Saturday, November 21, 2009

Mother's Joy

What month is it now?
December? December means... the last month of the year, that December?
I HAVEN'T NOTICED!!

The reason why I haven't published the blog for four months are several.
But the biggest one is...my laziness...

The reason why I start to update the blog is...that I have been bothered by some people who try to leave VULGAR comments here!!!
Unless I keep updating the articles, they always try to violate. I realized.

Actually, I HAVE TRIED.
Here is an article which I wrote half in...November!!



Let me talk about parents' observation classes. This week is already the fourth parents' observation week since I became an English teacher. However, the more I experience them, the more I get nervous because...for some parents, observation classes means teachers' evalustion classes. But I had a good one on Monday!

In my three year kid class, there are two adorable kids. A girl, Kaori, has got accustomed to English lessons because she started taking our classes since she was one year old. On the other hand, Masaki started it since this April. He couldn't enter the classroom without his mother, He cried, shouted, and tried to avoid me whenever I approached to him. Basically, my three year old class is supposed to be only teacher and kids. No mothers. However, exceptionally, Masakin's mother had to be with him all the time. I tried everything to entertain him. But whenever his mother tried to get out of classroom, he started to cry!

My head teacher said, "This stuation might last...until June."
June!? The situation hadn't changed even after summer. I almost gave up.

But after the Halloween party, things changed.
At the Halloween party, I stayed longer with him. Probably it became a good memory for him. Also, his mother's presistent challenges (she brought Masaki to my English lessons as possible as she can) came fruitful.

After the Halloween party, he became a different kid!
He pulled my arm, took me to the classroom, spread vocabruary cards, and presented what he previewed!!
He said, "Look! (he pointed each card) Legs! Mouth! (Looking at the "Whiskers" card,) Hmmm...what's this? I forgot..."


Since I started to teach children, I saw sometimes "miracle," that a scene of distinctive kids' improvement. (As I teach adults, I haven't seen it...because they "graduately" improve.)
The day was definitely, the "miracle" happened to Masaki!!!


...A few weeks passed, and I had a parents' observation day.
In the three year old kid class, Masaki did a very good work.
He enjoyed English games, anwered my questions in English with great energy, and cencentrated on listening to what I said.

After the class, I noticed. Masaki's mother was crying!
She said to me,"He has completely changed. I knew he likes you, but I didn't imagine such an improvement. I really appreciate your teaching! Will you teach him next year, as well? I really hope so."
I saw the mother's joy.

That was one of the most wonderful moments in my career.


By the way, can I talk about another mother's joy?

Kaori, my another student in the three year old kid class, is a very blessed child,
She is cute, bright, and smart. Her mother seemed enjoying being her mother.
She had Kaori take entrance exams of several prestagious private kindergardens this fall. (I know, right now it's winter! But when I wrote this article, it was fall!)
Therefore, Kaori had been much busier than me...to got to cram shcool to prepare it.
But she had NEVER skipped my class.


Her mother often told me the next year's schedule of Kaori's English lessons depended on her results of kindergarden's entrace exams.

She passed a kindergarden in her neigherhood, so the mother would sign up for a class by a bilingual teacher (me,) and a class by a native speaker teacher.

However, now she started to wonder.
Eventually, Kaori didn't pass S kindergarde, which her parents want her to enter.
S kindergarden has a 3 year-course and a 2 year-course. She didn't pass the 3 year-course, but she might pass the 2 year course next year. Whether letting her challenge the exam again and go to cram schools as well as this year(in that case, Kaori wouldn't have time to take 2 English classes per week,) or coming our school a lot to learn English what she likes...

Sounds like too much pressure for a three year old girl? Maybe... But I'm jealous of Kaori. Her mother thinks about her future, very much!!

The reason why I'm jealous of Kaori is not only that.
Her mother is very stylish, so she always wears a Burbery's or agnes b's dress...

That's the biggest reason!