High ho, high ho, it's off to work I go...

This week is the last week of school for the year- yay!

Yesterday I had one of the best days I've had at my junior high. Nothing at special happened... But I just felt GOOD. Maybe, I am finally getting into the swing of things... And by that I mean getting used to/accepting how the schooling system works in Japan. I'll write about it later, but there are significant and often confronting differences between my role as a teacher here and back at home.

Right now it's 7:30 and I'm tiredly, but excitedly waiting for my bus to my absolutely gorgeous "small" primary/elementary school on top of a (very exhausting to climb) pretty hill.

This school, let's call it Sakura, is a one-class-per-grade school. Although I have friends that teach at schools with only around 8 kids, and even know of a school ON AN ISLAND WITH ONLY ONE STUDENT, this school is comparatively small to my other 2 primaries as they have 5-classes-per grade.

I'm SUPER excited because today for the first time I'm teaching Year 1 and 2.

Through some bad coincidence, this is the only primary school which has allowed me to teach the younger kids. I only teach Years 5 & 6 at my other schools. Only recently have I been invited to do a class to grades kindy, 1, 3, and 4 introducing myself.

It's frustrating because I love the littlies, and I hear of everyone else teaching them and it sounds like so much fun! Obviously, it helps that Japanese kids are hounds down the cutest kids in the world.

So I'll tell you how it goes... I'm armed with a thermos of sweet, sweet coffee, four layers to protect me against the 6 degree temp, Christmas Winnie the Pooh stickers to give out to all the kids, and a nervous anticipation for my day to come.

Hope you have a nice day too!