Teachery Thoughts

The Bitter Baron and I had our second session of teaching enthusiastic junior high school kids at the university prep combination HS-JHS school across town today. It was a good ego day, and the sheer sparkle that some of those children possess is enough to keep me laughing all morning.

I met one group of new 一年生　(ichinensei -first years), who received my self-introduction quietly: "My name is ~. I am from America. I live in Minakuchi. I am a teacher at Minakuchi High School. Nice to meet you." Then they began to volunteer information in Japanese to the teacher (who I shall refer to as Mr. T) about what I had said. They got everything down, written again on the whiteboard, and... kept on going.

"Is there anything else?" asked Mr. T, and one boy shot his hand up with a grin, "Bijin da!" ("She's beautiful!") Not expecting that one, I laughed--"Oh, very good!!" gesturing that he had just won mock beaucoup points with me, when Mr. T turned and wrote 美人　(bijin) on the board. Then my laughter was quite self-conscious, I assure you. I opened the floor to questions.

A few hands went up. "What kind of food do you like?" (Everything.) "How old are you?" (25) And then that boy again, "What kind of guy is your type?" casting devilish glances at the unmarried Mr. T as laughter erupted around the room. I grinned back, "Someone who is tall," I showed a height about six inches taller than me, as the boys shouted their sympathy to the teacher, and then I finished them off with a, "and who is like my husband." Heh.

Later in the class, practicing giving our personal information, the same boy wanted to know what the English word for 天国 (tengoku : "Heaven.") and then 地獄(jigoku:"Hell.") Within a few moments I knew why, because he yelled at the top of his lungs, "I COME FROM HELL!!!"

Hell is making some interesting students these days.