Owner: Chris's English Conversation School URL:http://www.waikiki2yanai.blogspot.com Join Date: Fri, 03 Aug 2007 20:24:25 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Hawaii boy now teaching English Conversation in the Japanese countryside. Site statistics:Click here
Level-Up!! 2007-08-02 06:06:00 They have officially had their last handwriting assignment as homework. They will now get their share of writing in the class as I teach them new vocabulary to put in their notebooks.I hated grammar in school so I spend as little time as I have to on it in my school.Once they learn how to write capital and lower case letters we wrap it up. They are happy and I'm happy. Now I expect no problems and a smooth pace when it comes to copying what I tell them into their notebooks.
Top 10 for August 2007-08-01 01:16:00 This is the list for August
.With the best class (minus Hinano) holding the list.Asuka moves up (she should be #1 or #2) Yuki gets on the list for the first time. She is a "blue collar student". She never surprises but she never disappoints either! She keeps truckin' along and never gives me reason to stress ( a.k.a - doing what she's supposed to do). For a 9yr old she has skills.I think I'll have another big BBQ this month.Will post any details as I think of them.(note)If the header on this blog says "CHRIS" only you need to re-load the page. It should say "Chris's English School". I have a 24" Dell and this blog is formated for monitors at least 1024 wide.Aloha.
Tha "grindz" report 2007-07-31 00:45:00 Just found out that the "Island Manapua Factory" in Manoa Valley near my Hawaii home has just been sold by the Lee family. This is the best plate lunch on the island and the sale makes me nervous? Anyone been there recently? anything changed? The picture of the plate is one I took last June. They got the best Oyster sauce chicken and Lemon chicken around. I hope they don't change anything over there!!I miss Hawaii!! Read more:report
Homesick and the Summer report. 2007-07-30 23:11:00 Approaching the 3rd year anniversary of the school and it's time to reflect.Have approx: 97 students and will soon be trimming that down a bit. This week I will start informing some adults that I will discontinue their classes soon. Its not fun teaching adults unless they are also teachers. I am in control of my happiness so that is the way "that" goes.I have seen alot of other School websites and forums and it seems these people are consumed with getting new students or chasing the latest "wonder tool" in the English teaching world. Have a drink and relax....stop trying to re-invent the wheel!I miss Hawaii...ALOT!!The blog has guided me torwards HTML/XML and Java script editing and it is alot of fun. I am "averaging" 1000 views a month and I'm not selling a thing!! Mahalo to everyone who visits and please be patient as it is a work in progress.In summary:Me: Homesick
School: Strong....getting stronger!Blog: Good....getting better!( any grammatical errors were done on purpose...gggggr Read more:report
, Summer
Easy Day!! 2007-07-28 05:16:00 A lot of the students were absent today. Summer vacation tends to have that effect. So we just reviewed because starting anything new would be ...well....not good since I'll have to do it again in September. This is the time of year when the new students get a little extra time to catch up with the rest of the kids.I love this weather!! I'll take this over a cold cloudy day anytime!!
Summer in Full Force!! 2007-07-26 08:22:00 This is my youngest class. ( 2 are absent because of heat sickness) I think this will someday be my best class. They are extremely smart kids and they are learning as fast or faster than any class I've taught before.On another note...What was life like before the Air conditioner was invented?? I'm glad I don't know!! Read more:Summer
, Force
Air-Con workin' overtime!! 2007-07-25 07:14:00 So I stroll out of my air conditioned classroom and go down stairs to meet the next class and think " hey....photo-op!!" and they were thinking?? well look at the pick.Personally I imagine they were saying "Damn!!!....my teacher is a ____ing moron!!" or maybe " Hey genius...it's 97 degrees...think we might get a bit of that air-con?? Ya think??"Of course they put up with my dumb request and had a great class. Read more:overtime
American Football 2007-07-24 06:02:00 Just doin' my part to teach the "King of all Sports" to the kids in my little neck of the woods. They release too low because they play baseball everyday. Got some sun on my face and threw the football......THATS a good day!! Read more:American
, Football
Yeah....riiiiight!! 2007-07-23 22:56:00 Back in April I was doin' (5) 3min rounds 4x a week on this thing and feelin' like a champ. I figured once the summer came with the 90's heat it would be no sweat!Yeah....O.K.I'm lucky if I can put in (5) 1min rounds. The heat is killa'z!! That said...EVERLAST makes a good bag. It cost more to ship($190.00) than the bag itself ($165.00). I would do it again in a second, since its the smartest money I've spent in a while. I'm just lookin' forward to September when I can start putting rounds on this thing again!
