R for "Resource pooling"

As I couldn't come up with the title with "r", I asked my friends to give me some ideas. Thanks to all my resourceful friends, now I can write an entry :) I got several words, so I'll try to use as many of them as possible in this journal. (Thank you, T, G, F, JC, JS, and S for brilliant words!!!)

Nowadays, my weekly routine includes more events. I've got two new tutoring students from this month, and I started to work on Saturdays. I found myself enjoying tutoring a lot. It is not very efficient to prepare for only one person, but you can focus on the student's development rather than maintaining the class atmosphere. My current challenge is a 6-year-old boy who doesn't really know ABCs. I teach young learners every week, but by the time I took over the classes from the previous teacher, they had already learned almost all the alphabets. Now I know how hard it had been to let them become familiar with all 25 letters. The boy I'm teaching is rambunctious, so I should direct his energy toward some kind of fun ABC game that he is willing to try. Since I forced him to do activities with alphabets for three lessons, I decided to introduce animal vocabulary today. He has known a lot of animal names already, so it was easy to let him remember ten words. Last night, I stayed up late to prepare a "monkey glove"(a brown glove that has a monkey face on each fingertip) and pictures of animals. My effort totally worked out. He enjoyed "Five Little Monkeys" song, tried to sing with me even though he didn't understand much of the lyrics, and liked the paper craft. Whew... I didn't spend much time on ABC today, but the most important thing is that he feels happy after the lesson. So I would call today's lesson a success.

Yesterday, I read a book about an educational method that was established by a Japanese day-care centre president. Although I thought not everything was true or effective to all the kids, it was very interesting. The president said that every children is a genius and has countless possibilities. I often see recalcitrant kids in my classes, but according to this book, it doesn't seem to be the kids' fault. Parents should never force their sons and daughters to learn. They should be strict, recognize their achievement, and let them think so that their children will learn by themselves. If you force your kids to study, they will hate to study. If you spoil them, they will never be independent. That is what the author says. This method solved one of my inner conflicts. I often lose control of my young students, but I didn't know how strict I should be. Now I know.

Now, I have to tell you about the English exam that I took the other day. I mentioned this some entries ago. This test is made in Japan and used by elementary school students to adults as a certificate of their English ability. I tried Grade 1, the hardest. (It starts from Grade 5, which is the easiest.) The Grade 1 test is famous for its maniac and impractically difficult vocabulary. When I first saw the vocabulary section, I thought it was totally ridiculous. Yeah, it was my fault that I didn't study much, but even my Canadian friend agreed that some of the words are not for everyday use. I could hardly understand any questions in that section, so I just believed my "sense." Considering that I took decent marks in the reading and listening section, my tasks for the next time will be vocabulary building and writing practice. Oh, and I should read newspapers to have my own opinions about social issues. By February 14th, I will know the test result. All I can do now is to keep my fingers crossed.

It's very cold here, but it might be nice to take a small trip to some part in Tokyo. I found very nostalgic looking cafes in the guidebook the other day. The pictures of old wooden floors of the cafes, redolent of good old days, drew my attention. I haven't explored the city for a while. It's about time I went out. It would make me feel rejuvenated and refreshed while so many things make me feel OLD these days!