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.

Annoyed

I don't know I've written something like this... but here it goes.

A student stressed me out a lot today. I thought we will have a fun lesson together but in the end, it came for the worse. I guess she was not that as enthusiastic as before. Perhaps, I have forgotten how irritable she is when she can't get what the words mean. Or maybe I expected so much of her because I know she knows a lot of words and reads between the lines and can understand even the strangest expressions. As always, in the end, she apologizes about that. But the hurt has already been inflicted.

I got annoyed. I almost lost my cool. I believe I have forgotten about handling those kinds of people.
And maybe, after a year and six months of teaching, I still don't know how to teach. Sigh.

I guess I do.

I am now on the point where I am to lax in my job--where the room of improvement is there but I'm not budging any step to take initiative and do it. I have gotten to lazy, pre-occupied of some thoughts. I was very different when I was just starting out as an HBOET. There was a drive to be better but now, I don't know.

There is something wrong with my outlook and there is something wrong now on how I look on things. I guess I need help on how to do this improvement. Another job perhaps? Or maybe teaching in our company office? I don't know. I'm constricted with my time and my mind wants to stay in this constricted mind.

Exerpts from: 'Fat pride' challenges supersize stereotypes.

I want to share an interesting article that I used in some of the lessons that I had a couple of days. I'll just share the parts where I used for the discussions.

Exerpts from: 'Fat pride' challenges supersize stereotypes
Lifestyle Jul.14, 2012 -07:15AM JST (47)
WELLINGTON —
Cat Pause proudly describes herself as “fat,” can live with euphemisms like “curvy,” “chunky” or “chubby,” but baulks at what she believes are value-laden labels such as “overweight” or “obese”.

The U.S.-born academic is a pioneer in the emerging field of fat studies, organizing New Zealand’s first conference on the topic at Massey University’s Wellington campus on Thursday and Friday.

Fat studies, she explains, is an academic discipline just like history, English or political science, but it examines attitudes towards fat people and challenges the assumption that anyone with a bulging waistline is unhealthy.

At the conference, scholars from as far afield as the United States and Australia discussed papers such as “Fat hatred and the Left in the time of ‘the obesity epidemic’” and “The role of diagnosis in marginalizing corpulence.”

“One of the reasons we’re so fearful and hateful of fat is that we believe we can read people’s bodies,” Pause told AFP.

“So when people look at a fat body like mine, it tells them I’m unhealthy and that this is a diseased body. It tells them I don’t ever exercise and eat nothing but junk.”

Pause said the reality is that some people are just bigger than others and fat studies highlighted the need for society to accept the fact, rather than constantly judging fat people and pushing them to lose weight.

Click here for the whole article.

Bitter Sweet

Hi! Nice to see you again! Maybe you'd think that I have resigned from being an home-based English teacher or HBOET already. Fortunately, not yet. I'm still here! I have just been lazy or there isn't any news to share lately, good or bad. Well not today. :)

On the lighter note

So today is the second day of the second half of the Golden Week in Japan. The first half started last April 28th until April 30th. The second half started yesterday, May 3rd, until this Sunday. The Golden Week is a (sometimes) week long holiday in Japan because it consists of national holidays consecutively and sometimes happen in a week, including Saturday and Sunday. It's a good chance for Japanese to travel, relax, and take lessons on the Golden Week. It's a good chance for teachers too because there are a lot of reservation in these days.


On the darker one

I have lost another avid student again. He is a beginner student but has a great enthusiasm when learning English. He struggles sometimes when talking but he always say the English is a hobby for him and enjoys it. He was always kind of down during his last days in our online school. His last day in our online school was on the 30th (of April) and he said that he would be back after everything is fine.


The Golden Week is ending. A student leaves... and another student comes. Let me tell more about it soon. :) This is it for today.

New Sched Again!

I have a new schedule again!

I start late and end late now. I start at 1630 JPT and end on 2200 JPT. It's a very laid-back schedule because it gives my more time to do all the things I want before the lesson. But, I already get sleepy and sooo hungry when 2100 strikes.