Cloning in Japan?? is it legal? 2007-07-21 03:31:00 If I could clone all my Saturday classes.....My week would be a touch easier. The J.H. students. ( not pictured due to shyness ) are moving so fast that my adult lessons are not enough anymore. I have heard that the ability to obtain/retain a second language becomes 50% more difficult after the age of 11/12. Due to the maturation of that part of the brain.I 100% believe that because I see the proof on a daily basis. 7-18yr olds move at a blazing pace that adults cannot match. I get little satisfaction when teaching adults who enjoy English as a "hobby". I had a class ask me to stop administering tests to them. It was too difficult. They want to "relax and enjoy".Um.....yeah.....right.I'm a teacher and um.....yeah... this is a school.I have several teachers who study with me and that will continue since I have alot of respect for them. But the days of me going through this:Me: So what did you do Yesterday?Student: ( 10 second pause.. followed by blank stare.. followed by): Not much.**C Read more:Cloning
, Japan
, legal
Summer **cough** Vacation 2007-07-20 07:44:00 Honestly I don't like August. A lot of the students are absent so September turns into a "review" month. I go to Hawaii 2x a year so I don't need a vacation myself and besides that everyone else and their mother is cramming the freeway anyways....nah...no thanks!I'll just have a few BBQ's, prepare some new lesson plans and wait for "School season" to begin again. Read more:Summer
, Vacation
Summer party!! 2007-07-15 19:36:00 Ma halo'sAfter 3 weeks of rain the first beautiful day was the day of the party.And the day after was rainy again. I think my karma is spinning proper right now. Thanks to any divine intervention that helped make that possible. Thanks to Mr Wakimura, The Igami family the Hawaii entertainers and the host Hiroyo and to everyone that helped with making it a fun time Read more:Summer
Storm troopers . 2007-07-13 22:57:00 These 2 are true "storm troopers", they are the only 2 of a 6 kid class that came today because of the storm. I appreciate the effort the parents make to get them here.The storm the storm?? I will wait till tonight to make a final decision.(EDIT) Saturday 1:37PMI have never followed a storm so closely in my life but I am now watching 3 seperate Typhoon tracking sites. I was wondering how they (computer) model these predicted paths?? Well after staring at these animated sat feeds it gets rather clear. You can see the incoming (west>>east) fronts. I can see the one over Korea pushing the typhoon east.If it is in-fact like that? It looks like when this thing hits the southern tip of Shikoku Island it "should" start going east rapidly..?? So I am waiting till 9am Sunday (a.k.a) the last minute before this is decided.Back to you bob!!That was Chris with the local weather..thanks Chris!In local news... Read more:Storm
What is it? 2007-07-12 04:42:00 It's an "Aura Checker".It will check your "Aura" for the day and has 8 colors and beeps and other sounds to tell you what you should and should'nt do today. I got it from Yumie as a Birthday present today. It is VERY COOL!! and the kids get a big kick out of it.
"The O.G's" 2007-07-11 07:13:00 These kids are great. 2 of them ( far left/far right) were my first students back when I was teaching in my living room 3 years ago. I then opened my school and made it like a living room because my friend was doing that and it looked real cool. I don't like desks because I get flashbacks of when I was in school and that's not cool.Anyway...The students like the sit down style and I do to. So in today's class I started them on the 20 Q's game. Is it, Does it, Can it, Can I etc.. . I want to work on their question asking skills for the next few months and this game is great for that.
