I am an American living and teaching abroad. I am fascinated by how kids learn additional languages, the relationship between culture and education, and collaboration in education. This is my third year living in Japan, though this is only my second consecutive year here. For a while now my friends and family have been telling me that I need to start a blog to chronicle my experiences teaching in Tokyo. I have learned lot teaching abroad about myself as a person, and teacher, about working with English language learners, about schools in other countries, and about my own culture and country. I plan to use this to reflect on some prior experiences, and also to begin to post about new and upcoming experiences.
Tomorrow is Undokai at my school. Undokai is the traditional Japanese sports festival. This is my second year being involved in Undokai and it is a fascinating experience. I grew up with sports days in the U.S. but this is nothing like them. The kids go through intense training for three weeks before Undokai. They learn how to work together, and do things with their bodies that they didn't think they were able to do. They learn balance and improve extremely quickly. Last year I taught kindergarten and the kids learned two very difficult choreographed dances. My school is an international school, but we share a campus with a Japanese public school and participate in Undokai together. As a result this is a time where the kids learn a lot about one another and form new friendships, as well as grow closer with the kids they already knew. This year I am teaching fifth grade and the kids are doing gymnastic routines, as well as announcing the events, dancing, and running. The gymnastics routines are like nothing I have ever seen before. The students are creating a variety of pyramids with their bodies, one which includes more than fifty kids. Five person formations, synchronized feats of balance, and cheer battles that are call and response based are the tip of the iceberg. Some of it is unsettling for me. I worry about some of the activities being dangerous, but that is the tradition here and teachers work hard to keep the kids safe. The best part has been seeing walls come down between the kids as they work together towards a common goal. I can't wait to see the pieces from all the other classes come together tomorrow!