For the compensation part, hmmm, it seems the same with the last schedule though. But I hope there would be some improvements.

The good thing about this schedule is that I can meet my old students before and get to know some more! There are more men in the late schedule hehehe.

I guess I'm loving it. XD

Japanese Men

Maybe around last week, one of my students and I talked about the men in Japan. I asked him what kind of man he is, he said he is an herbivore man. Sounds strange right?

I learned from students that there are different types of men in Japan. The basic two types of men are carnivorous men, which they call Nikushoku Danshi and herbivorous men, which they call Soshoku Danshi. From the terms themselves, you can guess what kinds of men they are. Carnivorous men or Nikoshoku Danshi are the aggressive type. On the other hand, herbivorous men or Soshoku Danshi are the shy type of men.

I also learned from an article of Japan Today the exact characteristics of these two types and the different sub-levels of these two types.

Here it is:

Nikushoku Danshi (Carnivorous Men)

“Nikushoku Danshi” refers to men who are active in seducing women. Young Japanese women are said to be attracted to this type of guy whom they find strong and reliable.

Soshoku Danshi (Herbivore Men)

“Soshoku Danshi” are passive types who are shy about relationships. Many do not have a girlfriend and are content just to be friends. According to marriage consulting company PARTNER AGENT’s survey of 400 single men who are around 30 years old, 75% said that they think they are “Soshoku Danshi.”

“Gyoshoku Danshi” (Fish-eating Men)

“Gyoshoku Danshi” are not as aggressive as “Nikushoku Danshi.” They tend to be very patient and will wait until the woman they are attracted to starts to love them. They are usually smart and calm. There are various sub-categories for “Gyoshoku Danshi”—men who have bit of a wild streak are called the “Grilled fish with salt type;” men who think of themselves as all-knowing are the “Teriyaki type;” men who are patient are the “Boiled fish type;” while the narcissists are the “Meuniere type.”

“Rolled cabbage Danshi” (Rolled cabbage Men)

“Rolled cabbage Danshi” look like “Soshoku Danshi” and have a low-key fashion style and appearance (they like to wear cardigans and sneakers). However, their personality is actually “Nikushoku Danshi”—sort of like a hamburger in a cabbage roll. When women get close to them and they go out for a drink together, the men turn into “Nikushoku Danshi.”

“Creamy Danshi” (Creamy men)

“Creamy Danshi” have a sweet smile, beautiful skin and mainly black hair. They are hard workers. They care about a woman’s feelings, are good listeners and give good responses. Though their appearance is soft and sweet, they have a masculine personality also, so they can be relied upon to support women if something happens. They “heal” women like sweets, hence the term “Creamy Danshi.”

“Rikei Danshi” (Science Men)

“Rikei Danshi” think things out logically like scientists. They are defined as telling old jokes, inflexible, thinking logically, not good at relationships with people, and not good at gossip conversation. Their communication is usually predictable and they treat jokes logically, analyzing them. They are not used to communicating with women and don’t keep up with trends and fashion, so they are not good at humorous conversation.

“Biyo Danshi” (Beauty Men)

“Biyo Danshi” are fastidious about their hairstyle and skin. They are defined as loving themselves the best, their way of communication is a little childish, they are moody and carefree about time. They also care how other people think of them.

“Culture Danshi” (Culture Men)

“Culture Danshi” like subculture. They are defined as bookworms, like indie films and minor things, they are not good in public, and care about their individuality. They’re into literature, films, music and the humanities. They are happy when someone sympathizes with their feelings. Japanese actor Joe Odagiri is an example of “Culture Danshi.” He is a scriptwriter and director of the 2009 movie “Sakurana hitotachi” (Cherry blossom like people).

“Fashion Danshi” (Fashion Men)

“Fashion Danshi” love brand new trends and rare items. They are defined as caring how they look, narcissistic, being too proud, chasing ideals, having information and knowledge about cutting-edge fashion and love temporary things such as accessories. They get new things sooner than other people and like to be the first ones to wear or own them.

