Several of you have asked about my daily routine and, although each day is a little different, this is the basics of my day.
My earliest class, everyday, begins at 10am, but I arrive at the school around 9:45. Twice a week I'm there an hour early, either to set up for a kids class or for our weekly teachers meeting. I am thankful for the mid-morning start since we work late, not even getting home until at least 9:30pm.
About half of my route to the school is next to the river (this pic is the tree lined street I bike down, the river is down below to the left -the next picture). I usually ride my bicycle, because its way faster than walking. My favorite part of my 7 minute commute is this short stretch next to the river. ^_^
My earliest class, everyday, begins at 10am, but I arrive at the school around 9:45. Twice a week I'm there an hour early, either to set up for a kids class or for our weekly teachers meeting. I am thankful for the mid-morning start since we work late, not even getting home until at least 9:30pm.
About half of my route to the school is next to the river (this pic is the tree lined street I bike down, the river is down below to the left -the next picture). I usually ride my bicycle, because its way faster than walking. My favorite part of my 7 minute commute is this short stretch next to the river. ^_^
I arrive at the school/church, park my bike in the basement garage and prepare for class. This involves any preparation needed for the lesson or the Bible time. I ask the office if they know of any make-up or observing students coming to any of my classes that day, then I grab my teachers book and my attendance book and head to the appropriate room.
The kids classes are a little different is length and content, but they each have a Bible lesson tailored to their age. I have 3 kids classes: Mommy & Me (2 yr. olds and their moms), 3 yr. old Kindergarten, and 4-5 yr. old Kindergarten. The school has classes for all ages. I don't have any elementary classes, but I do have 1 middle school class and 1 high school class, but they are the same set up as the adult classes.
The adult classes are 90 minutes each and they begin with about 45 minutes of conversation. This gives the students a chance to warm up, since most of them haven't spoken much English since the previous week's class. And practice speaking conversational English is the reason they come to class.
Then we do cover some grammar. For about 30 minutes we do some of the textbook, learning the grammar and practicing English with the activities it provides.
Then its tea/coffee time. I serve which ever they prefer and then we read from the Bible and discuss what we've read. This is the only time (for most classes) that any Japanese is spoken. Usually, they take turns reading the prepared passage in Japanese, then we read it in English. Sometimes the discussion is a mixture of both languages.
Below is a picture of one of the classrooms.
The kids classes are a little different is length and content, but they each have a Bible lesson tailored to their age. I have 3 kids classes: Mommy & Me (2 yr. olds and their moms), 3 yr. old Kindergarten, and 4-5 yr. old Kindergarten. The school has classes for all ages. I don't have any elementary classes, but I do have 1 middle school class and 1 high school class, but they are the same set up as the adult classes.
The adult classes are 90 minutes each and they begin with about 45 minutes of conversation. This gives the students a chance to warm up, since most of them haven't spoken much English since the previous week's class. And practice speaking conversational English is the reason they come to class.
Then we do cover some grammar. For about 30 minutes we do some of the textbook, learning the grammar and practicing English with the activities it provides.
Then its tea/coffee time. I serve which ever they prefer and then we read from the Bible and discuss what we've read. This is the only time (for most classes) that any Japanese is spoken. Usually, they take turns reading the prepared passage in Japanese, then we read it in English. Sometimes the discussion is a mixture of both languages.
Below is a picture of one of the classrooms.
Classes are held at various times throughout the day, Tuesday through Saturday, the latest class ending at 9pm. Some days I have many classes. Once a week I have a day with only 2 classes, the earliest class and the latest class, which gives me time to go back to my apartment and do things like laundry.
Sunday, the day is spend at the church (the same building). We have sunday school, church service, lunch and fellowship, and then meetings.
Monday is our day off.
That is the basics of a normal week for me. This does not include any special activities or outreach events.
I hope this gives you a better idea of what my usual day is like. Please know that, while most days I am at the school for around 12 hours, I am not teaching for 12 hours a day. There are little breaks throughout the day. I use some of them for planning upcoming classes. I am trying to use my time wisely and am using some of the breaks for Bible study and language study. Ive learned that those times are some of the only times that I make any progress in studying Japanese because I can study some everyday and I'm usually too tired if I wait until I get home at night to start studying.
Sunday, the day is spend at the church (the same building). We have sunday school, church service, lunch and fellowship, and then meetings.
Monday is our day off.
That is the basics of a normal week for me. This does not include any special activities or outreach events.
I hope this gives you a better idea of what my usual day is like. Please know that, while most days I am at the school for around 12 hours, I am not teaching for 12 hours a day. There are little breaks throughout the day. I use some of them for planning upcoming classes. I am trying to use my time wisely and am using some of the breaks for Bible study and language study. Ive learned that those times are some of the only times that I make any progress in studying Japanese because I can study some everyday and I'm usually too tired if I wait until I get home at night to start studying.