Christmas in July!! 2007-07-11 00:46:00 5500g of Pork lovin' (bone/in), My favorite cologne and 2 juicy steaks. When my student asked me what my favorite cologne was I never thought it would become a birthday gift. Su-weeet!!The pork will go to the party and the steaks will be consumed tonight! While a simple "happy birthday" is more than enough, getting gifts is very cool.Big Mahalo's!!The Snoopy goods were a gift from Chikako. Thank you! Read more:Christmas
Ending the week on a high note agai... 2007-07-07 03:55:00 Ending the week on a high note again......thanks to the "Saturday Crew" and lookin' at the final days before the party. I always wait till the last minute to do things which means it will be a BUSY week!! I will probably add more to this post later but I'm starving right now so this is the ..(update)It's looking like the final party count will be about 90. The menu will be Cheeseburgers, chicken, 2 whole pig legs (they are BIG), sausage and salad ect. Then we will pull the fishing nets in and grill/sashimi all the sea life we catch. There will be live Hawaiian entertainment and games and swimming.See you there.Aloha! Read more:Ending
10 days till.... 2007-07-05 06:57:00 ....the BBQ party!! Its going to be a blast....rain or shine!! This week is flying by and all the students are doing great. I hope to see everyone at the party. As of today 81 people will attend the party and we'll have Hula and live Hawaiian music and all kindz of grindz!!. Su weeeet!! Read more:days till
July's Top 10 2007-07-03 01:10:00 This list is getting harder and harder to make. It is motivating everyone and I am feeling the pressure to be fair and accurate. My school is not a "every ones a winner" type school. The ones who are the best will be acknowledged as such and the others will be told to follow their example. I have never and will never get on someone because they "don't get it". I'm a teacher and my job is to help them get it.But...If they are not "trying" to get it or giving me a half assed effort? Well then I'm all over them. Anyway those are my top 10 (above pic) and I'm proud of them all!!
Saturday wins again !! 2007-06-30 04:16:00 Saturday is without a doubt the best day of the week. ALL the kids are smart and easy to teach. It is no coincidence that there are no adults today. Chikako's class is about to move up in difficulty and Tomoe and Kaori just had their best class ever.Yuko will still be #1 next month but Kanuka is now #2 and doing great. Chikako moves from #10 to #8 and Saki and Honoka are new on the list. ( a full list in the next post ). The BIG BBQ birthday beach party is coming very soon and I can't wait!! Wooo Hooo!!! Read more:Saturday
The "Old Skool" internet. 2007-06-27 08:58:00 I made a few tweaks with the lesson structure a few months back and it's bearing fruit. Instead of making phonics/reading a part of a beginners lesson...I made it a BIG part and made a mad push to get them reading as quick as possible. Now they are getting busy with the dictionaries and I could not be more thrilled. Its like an O.G. Internet in that it opens a whole new world to them and their ability to communicate has made serious leaps.I don't like them mumbling in Japanese or looking at their hands or otherwise struggling. They can just say "wait please" and bust out the book and ask/tell me what they want to say in perfect English. I love it....they love it...It's a win/win
3 Birthdays Cheeseburger action!!! 2007-06-23 04:36:00 Well, 3 girls in one of my best classes have Birthdays
in June. So of course that means cheeseburgers must be consumed. My staunch belief that every kid loves cheeseburgers seems to hold water. The smiles are the proof. The school is rockin' and I'm having a blast. I look forward to next week and have welcomed 2 new students to the fold....welcome!! Read more:Cheeseburger
That was fast!! 2007-06-21 20:13:00 Man, it's Friday already? The weeks are flying by! All classes are getting stronger and all lessons are moving ahead of plans.On another note...Can I get some more sunny days or what? I'm prayin' we don't have a repeat of last years 5 month rainy season (KNOCKS ON WOOD).