“Ryori Danshi” (Cooking Men)

“Ryori Danshi” love to cook meals and prepare bento (boxed lunches). They are defined as perfectionists, dislike being conspicuous, have a good planning ability, and work hard little by little. Many of them started to cook to learn better nutritional habits and save money. Now they love cooking. They have various menu repertories, especially for bentos.

Actually, men who make their own bento are called “Bento Danshi.” Japanese actor Mokomichi Hayami is an example of “Ryori Danshi” and he has his own cooking show section “MOCO’S Kitchen” in the TV program “ZIP!” on NTV. He has published cookbooks such as “Hayami Mokomichi ga tsukuru 50 no recipe kimi to tabetara, kitto oishii.” (50 recipes from Mokomichi Hamami that are delicious to eat together) and “MOCO meshi kimi wo egao ni suru ryouri” (MOCO meals to make you smile). Actor Osamu Mukai is another example of “Ryori Danshi.” He plays a French chef in the Fuji TV drama “Hungry!”

“Outdoor Danshi” (Outdoor Men)

“Outdoor Danshi” love outdoor activities and being in touch with nature. They are defined as being strict on themselves, doing things without saying much, good at cooking, and often dress in sports wear. “Outdoor Danshi” include sociable people who enjoy camping, hiking in the mountains and like the sea. They usually can do things by themselves, so they don’t rely on women much. Japanese actor Eita is an example of “Outdoor Danshi.” He says he has liked communing with nature from childhood and mountain climbing since last year.

“Otaku Danshi” (Geek Men)

“Otaku Danshi” are maniacs about their hobbies. They don’t pay too much attention to their appearance, are a bit shy, speak passionately about their interests and talk faster than others. They like to hang out with people who have the same hobby. They are not good at communicating with women unless the woman can talk about his hobby.

“Otomekei Danshi” (Girly type Men)

“Otomekei Danshi” love sweets and pretty things, just like a girl. They are defined as loving sweets, having girly hobbies, neutral appearance, having pretty accessories, and the opposite personality of “Nikushoku Danshi.” They are mild-mannered.

Here, we also have some different types of men but not really categorized interestingly like the Japanese men are. So guys, which type of Japanese man are you? Girls, what type of Japanese man do you like. :D

Taken from: Japan Today Lifestyle

Love Letter

Today, I received a letter of an apology for being absent from one student. I usually get those kinds of letters written in their broken English. Sometimes, they send it to me directly and sometimes they send it through the office and the staff sends it to me. But this letter today is different.

Here it is:

こんにちは。

今日の１６：００のレッスンで、応答がこないと思っていたら・・　ワイアレスのスイッチが

オフになっている事に、旦那さんが帰ってきてからわかりました。

私が　パソコンがあまり使えないので・・。

先生に　またまた　申し訳なかったです。

すみませんでした。

I consulted Google Translate with this and it said:

Hello.

Wireless switches · 4:00 PM I thought today's lesson, the childdoes not respond and

Was found to be turned off, comes back from her husband.

I can not use PC-much.

I did not apologize once again to the teacher.

I'm sorry.

Even though with the translation from Google Translate, it still doesn't make sense to me. I can read some of the characters so I know she is sorry. And I guess, she also said that she knew that the lesson will be at 1600 but the connection was not responding. And she found that their wireless switch was turned on but she still needs to wait for her husband to return. She doesn't use the PC so much, so, she doesn't know about it too well. She also mentioned that she didn't apologize to the teacher, so for that, she is very sorry. Isn't it sweet?

I hope I can read Japanese well so I don't have to consult with translators anymore. Translators can be handy sometimes but not so good with complex sentences. So, still the best resort is to learn Japanese. It can be helpful for students like her and it can be easier to explain English terms exactly.

So, in response to her letter, I gave her private message in English. That will serve as her homework. :D

It's always nice to receive apology emails/ private messages from students who miss your lessons. It makes you feel important and it really shows their eagerness to have a lesson with you. It gives you more inspiration to improve your teaching skills and interaction with the student. And you'll know for sure that the student will definitely book you again the next time.

