Even though we are here for an internship which means working, learning, and a lot of walking to and fro, we still like to have fun. The leaders at the Chat Room also require us to have fun and for us to come up with different ways for the students to have fun. Basically, work is fun! Whether we like it or not... So here is what we've done to have fun in the past week.
The previous week we were asked to create a game for the elementary school students during their English Club. We had to take into consideration their level of English, which is basic vocabulary and simple sentences. We always default to making them say fruits or animals, which I always feel bad about. We were told to focus of verbs because their teachers wanted them to practice verb vocabulary. The game I came up with was for them to name different actions in a circle. The actions had to be related to a topic, one of them was different Olympic events and another was gym class. They had to say an original action in less than five seconds or else they had to stand up and demonstrate the last action said. They enjoyed this game at the beginning. They were passionate when people repeated an action they said before. As the game went on though and coming up with an original action came harder and harder, they got less motivated. The game was also hard to hold their attention. It was the end of the day and they only had to move when they messed up or couldn't come up with a word. I would improve the game by having the students clap the five second countdown to have them do something other than sit there and wait for their turn. Another aspect I would change would have the students be able to change the topic or reverse the circle to add some more depth to the game, but they'd only be able to if they accomplished something. Maybe if they were able to pass three times in a row. I have to still do more thinking on it.
At the Junior High School, the morning was trying to brainstorm ways to make the English common room more attractive for students. They don't use the space or the books in the area even though there are a lot of cool tools and materials for them. The space includes a portable smart board, multiple tables, a ton of books, two didgeridoos, board games, and more.Still, it wasn't being used even though it was a wonderful space. There were two fundamental problems to the spaces lack of use. One being that the library didn't like when the teachers would use the books in the common space as homework books. Another was that there wasn't a lot of time for the students to use the space. Passing time is ten minutes and they'd rather talk in the homeroom. Anyway, we still tried to make it more attractive for the students.
An idea that I came up with was hanging up the world map on the wall so students would be able to put labels with their name on the map to show where they have been and to see where others have been. We put the map in an accessible spot and surrounded by picture books about different places around the world. Coming back a week later there were so many different labels all over the map, and, with it being in a Junior High school, it made me happy it was still hanging up on the wall. We also placed the board games on the different tables and set them up half way. There was Scrabble and Guess Who?. An the end of the day I asked if I could play a guitar I saw in the teacher's lounge because I haven't had a chance to play music since being in Japan. Music is a big part of my life and a favorite hobby of mine. Our supervisor said yes and he sent me into the common space after all the classes were over to play. I just wanted to play to let out some built up stress, but I guess I was putting on a performance. The common area is visible from two different floors, so I had students watching me from two different floors with no where else to be as I played. They asked me to play different American songs, which I wasn't able to do well on the spot, but they enjoyed it. I also made up short songs about the people who shouted their names at me and they got a hoot about it. It was fun to preform terribly in front of them! Then it was time for club.
For club, we joined and participated in the Tea Ceremony Club. Tea Ceremony is a tradition that comes from the Zen religion. It demonstrates being humble, the non duality of human and nature, and the elegance of the Japanese culture. In each part of the Tea Ceremony, there are specifics to how they prepare the tea, how they prepare the tea, how we drink the tea, how you sit, and everything else. Each step, each movement, and each item has a meaning. The students that are in the Tea Ceremony Club study the importance and study how to preform and receive. Their faculty adviser has been practicing the Tea Ceremony for around fifty-five years! Although we were new at it, I understood the basics because I studied Zen and the ceremony in the Spring semester before coming. After the ceremony, we were shown how to prepare the tea. It was surprisingly difficult to whisk the tea! It was great to partake in a tradition with the students.
The next day on Thursday, it was our time to share an American tradition. Our event was after lunch. We made Rice Crispies and Cake Pops to try and show what we'd make at home for bake goods. They weren't our first choice, but not having an oven where we live and not being able to buy American baked goods at stores (because we're in Japan) limited our options. They enjoyed our snacks and after having them eat, we decided to teach them how to dance! The song we chose and the dance is as close to an American tradition as any: The Cha Cha Slide. All the interns from the United States and those who lived in the United States knew, but everyone else was clueless. It was great fun to see them all dance and they loved seeing us dance. Afterwards since we had extra time, we showed them some dance moves that were in and famous. These included the dab, the woah, flossing, and others. At the end we did the Cupid Shuffle, which is another American classic, but this one was optional since class was beginning soon for some. One student was dancing to the Cupid Shuffle and yelled out while he was kicking, "I have to go to class!".
It was great to break from the normal and have a break from the normal. It was well needed too because it was our half way point in the internship. It could be called the final stretch, but we still have so much to do and so many people to meet. We'll probably be dragging out these final weeks as long as we can. Although work, learning, and being serious is important sometimes, having fun is, well, a lot more fun!
I look forward to sharing more fun from our adventures!
-Caleb Hansen
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