm very happy to meet you.Good luck and see you in somewhere in the world!--- Miss Miyoko 

Thank you for your good-bye message! I really enjoyed with your lesson. I miss you. I hope your good future, Thank you so much, again.---From my newest student, Miss Kayoko 

Oh... I will miss being a Home-based English Teacher.

Goodbye Again

Unfortunately or fortunately, it's not my last of my teaching nights yet. The management would not let me go handling too many replacement of reservation in their hands. I have to help with that too because my offer has been very abrupt.

Anyway... I have told some students about my resignation. Most of them are sad. Some teachers who are also close to me are also sad about the sudden news.They knew from the students whom I sent a message to. I will miss them all!

Some students whom I gave messages replied to me. Fortunately that the first class doesn't have any students so I was able to cater all questions, students and co-teachers alike. Let me post some of their sad replies with my aliases for them:

I miss you I sent a mail to CNA..".I have a question. Does teacher Zed will leave GNA? I'm very shock! Please stop! She is a good teacher."I don't want to say good-bye.But I had no chice. I waiting for next lesson.--Miss Kei

ohh, I am so sad to hear that ;(.   in the other hand what winderful news to hear you have a new job, I am also very happy to hear that, congratulations !!! (F)--Miss Lin

hi! Congratulations! (clap)However, I am slightly lonely. ;(Please try even the next job hard. Please take care.thank you. (bow) :D (highfive)-- Mr. Melancholic Eyes.

Thank you for your message.
I was surprised that you would leave GNA suddenly.
I have always enjoyed your kind lesson and thanked your friendly personality.
I wish your success in your new job.
I will miss you. --Miss Eri.

I guess I can expect more of this.  Miss Kei's message hit me hard. I hope to see them, somehow.

Goodbye...

today is my last day as an HBOET. unfortunately? there were only two close students i have. i told them my resignation. ms.miu said she will miss me. that was very sweet. mr.ats gave his facebook acct
so i added him. i will miss both of them. for the others... i sent them s message in skype. i said goodbye to ms.aika too via her email.

i'm always bad at saying goodbye but i have to.

posted from Bloggeroid

A Student Cried

I rarely talk about my personal stories with my students, unless they ask me too. I also don't ask about their personal stories and they don't open about it. Some would not just mind and are curious to know some little personal things about their teacher and some would also share about themselves, even complaints.

I just remembered that last night's lesson was the first time for me to talk about a personal story about my Dad. The student somehow asked if what kind of a man is my father and I said that my father is already dead. She was surprised and asked why and how. So I told her about it. And it made her cry.... Good thing that her video wasn't on because if it was, I would cry with her too.

A Very Insightful Message

I have a student who is a volunteer worker in their local library.  I asked her about her job and good thing, she was enthusiastic enough to share about it. I told her that I envy her.

A part of me wanted to be a librarian. For the fact that I just wanted to sit around and check all the books. And also to work with books and be with books Mondays to Fridays. I guess I can say that I am more in love with books than with humans. From a bird's eye view,  but in reality, it's not. Being a librarian is actually a science.

So, when I told my student that I envy her work as a librarian, she told me, "You should have taken the librarian license?" And there was an eye opener for me.

A Hopeful Insight On Omoshiroi Article: U.S. Vows Justice For Slain Ambassador

Recently, we hear all these world news around us and some are in congruence with our own problems with other countries. For example, Philippines have territorial issues with China. So as Japan with China and with Korea too. The most aggressive move we can see, as per world news, is that Chinese people attack anything Japanese in mainland China.

On the other side of the world, we can hear such conflicts also but it deals with religion: Muslim people attacking US embassy in Libya is the latest one I have heard. Still right on with the senseless attacking.

Fortunately, I get to share this article with some of my expressive students.

U.S. Vows Justice For Slain Ambassador (13th September, 2012)

U.S. President Barack Obama has promised to bring to justice to those who killed American ambassador Christopher Stevens in Libya on Tuesday night. Mr Stevens was killed in an attack on the U.S. consulate in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi. Three other consulate staff died in the attack and five were wounded. Mr Obama said: "There is absolutely no justification for this type of senseless violence." U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton asked: "How could this happen in a country we helped liberate; in a city we helped save from destruction?" Libya's interim president Mohammed el-Megarif apologised for what he called the "cowardly" attack, saying: "We extend our apology to America."

There is speculation over what caused the assault on the consulate. Initial reports said a YouTube video trailer for a low-budget film that gives an insulting portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad sparked the protests. Any depiction of the Prophet is prohibited in Islam and greatly offends Muslims. The makers of the film are as yet unknown, but reports say Egyptian Coptic Christians and an American-Israeli are behind it. However, media reports now say the attack was pre-planned to coincide with the 9/11 anniversary. Libya's UN representative Ibrahim Dabbashi said: "This attack…cannot be considered as a defence of Islam. [It] gravely damages the image of Islam."
Source: http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1209/120913-us_ambassador.html

There is a very small margin of Japanese who have religion. So in general, my students associate the article with the territorial issue between Japan and China. For them, it's better to talk over disagreements in calm, civilized manner. With that I have to agree with them.

It's barbaric to fight and attack one another because of disagreements in issues--religion, territory, violence, etc. You can even compare it with minor disputes within the family, friends, and other relationships. Nothing can be solved if one shouts and the other hits to make a statement. It just create more disagreements and more misunderstandings.

I know it's such a naive way of looking things but it's better to talk over the differences in a calm, open  manner and hope for the best.

A New Picture

After a year and so, I changed me profile picture in Skype.

And I got nothing but good praises about it. What do you think?

Distaste For Others

It still is a typical work load even if I have a different schedule. It's still summer in Japan and students still complain about the heat. I have already stopped asking them about how they cool themselves or what they eat in summer, except for those whom I got rare chances to have lessons with. After summer, there will be autumn, and I guess it will be still typical for me.

One good thing with my routinely schedule is that, I can grasp those special things or special complaints, I should say, from students. Like today, I had a lesson with a this cheerful student. Let's name her K. She has already mentioned before that she has a particular distaste against Chinese and Koreans. With today's lesson, however, she expressed it vividly. She said that she hopes in the future, we (I guess she is referring to Japanese) will have a safe planet that is free from Chinese and Koreans. I asked her why and she said that she has been hearing and reading news about Chinese and Koreans cause a lot of crimes in Japan. I laughed to myself. I know everyone is entitled with their opinions, that's why I just listened to her while she was expressing her feelings towards that particular race. I just can't believe I would hear it from her, who has a kind and sweet voice and a cheerful character. I asked her if there are any Chinese or Koreans in her neighborhood, unfortunately no. I guess, she has a one-sided view of them. But I didn't expressed my reaction to her opinion.

I believe, regardless of the race, ethnicity, and nationality, people are people. People do bad things wherever they are, may it be there home country or abroad. It saddens me that some people have a general view of others. I guess it can't be avoided. It's just after all human nature.

As I've mentioned, I didn't say my reaction to what she said. It's her opinion and I respect it, even though it saddens me that there is a generalization. Teachers are usually encouraged not to raise controversial topics such as religion. I personally avoid topics about the connection of Philippine and Japan historically. But when I do, I try to be objective as much as possible. Thank God, I haven't met students who do not bash the rare instances of such underground topics.

K talked about it for almost all of the lesson time. I just listened to her and bid her good fortune. In my mind, I hoped her to be open about other races and nationalities because it's not about that that define a person.