The Weather

One of my students today showed a scenery of his backyard.

It's like looking at a postcard. Don't mind the face.

If I could just go through the video cam to my student's backyard, I'd endure the cold just to escape today's humidity.

Weather is the common icebreaker that I always use to start my lessons. I get bored using it but it still doesn't fail to spark the interests of my students. Ironically, for today, it sparked on me.

My usual spiel goes like this:

How about in your area? What's the weather there today? ^_^

A Different Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day in the Philippines is an important celebration of LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! Though it's not a national holiday, it's a day where people share or confess their love to their family, sweetheart, spouses, friends, and to people who they really care about. You will know everyone's at it because they will greet you "Happy Valentine's Day" or "Happy Hearts' Day" and other similar greetings. There are also many heart stuffs everywhere, not only in the malls and restaurants, you can also see them in some classrooms or offices. Radio stations and local TV channels also showcase Valentine greetings. It's not really big like Christmas or New Year, but because of LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, that's what it makes it BIG.

However, in Japan, it's quite different. I'm always excited to know how they celebrate holidays and events. That's why I would always ask students what they think about it or what they do during that day--just like what I did last Christmas and New Year. So for this time, the Valentine's Day.

Some students say that Valentine's Day is the day for young girls-- in elementary to high-school-- to confess their feelings to the guy who they like. And they wait for the response on White Day, which is on March 14th, which is a day for the guy's turn to return the chocolates that they received on Valentine's Day or to give a response to the confessed feelings of the girl. Sounds weird right? Why not respond to it on the same day?

I found an article from Japan Today's Lifestyle section that tells also about Valentine's Day in Japan. Let me write it for you here:

Lots of chocolate, but little love on Valentine’s Day in Japan

Ah, Valentine’s Day. That most romantic of times is just around the corner. That means roses and chocolates, right?

Wrong. Guys, take note. If you get lots of chocolates from women in your office on Valentine’s Day, don’t get the wrong idea. They don’t all love you. They might not even like you. It’s probably “giri-choco” (obligation chocolate), a custom that bemuses foreigners (and foreign media) each year at this time.

Love has very little to do with Valentine’s Day in Japan, and it’s been that way for a long time.

So who took the love out of the day?

The confectionery companies, of course. Morozoff reportedly introduced Valentine’s Day to Japan in 1936 and again in 1952, but Mary Chocolate claims to have got the ball rolling in 1958, which is the first time, according to the company, chocolate was sold in Japan for Valentine’s Day. The gifts were promoted as “lover’s day” treats at a counter in Isetan department store in Shinjuku. But marketers quickly realized that Japanese men did not have a tradition of giving chocolates to their sweethearts, so they hit upon the idea of promoting the day as an occasion when women could give chocolates to the men in their life.

But then they took it a step further. Since each customer buying chocolates for one boyfriend or husband wouldn’t result in many sales, they packaged Valentine’s Day as a way to show appreciation for all the men in a girl’s life, including male coworkers. Nowadays, it’s not unusual for some women to buy a small chocolate for each guy in her office.

However, love hasn’t been completely abandoned on Valentine’s Day. Besides “giri-choco,” there is “honmei-choco” for the real thing.

How popular is the custom, anyway? In 2010, online researcher Macromill polled working women on their attitudes toward giving chocolates. Of the 515 responses from Japanese women aged 20-39, 78% said they always buy chocolates for Valentine’s Day. Of them, 71% give chocolates to their husbands and/or boyfriends, 48% to their bosses, 44% to male family members and 37% to coworkers. The two most common reasons for continuing the custom of “giri-choco” were: “It contributes to smooth communication in the workplace” and “It will get me a better evaluation at the company.”

