4th grade, class 3

So I teach elementary ("sho gakko") every Friday. I don't really like it. It has so much potential to be awkward because, unlike at "chu gakko" (middle school, where I normally work), there are no English teachers on staff, so no one is available to translate for me. The language barrier limits communication not only between me and the elementary school teachers, but also the students. It has the potential to be quite stressful because I thrive in places of good communication.

But one class has really done a remarkable job making me enjoy teaching them.

At Moka Nishi Sho Gakko, there are over 1,000 students. I teach one 4th grade class each visit, and there are 6 4th grade classes. Today I taught grade 4 class 3 ("yon no san kumi" or ４の３) for the second time, and they really made my day. So I want to recognize them in my blog (as if that is some sort of special award...).

The week after my first lesson with ４の３, two students found me in the teachers office and presented me with a book made of thank you letters composed by the class. Each student had written me a full page letter thanking me for teaching them English. Is this for real? I wanted to cry tears of joy. How wonderful.

Today I taught them again, and then returned to their classroom to eat school lunch with them. When I entered the classroom they gave me a standing ovation and directed me to a chair at the front of the room. Then they all lined up in the back of the classroom and performed a song for me. They sang for me! What an amazing class. Then we ate lunch together and played "shiritori," a Japanese word game. It was great.

Thank you ４の３！