During these two weeks, we got to witness challenges that teachers face. There was the possibility of classes being online due to the Osaka Expo which contributed to the metro lines being too busy for students. It was a reminder and a great example of how prepared and flexible teachers need to be. It was pretty reassuring to see how teacher experiences can be similar in a different country.
In class, I had the chance to design activities with a partner teacher. He was specifically looking for activities to engage discussion and public speaking from students. He told me that due to the traditional school system, Japanese students are not used to public speaking and it may take a lot of effort to get them to come out of their shells. I could see that he would already do his best to make his Health class lessons as relatable as possible, and would use strategies such as Think, Pair, Share to encourage students to reflect and speak.
I had the opportunity to go with my friend’s family to a Danjiri Festival, which involves huge wooden floats pulled by dozens of people for a whole day, with music, attires, etc.
Towards the end of the night, we noticed some of the people pulling the float were crying, at first I thought it was because they were tired. However, my friend’s dad explained to us that it is a very special of occasion filled with emotion as they train the whole year for this one moment. It was a very good example of dedication in the Japanese culture and the importance of cultural events. Something that surprised me is also the amount of events like this one, it felt like on any given day there was a festival of some kind held in the city.
Here are two words I learned that I thought were particularly useful:
Tanoshii = fun
You would say it during an activity to say that you are having fun!
Tanoshiikatta = it was fun
You would use it after an activity is over to express that you enjoyed it!