Now, lest you think all this is unfair for women, the marketing gurus, in all their wisdom, then came up with White Day on March 14 — meant to be an occasion when men reciprocate with something sweet. The origins of White Day are also open to debate, but the custom can be traced back to 1965, when it was introduced by a marshmallow manufacturing company to drive up sales of its sugary product. By the 1980s, white chocolates replaced marshmallows as the preferred gift, but since then, candy, flowers—even underwear—have become popular presents. Whatever the item, it is known in Japanese as “sanbai-gaeshi” (triple value) because it is supposed to be three times greater than the value of the chocolates the guy got on Valentine’s Day.

Whether it is “giri-choco or “honmei-choco,” Valentine’s Day is big business in Japan. According to the Chocolate & Cocoa Association of Japan, of the 406 billion in annual sales of chocolate in 2010, approximately 53% came during the month leading up to Feb 14. It is not unusual for confectionery companies to spend the bulk of their yearly marketing budget on Valentine’s Day.

Just as they do with Halloween and Christmas, retailers begin their Valentine’s merchandising campaigns well in advance, often in mid-January. From Feb 1 and even earlier, department stores, supermarkets and convenience stores set up huge red displays full of goodies. Some department stores, such as Takashimaya in Nihonbashi and Mitsukoshi in Ginza, for example, dedicate an entire floor to gift chocolates, with up to 50 brands represented. The stores predictably give their campaigns French names names like “Amour du Chocolat!” or “Mont d’Amour.”

In recent years, the European brands have conquered Japan. During their campaigns, department stores often bring the chocolate makers from Europe to be on hand to talk with shoppers and give chocolate-making demonstrations. Department stores also report that in recent years, there has been an increasing number of women who buy expensive chocolates for themselves, rather than for men.

http://www.japantoday.com/category/lifestyle/view/lots-of-chocolate-but-little-love-on-valentines-day-in-japan

From that article we would see a glimpse of the Japanese Valentine's Day. Not so romantic compared to here and more of an obligation for some. I asked some students if what day is romantic, they would say it's Christmas Day. I learned before (maybe I haven't talked about it last December) that Christmas Day is more of like a day for the couples, thus romance and sweetness is associated with that day and not so much on Valentine's Day.

Some curious students also asked me if we (Filipinos) celebrate Valentine's Day as a religious event. I told that though Valentine's Day is a commemoration of a saint we don't celebrate Valentine's Day as a religious event. It's a day where we commemorate the big L-O-V-E.

Others asked what would I do on this day or would I receive any thing special, I told them that I would just work, work, work, thus a normal day for me. LOL

I always have fun talking with students about events, especially about events that are differently celebrated in Japan. They give me a tour about Japan with their experiences, opinions, and their practices. They even give me more information compared to online encyclopedias and books. This is indeed one of the perks working as an HBOET.

I'm still in the middle of my shift. I still have four more lessons to go, that means four more students to torment with the Valentine fever in me. hehehe

Happy Valentine's Day again! XOXO

One Year As An HBOET

I have officially turned one on teaching today. Yehey for me!

Contrary to what I promised my self last year, I was not able to make a hundred entries on this blog, not even half of a hundred. But that's okay. I shared some, maybe not the most, interesting findings about Japanese attitudes, cultures, and people.

I learned a lot from teaching. Even though, I believe, I have not yet improved to the fullest, but I can say that I have improved--my character, my flexibility, and of course, my multi-tasking skills. I have to say the last one because sometimes I do multiple things during the lesson. It goes to show whether or not I am paying attention or I can pay attention to students.

I guess the most important thing that I have realized and need to improve on is teaching super beginners and advanced students. I still lose control on teaching students with such levels. I still don't know what to do. And sometimes, I feel I am not a good teacher if they don't reserve me again. That's okay, though. I just have to try much harder than before.

I realized I have become quite popular a little bit that I have my own line of avid students that I expect and look forward. Sometimes, it's not a good thing because some students reserve me everyday that we have lost things to talk about. It's also good to have lessons with students who have reserved me on my first few weeks, who did not reserve me again for the succeeding stay. I guess I made a bad impression on them but when they reserve me again, especially that I am growing old with the school, they will be impressed with what I have become. I hope. It just go to show that they remember me and maybe, became popular that some long-time-no-see students want to try me again. :D

It has been a fruitful year. From the looks of it, I guess it'll be hard on quitting this job. If I do leave, I will miss my students, old and new, most especially.

