文化祭

         I was so excited to be able to attend my first Japanese school festival!  In America, we don’t have school festivals in high school like in Japan. Sometimes towns will have fall festivals, but they aren’t run by students. Festival food is very fun to eat. I enjoyed the “takonashiyaki” because I like mochi and cheese better than octopus. It was also great to see the club performances.  Yaya and I do not get to see some of the clubs that practice every day because they are always very busy. At the school festival, I think everyone was very happy to see the results of each student’s practice and preparation. I want to thank all of the students for doing such a good job.

 

                                                                                                                                  by Sarah

My First School Festival

 A few weeks ago I went to my very first School Festival. I was impressed by the amount of work the students and teachers put into making this event happen. I enjoyed watching the sports and club performances such as gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, and dance. It was a great opportunity to see my students interacting outside of the classroom and doing something they love. After eating curry rice for lunch, I got to explore the various classrooms throughout the school. In some rooms, students were selling food, like fries and desserts. I myself had some brownies that were very tasty. Other rooms were dedicated to the students and had pictures of various activities they had done together. As a new teacher at this school, it was neat to see what the students had been up to throughout the year. I had a great time at the School Festival and I am excited to see what other school events are like.

 

- Yaya Campbell

日本の天候

     One of the things that surprised me the most about Tokyo was the weather. I come from a state called California in the United States of America, and the weather is always very dry. Tokyo summers are not as hot as California summers, but they feel hotter because it is humid too. I also didn’t know that typhoons happen regularly in Japan. I have never experienced a typhoon before, so I was surprised by how much rain fell.

 

     California is known for having earthquakes as well. Many of my friends who come from other parts of the United States are sometimes scared when they feel their first earthquake in California. I have lived in California for my whole life though, so I am used to earthquakes. It almost makes me feel like I am at home when I feel earthquakes like the one on the morning of September 12^th. I can’t wait for when the snow begins to fall in the winter. It will be another new experience for me.

 

By Sarah

はじめまして

      Hello, my name is Sarah Kawaguchi, and I am a new assistant English language teacher from the United States of America. I feel very lucky to be teaching at Fujimura this year. I am very impressed by how hard the teachers work and how much they do for their students. It is never easy to start a new job, but the teachers and students of Fujimura always make me feel welcomed.

 

     I am also very impressed by how hard the students work. In America, club activities are not as important as they are in Japan. Students in America spend much less time in clubs and do not organize activities by themselves. I have seen many of the students working hard to plan for Bunkasai. We do not have Bunkasai in America, so I am very excited to see all of the students’ hard work and preparation.

 

By Sarah

Welcome Ceremony

        On the first day of school, I was excited and a bit nervous to see what working at Fujimura would be like. The teachers and the students seemed to be very friendly as we made our way to the welcome ceremony. Some of the students even waved to us as they sat with their classmates, waiting for the introductions to begin. We stood on stage and introduced ourselves, then the students sat us down near the center of the gym as a group of them performed a dance. They were very skilled, I felt like this was a welcome for a governor rather than an assistant language teacher. Since then, I have gotten more familiar with the students in my classes and I hope to get to know them even better.

 

By  Yaya

Working at Fujimura

      When I found out that I would be working at an all-girls Junior and Senior High school, I was not sure what to expect, but I was happily surprised with what I have encountered so far. From the teachers to the students, people have been very genki in our first interactions. I work with mostly Junior High School students with another ALT who leads the class. I actually really enjoy having two people in the classroom, it makes it easier to bounce ideas off each other and interact with the students in a variety of ways. While not all of the students enjoy speaking English in the classroom, I find that they are always eager to say hello in the hallways. I am excited to interact with them more and hope to see their interest in the English language increase.

 

By Yaya