English class

Considering that my job is teaching English and it is probably the one thing I do most often here, I should probably write more about it. The second year students at my jr. high school (roughly 8th graders) have been divided into two sections. More accurately, the school has taken out four or five bad students from both classes to teach them separately. Some of these kids have behavior problems and at least one was removed from the normal class explicitly because of this. If I am free, I usually help the Japanese teacher who teaches this class.

They aren't particularly bad, just a little noisy and noticeably uninterested in English. Occasionally one will abruptly get up to leave the room, complaining of a fever or stomachache. Sometimes we have to ask why they are leaving before they offer an excuse. If we challenge them on their reason for leaving it generally results in more class disruption and a longer absence by the students.

Last Thursday one of the other ALTs at my company (same job as I have) came to watch my classes. The first three went relatively well. During the last class one of the more disruptive kids jumped out of his seat, whipped off his belt, and unzipped his pants. At that exact moment in time I thought it was as likely as not he would pull down the gym shorts he wore underneath. It turned out his was tucking in his shirt.

The Japanese teacher, the other ALT, and I were all shocked. This quickly, if awkwardly, became funny as we laughed it off. A few minutes later when the Japanese teacher was explaining grammar to the student,s I made a slight gesture as if I were removing my belt to the other ALT. He, lacking an understanding of subtly, dramatically mimicked the same. One of the kids noticed the other ALT and immediately cracked up. I had managed to embarrass him without casting any suspicion on myself.

On another note, my first year jr. high students have been writing out times long-hand, for example writing 8:35 as eight thirty-five. A few have written 7:05 and I have no idea how to write this, nor have I found any solution online. Typically they write seven five, which makes sense in Japanese but not English. I would think seven o' five works because you can write seven o' clock. Really I don't know and am trying to hide this fact from the Japanese teachers.

For the record, I think you should write it as 7:05, or simply round to the hour.

PS if anyone knows what time "tit eighty" is, let me know.