The Long Lost Student: Details

Last night, I had a lesson with a long lost student. It was like a reunion lesson. XD

I had him as a student during my the first few days of teaching. I was still an awkward newb at that time and I still didn't know how to handle lower beginners. And it was unfortunate that he reserved me as a teacher. Our lesson was very awkward and I was too dumb at that time. He ended up not reserving me and I thanked him for that.

Until last night, however, he reserved me again. It was such a nice, nostalgic feeling to see him again as my student. It was good to know that he still remembered me for all those months. He became a more confident English-speaker than before. He could already make good simple sentences and his comprehension became better. I guess, I could also say that I became better myself. I did not feel awkward and I was even happy to have spoken with him again. Thinking about it, it was like a reunion of long lost friends.

It was nice seeing him again. We had a quite fun lesson. I hope to see him again and I promise to teach him even more better.

Happy New Year!

Today is the last day of the year and I got no work. Yesterday was our online school's Christmas party. Apparently, I was not able to go because there were no details sent to me. I did not even wish that I would go.

Anyway....

Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu! That means Happy New Year in Japanese. I specifically remember, that our sensei back when I was studying basic Japanese taught us to say Shinnen Omedetou Gozaimasu as to Happy New Year in Japanese. I got confused. Now, I can't wait to work again and ask some of my students about that.

Speaking about the new year, the new year celebration is more important for them. It has become quite a religious celebration for them and a coveted holiday. Christmas day, on the other hand, is held as normal day but quite special and a secular holiday to families with a child or children, among friends, and to couples. And because of that, since I am a Christian that loves the Christmas holiday, I would often ask students what they would do on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Sometimes, I would offer them stories and articles relating to Christmas. I also offered some articles about the New Year after the Christmas holidays. Accordingly, every lesson this month had become an exchange of views and stories about both holidays, which is quite nice. I felt I have, somehow, experienced their celebrations.

The year is about to end in a few hours. Recalling the past months of teaching, I still have a lot to learn and improve. I also have a lot to relate and maybe share as a teacher, a Filipino, a Christian, a person. Lessons with avid students have not only become as a venue of learning but also of friendship. Though there is the recording SOP, it has not stopped us to become semi-personal during lessons sometimes. And likewise is happening to students who have just reserved me. I hope they will stay and increase more. Students have been the sole reason for teachers and for teaching. With that, I will be more forever grateful to them.

This year has been extremely nice to me. Though there were mishaps and bumps, they are all charged to experience and taken as is. I have learned from them and will learn more from them in every angle. It seems teaching have caught my eye and now I'm drowned in it. I hope the next year will also be rewarding to me.

I guess this is it for the last post about this year. More to come on the next year. I can see myself now doing this for another year. Thus, my sharing of experiences will continue still.

Again, Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu!

Updates On the New SOP: Reporting

I have mentioned sometime about last month regarding the new SOP. It was about getting all lessons being recorded.

Much to my worries of integrating a new category in our old SOP, it wasn't that nerve-wracking at all, as much as reporting is talked about. It has been weeks already, so I have gotten used to it. I guess, other teachers as well.

Generally, we have to make sure we report correctly in the general teachers' chatroom accordingly and reporting has been a hassle recently. Before, we only have to indicate "started" if we have started the lesson. And at the end of the lesson, we have to indicate "lesson done" or "done". If there are any disruptions while the lesson is still going on, we have to indicate it with "dropped call" or "DC" and state the reason why the lesson has been disrupted. Now, we have the new SOP, we have to report or type, for that matter, in the teachers' general chatroom many things. Some teachers have become creative with their reporting. Reporting for started goes like, SLAR or Started, Lessons and Recording. For lessons done, some would type LRD or Lesson, Recording Done. Others would report done, LR or done Lesson, and Recording. In my care I type less, rec done. Those creative ways of reporting are not yet allowed, though many teachers do that, including me. The allowed or the right SOP is still to type the whole thing. Started, recording at the start of the lesson and lesson, recording done at the end of the lesson. Yes it has become a little troublesome and a little confusing because you have to take many things into account. Sometimes, I feel like running a battle ship!

