タグ: Niigata

Learning how to teach after quitting the job as a teacher

Today, in the morning, I worked in my field. When it comes to growing vegetables in this autumn season, there is not much thing remaining. But I still have one thing to do. That is to plant onion’s seedlings and garlic’s bulbs. In order to plant them, I need to make one more ridge in the field. It will be five meter long; three meters for onions and two meters for garlic. What is tough is to get rid of roots of weeds from the place for the ridge and furrow. Since the place had been untouched for two years, now weeds’ roots in the ground are like spaghetti.

I worked in the field from 8 to 9:30 am. and then I got shower. From 10, I was watching a DVD that is about teaching Japanese as a second language. Actually, I had brought those DVD with me to the campus during the years I was teaching in a university. Watching the DVD today, I regret that I should have watched while I was teaching in the university. There are a lot of tips for teachers to teach a foreign language. For example, there is a concept of MMC for beginner’s level; the first M is mechanical training, the second M stands for meaningful training, and C for communicative activities. Did I do that? Usually, I didn’t extend my teaching to communicative activities. And there was no clear distinction between mechanical and meaningful trainings in my teaching. I would like to improve my teaching skill, but I don’t see any chance to apply improvements to my teaching in the future. I have already retired from the job as a Japanese teacher.

I had planned to go shopping in the afternoon. But it was hot like 34 Celsius degrees. So, I didn’t go to a supermarket, but continued to watch the DVD about teaching Japanese in the afternoon. I practiced my piano from 4 to 5 pm, cooked a supper from 5, had the supper at 6:30, and then I went shopping. I got back home at 8 pm, and started writing this.

What I Bought Tonight

A Little Excursion to a Town of Next Railway Station

Two-car Local Train on Shin’etsu Line

DIY store is called as “Home Center” in Japan. I just wanted to buy some items in a Home Center in the town next to my village. In this afternoon, I got on a local train.

The Train crossed a River

Tangerine Tree Seedlings

I saw a lot of fruit trees were being sold in a store. Though I went to three stores in the town, I didn’t buy anything. I don’t know why. Something in my mind prevented me from buying commodities. I went back to the station, got on a train, and got to my home at around 3 pm.

Vending machine on a platform of the station

I didn’t buy even one bottle of soft drink.

Strong Rain of Linear Precipitation Belt

I practice a piano from 4 to 5 pm these days. Today, too, and near the end of the practice, I was singing “Will you still love me tomorrow” with my piano accompanying. The song was composed by Carole King, and I was singing it in key-E with Roberta Flack’s version. I like the repeat of the (E) and (D on E) at the end of that version.

When I finished singing, I realized that it was getting dark outside, the sound of wind grew stronger, and it was like a storm’s coming. Looking through my window, I saw strong rain and trees were bent by the wind. I remembered that the window left open on the second floor. So, I went up the stairway and saw that a lot of rain drops were coming into my bedroom. I shut the window.

I feel that Climate change is real. We have had the hottest Summer these three years. I can’t go outside because of heat and strong sunshine for almost two months from the middle of July to the middle of September. Another change that I feel is how it rains. When it rains, it is not drizzle nor light rain. It’s terribly strong. I frequently hear a new word to describe a strong rain in weather forecast on TV. It is “Senjo-Kosuitai”, which is Linear Precipitation Belt. Probably, the strong rain of today also came from a Linear Precipitation Belt.

Now the climate is different from what I knew in my childhood and younger days. It seems that the change is not for good, I mean the hot summer and strong rains are both troublesome for us.

September 9th in 2023 was the day I left my hometown for the Campus

Inside of Joetsu Shinkansen on September 9, 2023

I don’t think it is good to always looking back things in the past, but I found that today is the day I left my hometown two years ago in order to go to a university in foreign country. Until then, I had been teaching Japanese for that university on-line because of the pandemic. The on-line teaching lasted three and a half years. Finally, the pandemic had ended, I got my work visa from the consulate on September 4th in 2023, and then I got on a Jo’etsu Shinkansen (Bullet train) to go to Narita International Airport.

