recent event☆

Hello, everyone.


I think I'm gradually getting used to my job. I can sleep more longer than before, and now I can enjoy playing with my friends weekend.


On June 2 nd, We had a athletic meeting. Children were practicing of dance, footrace, opening ceremony and so on from early May. And we teachers were preparing everyday until late at night. I really felt that teachers are very tough. They work too much!! I can't work like them....


On the day, children were a little nervous but they did their best and enjoyed. I will not forget my first Undokai forever.

Now I think I want to go to Iwate if I can have some days-holiday
during children's summer vacation.


I like this picture very much. Nice smile!!! So I put this picture on the wall in front of my desk.
Everyone good luck!!

My life of May

Hello, everyone. I will write about my life and work of this month.

☆ｆrom May 1 to 8☆
I visited to my students' house to talk with their parents.(家庭訪問）
I don't have my car, so I went to their house by my bycycle. I visited 6 or 7 houses a day. It was hard for me, but I found many interesting facts from the parents' talking.

Many parents said "please give homework to my child!" I was surprised because I gave homework to them almost everyday.... (^^;) They don't know that fact. Wow!

Many parents say "the most important thing is to be fine." But most of them worry about their children's study, too.

☆May 10☆
I had a 初任者研修. All of them who became teachers from this year met together. We were divided into some groups and did some activities together.
First, our group learned about sign language. A woman who uses sign language came to teach us, and we learned from her.
I can talk by using sign languages about name, hobby, and so on, now! We pretty enjoyed the activities.
Second, we experienced blind person's life.視力減退体験.(I am sorry I don't know the word in English.) We made pairs and a person put an eye mask on the eyes, and walked together. I knew that it is especially hard for people who can not see anything to ride an escalator.

I like 初任者研修, because I can make friends, and to talk with them make me relaxed.

☆May 14☆
　Mr.K came to our school. He is a teacher of another elementary school and came to our school almost once a week to see my classes and give me advices. He is called 拠点校指導教員. He was in my class almost all the day and write something as seeing my classes. I was a little nervous, but I think I have to get used to the situation, because he will come every week untill next March.

☆May 15☆
The parents visited our school, because the day was a 懇談会. 懇談会 means a meeting by a teacher and parents. I talked with them about "athletic meet" that will have on June 2nd.


Teachers' work is too busy and I was tired every day, so I go family home every weekend to be relaxed. I really want to recommend that to become a teacher near your family home if it is possible!!! It may be huge help for you★

Parents' visiting class

I had a special class yesterday....
Because yesterday was "parents' visiting class"(参観日).

It was a big event for me, because it was the first day that I met students' parents, and showed my class for them.
In addition, the class I teached was math. It is a subject that I hate the most!!!
I don't know the reason why, but I can't understand math class and don't like math from a child...

It is unbelievable fact that my school does research into math education.(^^;)
But it is fact. I just have to do it!!!

Friday night, I came back home at 8.
I had still bothered about next day's class. I was very worried because I couldn't image the flow of the class.
It took some hours to make myself clear about the class, but I thought that everything may be OK!

The next day morning, I received an e-mail from C-chan, she had a same event the day.
She said "Yarushikanai" (やるしかない!!)

When we are worried about something, she always say this word!!
It is magic password for us. (^^)/

The class was over. Goody!!!!!

☆1st week☆

My first week as a teacher was finished!!
I have been very busy everyday.... I have not known that teachers have lots of work to do but preparering for classes. But I could talk with my students everyday, play together, and know each other gradually. I am so happy! They are all very pretty!!!

I have 5 or 6 classes a day. I felt it is uneasy to do so many classes everyday,
because at a teacher training, I had only 9 classes a month.

But this 1st week made me notice a big fact☆ It was... NANTOKANARU!!
I think we all are 1st year as a teacher, so we don't have to worry about making mistakes.
We have to do only what we can do!

Yesterday I talked with two of "2006 Thai members" ,Chi-chan and Mr.O. (^o^)
We talked about each teacher's life. I knew they all hang in their work and do their best.
I could refleshed by talking with them. MINNA GANBATTERU!!
Now, I will prepare for this week's classes!!

I became a teacher!!

Hello, everyone!!
Happy news!! I became an elementary school teacher finally!!
So I think I want to write about my life in my elementary school from today.

There are three reasons.
1. I want to record my life as a teacher.
2. I don't want to forget ENGLISH.
3.I want to keep in touch with my teacher Mr.Hall!!

I am sorry but, I will not be able to write weekdays, but I try to write as many as possible☆

Today, we had a 始業式. I was introdused to all of the children, so I was very very nervous!!
I can not remember what I said....(><)

After the ceremony, I went to my classroom and met my students for the first time.
They are 4th grade, 28 children.

Yesterday I wrote a message for them on the blackboard, but they did not know me and who wrote the message untill 始業式(o＾з＾o） It was a top secret!!!!

As soon as I entered the classroom, they asked me many many questions.
"Can you speak English?" (because, the principal introduced for children I was majoring in English.)
"Do you know our names?"
"What is your favorite food?"
"Can I call you Ayumi sensei?"
"Can you play with me during recess?"
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I was surprised at the situation. But I was pretty happy!!
I think I can not forget TODAY forever.

About my thesis 3

This week I've read some books about "elementary shcool English activities" and "picture books". I will make some lists about them.
I will compare what is written on these books with the real classes in elementary schools if I can interview or do questionnaire to teachers who has used picture books in their classes.

What I learned from books

2.How to use picture books effectively
from 『イラストでわかる小学校の英語活動５０選』、kazuaki Tsuido, 2001

・A teacher make a chance to make students say something as a teacher go on reading.
(for example, teacher ask some question before turning over the page.
ex. T:Who will come next? S:dog! cat! )

・When same expression is used many times, a teacher make students say lines(せりふ）.
(for example, by groups, whole together, individually...)

・A teacher sometimes change the words and read untrue stories , if the students listen the story many times.
It is excellent if students can notice the mistake and correct it.

・Playing CD "mood musics" as reading picture books.
This mood music make students' attention concentrated on the picture book.


3.The effects of using picture books in elementary school English activities
from『こんなふうに始めてみては？小学校英語』, Yuri Kuno,1999

・Students can get used to listening to the story in English.

・To develop students' listening abilities.

・To develop students' abilities to express what they mean.

・To develop students' abilities to find the "key word"(the words they have already known),
and understand the story from the key word.

・To have confidence that they can listen to the story in English and understand gradually.

・Students can expect the story from looking at pictures.(pictures can be good hints)

About my thesis part②

This week I read some books and studied about picture book in elementary scool English activities. And I made some lists about this.

1. a list about how to choice the picture books

1.content
・to be fair
・universality
・to be compatible
・suitable for everyone
・correct information
・not a moral story
・not to have sex discrimination
・not to have racial discrimination
・to fit for children's growing stages

2.expression
・right length for children
・easy to read
・the sentences correspond with the pictures
・the same phrase are used many times
・easy phrase
・one picture, one sentence
・easy to imagine the story from the pictures
・beautiful picture


２．a list about how to use picture books

・teachers read picture books to children
・childen listen to the CD with looking at picture books
・make a story from the pictures (with ALT)
・make a picture book by themselves
・read in Japanese and put into English
・use 仕掛け絵本

3.unique points of using picture books

・children can imagine the story from the pictures
・get used to listening to English
・ability to listening to English
・ability to express what they think
・ability to guess from the words they have already knew
・enjoy English!!