The implementation of the new SOP is still on its baby steps. We're still on the trial and error level. But I can see, we have already embraced this one.

More updates on this one! XD

Holidays

It's already December! Christmas is definitely in the air!

For this month, we got FOUR BIG HOLIDAYS and that continues to January, 2012 too!

APPROVED Holidays for the month of December 2011 and January 2012:

Dec 24 - Christmas Eve

Dec 25 - Christmas Day

Dec 30 - Rizal Day/ Christmas party

Dec 31 - Regular Holiday

Jan 1 - New Year's Day

Jan 2 - Regular Holiday

Jan 23- Chinese New Year (newly declared special non-working holiday)

It is good news for us teachers but a bad one for students. Students have already been informed with this. It can't be helped for some of the new students to be awed and would often wonder why they can't reserve any lessons on the said dates. With further explanation, they understand why. Our online school follow the Philippine calendar and not the Japanese's.

Our online school offers a lot of plans. One of those plans is to have 31 lesson credits in a month. Those lessons are prepaid and it depends on them on how they disseminate their lesson credits. Japan holidays meant more chances of having lessons for them. But Philippine holidays meant less lessons for them, thus not be able to fully use their lesson credits. Thus, it will be a waste for them.

Students who usually reserve a single lesson a day in other months, reserve double on this month. Also on other months that have a lot of Philippine holidays, such as November and April. They don't want to waste what they paid. I guess, it also showed their enthusiasm to learn and talk with their favorite teachers.

However, on the other hand, it can also be bad for teachers. Holidays meant no work. No work meant no pay. Still, it's good to enjoy a holiday or two, or even three! XD

It's good that our online school followed the Philippine calendar. If it followed the Japanese calendar, we would have more holidays and less work. Plus, we won't have any Christmas holidays!

I'm already counting the days to those holidays, even our online school's Christmas party. It'll be a first for me. I'm sure it will be blast!

The Beginning of the End

Today is last day of the freest free-conversation lessons in our online school. Tomorrow, all lessons will be recorded. That means, every lessons will be uptight.

Actually, today, I asked some students on their reactions regarding the recording of the lessons. Ninety-eight percent of my students today don't really care about the having their lessons, except one. He said that it somehow discloses his privacy. I want to persuade him on to agreeing with the new regulation but I did not push through any farther 'cause I, myself, is against with having the lessons recorded. Sad to say, I cannot do anything.

Like what I have posted in my blog a few weeks back, I have already installed and tried the system. Actually, on this computer only. I am using a different computer on Sundays sometimes. I have already installed the software there already but haven't tried it yet. I guess it will run smoothly, I hope.

So, tomorrow is the BIG day. Am I nervous? Yes!

Enka-Singing Student

I'm feeling tired recently. Maybe because with the new SOP that is about to launch at the end of the week or maybe because with the full load that I got today. I don't know.

I forgot that it is a national holiday today in Japan. It's their Labor Day but there's nothing really special about it, except that most Japanese don't have work and school today. So with that, I got two students who are in elementary and I am going to share about one of them.

The other elementary English learner that I had today is a girl in the fourth grade. She is still a beginner but very bubbly and curious about learning English. It's very easy to relate to her since she initiates the conversation and is not shy when relating with a foreigner, like me. ^_^

She even shared to me one of her hobbies: singing. And not only singing normal Jpop or Kpop songs but ENKA! As what I have learned, Enka is a traditional Japanese way of singing. It can be very tricky since involves mostly the nasal muscles and the muscles in the throat. I have only watched Enka music videos and only a few of them to be really a good critic but my! The student is very good in singing Enka. And I can feel that it is something very special and you do not mess with. I want to hear her sing again!

