Nearly a week back into school and I now remember why I was so eagerly looking forward to winter break. The same frustrations, same disappointments, and the same general bullshit is still around, waiting for me like a giant lightning shooting crab waits for you when you wake up from a bad dream and go back to sleep, where lightning crab picks up where you two left off.
I now teach all eleven first grade classes at my high just once a week and now five second grade classes as well. I taught each first grade class twice a week last year and it was a total cluster fuck. I had forty teen boys per class, no working equipment, and no help in class. There were two teachers that were there to help in class but they either “went for lunch” and never came back or just beat the kids. Not much got done. This year is going to be even more of the same. The assistants who will probably never show up to class are the two Japanese teachers who of course don’t speak any English. Not much is going to get done during these next three months either.
The equipment is also completely broken as per usual. A small part of me was super hopeful that it would be working so I could do more stimulating topics and lessons with students. None of the computers or tvs worked in any of the classes last year, limiting what I could do. I tried doing lessons for the students but it’s nearly impossible to keep forty students per class interested in anything you’re trying to teach without giving them something to look at to keep their interest in you. Last year was a year of word searches and crosswords and I hated every second of it. It’s looking like these next ninety days will be more of the same. I feel awful doing things like this but what choice do I have given the circumstances I work within?
I came to this school last June, feeling confident that I could do a great job at a new a school in a new city for me. How wrong I was. It’s been a pretty disappointing year teaching wise but it will all be over in just over ninety days. I just need to keep reminding myself that.
We then tried to make our own cups and cowls on a pottery spinning. It looks easy when you watch someone do it but doing it yourself is quite another story. Move too fast or too slow when shaping can ruin the attempt. Luckily there were Koreans who were training/majoring in pottery who were helping. My bowl didn’t turn out too horrible thanks to the kind woman who helped me on the wheel.
You can see more pictures of the festival on my
