This past Thursday, I did an observation at a school in Sakai, about fifteen minutes south of Namba on the Nankai Line. My former co-worker Anthony arranged the observation for me. One of the biggest reasons I don’t teach children is because I don’t know how, so I figured if I see how it’s done, I’d be more inclined to try.
Mayumi came to meet me at the Shichido station and we walked to her school. I also met Shun, her three-year-old nephew, who is positively adorable.
The school itself is in a big warehouse, for lack of a better term, and there are three classrooms on the top level. While Mayumi got some things ready, she put in a video for me. I guess last Sunday, their school had a kind of show. Shun-chan also kept me entertained by dumping some marbles on the floor and then picking them up again, declaring each color in English as he went along. That was pretty impressive as English isn’t his native language and he can barely speak Japanese. He is only a recent three-year-old.
The first class was a young group, around five or so. It’s been a really long time since I’ve been around kids and I’d forgotten how shrill they can be when they’re excited about something. I joined in a little since their class activities weren’t overly difficult; there was singing involved and a little dancing. But they clearly enjoyed it, so that was cool. It’s also from them that I got the title of this post, as it was a phrase they frequently shouted when Mayumi asked for volunteers.
The second class consisted of ten- and eleven-year-olds. They were up to full, simple sentences and they had phonics and reading as well. The third class was eleven- and twelve-year-olds, and they were a more advanced group, moving onto a little more grammar. They were the most enthusiastic, aside from the little children, in seriously learning English. At one point, they were practicing their questions on me, only I had to answer in Japanese. One of the questions to me was, “Where do you live?”
“Higashi-Osaka wa shindemasu.”
Which resulted in a lot of laughter. “Shindemasu” means “to die” so not only did I use the wrong particle, I said I die in Higashi-Osaka. At least I remembered it was a verb. 
It was a pretty interesting afternoon. I observed that Mayumi is a great teacher and I wouldn’t mind the chance to work with her again sometime. I don’t know how useful I’d be, but I could certainly try.
I think you should give teaching Japanese kids a try. I mean, the NOVA setting isn’t exactly stellar I’ve been told, but teaching at other schools should be fun. And most of them are pretty excited.