You can read more about Enka here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enka

Thinking About The New SOP

Sometime, around this week, the new SOP will push through. This new SOP is along with the new system to record all lessons that we have. I don't know when exactly because the memo said it will start on the 21st but my mentor said it will be on the 26th. Either way, I am not so excited now after much thought.

I just noticed that sometimes, my students and I talk about some personal things. Though it is not really in a very open way, we do somehow talk about it. I ask general questions but sometimes the student cannot help to relate some personal things. Sometimes, there are students who initiate personal topics. Even though, I try to segue the topic into a more general one, the student will still steer back and go on with the topic. It cannot be helped sometimes.

Thinking about those cases, maybe some of the lessons will not be so interesting enough. As far as I have known, Japanese people tend to be really private about their lives. I guess, this goes with their English lessons online. I don't know how the students will react to this new SOP.I know some will understand and not mind that. But maybe some of them will continue to be on their guards and reign much of their enthusiasm. It will be an interesting result to keep an eye on.

Teachers, on the other hand, have no choice but to adhere to the rules. Sometimes, I don't really follow rules strictly in my lessons, especially with my avid students. We just talk about anything and sometimes forget the time. This policy will be a challenge for me but again, I hope I will not screw up.

It will be my off tomorrow, so anticipation and anxieties are also off until Tuesday. After giving much thought to this, I hope the new system will not push through.

Japanese Animal Noises

I realized I learned many Japanese words and slangs from various students. It's always fun to learn new Japanese words . It brings you closer to the Japanese culture, unlike from only listening to Japanese songs and watching Japanese anime and movies.

The learning experience is direct since you hear it from the student. You can get clear explanations and opinions from them. It's like having your own 3-minute Japanese teacher.

I've already blogged about two Japanese expressions not so long ago. This time, I want to share to you how certain animal sounds sound like in Japanese.

1. Chicken= ko ko ko ke ko
2. Dog= wan-wan
3. Cat= nyaa~~ nyaa~~

I learned those from different students who have heard those animal sounds from my background. The chicken is on top of the list since our chicken goes off like a broken alarm clock. Second on the list is the dog because the neighbor's dog barks like there's no tomorrow. Third is the cat because there was one time when one of our felines had a litter and she left one kitten to starve. It meowed, or "nyaaed" for three days or so. Students who have heard those animals have immediately asked me "What's that ko ko ko ke ko?" or "Do you have a dog?" or "I can hear nyaa~~ nyaa~~". I always apologetically answer for the disturbance. But they always say they don't mind and would further discuss about the animal that they heard.

Technically, HBOETs need to have a quiet environment. But there are days that some noises that cannot be shunned away. So, HBOETs only need to apologize for that. It's good though that most students are not so huffy about such noises. Again, as much as possible, it's good to have a very quiet environment conducive for teaching.

As for animal noises, I'm crossing my fingers on what counter part the sound of the gecko has in Japanese. (^O^)Y

Installed and Tried

So, after ranting yesterday... I received the software needed for recording our lessons and my mentor also discussed the renovations with me. It was still the same except for some little add-ons that might shift HBOETs leniency over the SOP.

I've already installed and tried the new system. It's easy and the "recorder" will not disrupt the Internet connection. It's just that, HBOETs should pay attention because we have to make it a point to record all lessons, whether or not it's just one minute. So teachers should always be vigilant. Just little changes, but like what I said, it might trouble us teachers for a time before we actually love it.

I'm actually a little excited on this one. I hope I will not screw up.

Recent Information

Recently, our office informed us about a new SOP and a new recording system. As they said, this is to enhance our services and to ensure high quality. And they also mentioned this:

...starting November 21, 2011 all essons shall be recorded. We sincerely hope that the explanation above merits your understanding and full cooperation.

As I have ranted about my discomfort with class monitoring, I have started to like the system. But they handed us with that "improvement". Another adjustment, just when I started getting the hang of the old one.

I haven't received the detailed email yet about these "renovations". So, I'm crossing my fingers on this one.