21 May 2019

Went on a class-initiated, directed and organised trip to the world EXPO centre and it was AMAZING. My 2 student buddies were so kind to meet me at the station near my hostel at 7.30am (even though they stayed FAR away) to bring me there in case I got lost. 1 of them bought me breakfast in case I was hungry. They are such lovely students!
The class had a discussion in the morning about their school festival which will be held in September. The EXPO centre had classroom-like facilities for groups of people to facilitate briefings and discussions and the students took the initiative to book a room prior to this trip. During the discussion, the entire was involved and everyone's ideas were heard.
The discussions were very very productive and inclusive. They provided everyone with a safe, conducive and welcoming environment for ideas to be shared and for learning to take place. There was ZERO teacher involvement and it was extremely heart-warming to see this as in Singapore, most class discussions on such matters have an element of teacher/school involvement. However, in this school, they were allowed to explore various ideas and let their young, creative minds flow endlessly. After, we had lunch and they used the class funds to order pizza. They were so nice to have included my share! Most boys brought packed food from home as well as they are still growing and eat a lot. A few of them even told their mums about me and packed an extra portion for me! oh gosh how lovely can they get! Lunch was very organised. Students settled themselves down outdoors in a shaded area where there were chairs and tables and each person sitting at a table got up to collect the food. This was all done again, without any instructions from the teacher!
After lunch, the class organised some (pretty intense) activities! There was an indoor gymnasium nearby in which I think the students booked and we played a variety of games that included dodgeball, volleyball, badminton and soccer. They invited me to join them and so I did! They too, invited their 2 homeroom teachers to join them and the teachers took the time to unwind and engage themselves in the games. It was a terrific way to build TSR and I think this can be adapted by the Singapore education system! From my experience in Singapore schools, most teachers do not wish to sweat and get "dirty" by engaging in sporting activities with their students, and would rather sit in the shade. Hence, I highly recommend Singapore teachers to get their hands dirty and body sweaty by playing sports with their students! It is also a great way to include exercise in our daily sedentary regime!
After playing, I brought a group of girls and boys to see the Totoro house (or more like they brought me there). The girls were so lovely and entertaining! They performed a mini skit from the show and the boys followed.
It was an amazing, AMAZING day! It was a much needed break for the students who have been student terribly hard for their upcoming mid-terms.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

15 May 2019

NAGOYA Weather here is great, its sunny but its windy so its PERFECT. Classes here in the University are similar to the classes in NIE: mainly group work, presentations and lots of discussions. Students here are extremely polite and attentive in class, and share many many views about current issues. One class I attended was on inter-/multicultural training and it provided me with an interesting and fresh perspectives on the various cultures. We had students from Japan, India, Indonesia, Germany (and many more) and the students gave a presentation about their cultures, and their perspective on Japan's culture after being here for at least 1 year. Another class I attended was on teacher, teacher training and teacher methodology. This class was presented in Japanese so I had some trouble understanding but a student who could speak English kindly helped me translate. It was cool to learn about the various issues presented in education and how some of them could be corrected. I ...
Read more

2 June 2019

Image
The past week in school was very fulfilling and heartwarming. Forgot to bring a jacket to school on one of the days and 2 kids offered their jackets to me when they saw me freezing in the cold. Their selfless actions were very heartening and their Jap teacher praised their actions too. I also got to participate in Sakuradai's sports day! Regardless of their class, the students proudly don their class tees and cheered for their friends like as though it is the olympics. Win or lose, every student puts in his 100% and after every race the students praised and encouraged each other; what mattered wasn't the results, rather, it was the spirit of togetherness and inclusivity. The true meaning of sportsmanship can be seen here and I would want to bring this culture back to Singapore. The last race was the most impactful because it was a 6x100m race between the various CCAs. Graduating students from their respective CCAs proudly don their jerseys/costumes and raced. For some, th...
Read more

Day 7 in Nagoya - 17 May 2019

Image
Was supposed to attend a lecture today at the university but was given the choice to not attend because it was given in Japanese and I wouldn't be able to understand anything so my Prof told me to take a day off and explore other parts of Nagoya and that was what I did. First place I went to was Osu street market and had some amazing food. Had ramen for brunch and the kind owner gave me extra sides and told me how to eat them, and gave me some recommendations on what I should try here. Next was Nagoya City Science Museum and Nagoya City Art Museum. Didn't enter the museums because there were too many tour groups going in and I was afraid that there would be too many people so I left. Chanced upon a skatepark while walking aimlessly. Decided to be a social butterfly and went to borrow a board from one of the skaters and rode with them. A pity I didn't get some shots of myself riding. It was my first time riding in 5-6 years and I think I've reignited my love f...
Read more