Chikako gets seat #1 & Chinami kills 99 Zombies!! 2007-06-16 03:28:00 Well Chikako now has 1st position (in her class). In my School students are seated so that the best student is on the far left with #2 being second from left etc etc..This is so when I ask my questions the best student catches first and the last student has the most time to watch, listen, and prepare. It has worked excellent for the last 3 years. Chikako was #3....then she was #2 and now she takes the BIG seat and she is the youngest in her class!! I am very happy that she tries so hard.In other news....Chinami killed 99 zombies!! she is my official zombie slayer!! Read more:Zombies
4:00 saves the day 2007-06-14 04:20:00 This class (4:30) is so fun It can totally save my day. 5 of the 6 girls could be moved into other classes and would become the leaders of their new classes cuz their personality's are so strong. I am so enjoying the growth of this class. The bottom pic is Miyuka and Soyoka (sisters). Miyuka is a superstar swimmer and she and her sister are getting very good at English. /report
Ready to go... "POP Culture" 101 2007-08-06 00:38:00 I asked all "advanced" J.H./H.S. students to bring me a 100 yen clear type folder so we could start something new.I will start teaching "current" pop/media icons with pics ( via. google image search ) and bios ( via. a good site I found) and we will start on it this week. I chose Beyonce for the first one because she is familiar to them and she is definitely "current" .I wanted to use 2pac but explaining about a rapper who was persecuted by the media and assassinated by rivals will have to wait a bit...maybe he will be #4 or 5 ?(Note)The blog title should say "Chris's English School" if it does not, please refresh the page. This page was designed for monitors of 1024+ res.
Saturdays "Skeleton Crew" 2007-08-04 04:00:00 It's not even close!August is the month with the worst attendance. The whole program grinds to a near halt before shifting into high gear in September. It does give me time to prepare but I look forward to full classes in September.Meanwhile...I'm lucky I grew up in America!! The children's ( especially J.H. and H.S. students ) summer "vacation" is not really a "vacation" at all. They are VERY busy. I used to wake up at 11:00am and eat cereal for lunch before playing baseball or riding my Honda in the woods. Some of my best memories are from my summer vacations. I think these kids are too busy.Just an observation/opinion.(Note)The blog title should say "Chris's English School" if it does not, please refresh the page. This page was designed for monitors of 1024+ res. Read more:Saturdays
, Skeleton
O.K. means O.K. 2007-08-08 07:24:00 Chiharu's class is doing great. By April they will be studying J.H. lessons. The youngest is 8. So yeah...they're doin great!In other news...I told all the J.H./H.S. kids to bring in a clear folder so we could start the new lesson. Apparently they missunderstood the meaning of "O.K." and thought it was some meaningless generic response. Oh no no no! You and your word cannot be seperated. If one has no value then the other has no value.I always give them time to ask questions and be clear with what is expected. I lit into them good today so I don't expect any repeats. All great kids but they are still learning.....no doubt!(Note)The blog title should say "Chris's English School" if it does not, please refresh the page. This page was designed for monitors of 1024+ res.
Um..on second thought...no thank you! 2007-08-07 23:10:00 I will not get into detail except to say that I no longer associate with this group. I am a conversation teacher and I do not have anytime for anyone who suppresses my freedom of speech. It's wrong....it's always wrong.I can't imagine telling my students they could not discuss certain topics....it's bizzare.Grow-up and open your minds. And while your at it spring for a free blog or website with a forum and become a member of the 21st century. The only thing worse than the sleep inducing "grammar talk" was having to read it in my e-mail box?? Whats with that? As an old NBC kids commercial that ran in the early 80's said:"Knowledge is power. The more you know, the further you go!"Now you know.(Note)The blog title should say "Chris's English School" if it does not, please refresh the page. This page was designed for monitors of 1024+ res. Read more:thought
I had a friend named mud (Morgan) 2007-08-12 04:25:00 So I called a fe friend
s and Tim and Yumie came ( Both Teachers ) But Morgan
and others blew it off. Noe Morgan can eat a dik up till he hiks -up you know what I'm saytin? Read more:named
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