Niigata Plain from the Window of Joetsu Shinkansen

Since then, I had taught Japanese language in the university for two years. There were so many things happened during those two years, that I cannot write something in detail tonight about them. Although I think I had tried doing the best, I am sure that my teaching was not the best, especially for grade-23 students. I regret my teaching style in the listening course.

An Airplane in Narita Int’l Airport on September 11, 2023

If I teach one more year, could I be a better teacher, or I be able to teach more sophisticated way? This is a difficult question. And I’d say “NO”. When I made up my mind that I would not renew my work permission for another school year, I had already felt that it was too much for me. If I write like this, I may make some of my students sad. I am sorry for that.

An Airplane in Incheon Int’l Airport on September 12, 2023

The best thing to me was that I could meet some good students. Learning together with them was my sheer pleasure. Although I have already left the Campus and I cannot see them in person now, I hope that I can be able to keep exchanging with those good students into the future.

My Room in the Residence Building for Foreign Teachers in the Campus; September 12, 2023

I couldn’t see Lunar Eclipse this morning because of Strong Rain

Moon from my Window

But now I can see the moon from my window.

It seems that some of my (ex-)students have visited this blog today. I know this because the numbers of viewers are displayed by country.

The rain stopped before noon. So, in the afternoon, I walked to a supermarket for shopping. I bought fishes and pork for suppers of today and tomorrow. When I got back, I planted sprouts of onion in the field. Planting by hand took time more than I thought, I didn’t have time to practice piano before cooking supper.

My life is tranquil these days.

My manual labor turned the bushes into a vegetable garden

Photo that I took on July 24th.

I took this photo today in my Garden

Please look at the houses behind. They are the same as the photo above.

By the way, I found there were many persimmon fruits on the tree in my garden. In every year so far, all the persimmons have fallen down before ripening. But this time I can see them a lot. So, I wish that some, or a few of persimmons could survive until it becoming orange color in November.

Walking along Rice Fields in Niigata Plain in Early September

The mountain is Kakuda-yama whose altitude is 482 meters.

As the rice grows, the top becomes downward due to the weight.

People always say that Japan is small. But I think the Niigata Plain is very wide area.

Red cockscombs are blooming by the Rice field. Farmers like to plant flowers at the spare area.

The train has only 2 cars, because it is a local train in rural area.

40-Minute Walk under the Strong Sunshine in the Afternoon

Trumpet Flower（ノウゼンカズラ）

It is better to lock me up in the air-conditioned room, but I just wanted to check my bank accounts. Where I live is a small town, so, there are a few financial institutions only, like a bank, credit union, post office, and Agricultural Association. I picked up two deposit passbooks, and headed to two places in order to print the record onto the passbooks. It was just to insert the books into an automatic teller machine (ATM).

Crape Myrtle Flower（サルスベリ）

On the way back, I walked a path along riverbank, though it was a detour to my home. There was a small Shinto shrine. There are some shrines in my small town. They were the playground for kids when I was a child a half century ago. I don’t believe Shinto, but I admit that Shinto shrine (Jinja) is deeply rooted in Japanese psyche, tradition, and habit.

Big Tree at Shrine

Tree Trunk

The explanation board in the Shrine says the shrine was established in 1639. Probably that big tree has also been standing there for centuries.

Can’t see well due to backlight

Night Shopping; I walked all the way, Carrying Foods

The highest temperature was 32 Celsius today. It was 4 degrees lower than yesterday. Still it was hot, but looking at weather forecast, it seems that the highest temperatures from today are going to be slightly lower than that in August and until yesterday.

In the morning today, I had planned to go to a supermarket to buy food in the afternoon. But it was still hot and sunlight was strong in the afternoon. So, I changed my mind and decided to go shopping in the night as usual.

I got out of my house after the supper. The night air was cool. I felt good. In the supermarket, I found that bread and pork were already sold-out. I thought I was going to bake pancake tomorrow morning instead of bread, and I bought a little more expensive beef instead of pork.

The distance from the supermarket to my house is 1.3 kilometer, a little shorter than one mile. I hung two carry-bags from my both shoulders, and walked all the way home. I got to my home a little before 8pm.

Very Few Sprouts Came out from Cabbage Seeds; Germination Rate was POOR

I planted seeds of cabbage ten days ago. But I was disappointed by the result. As shown in the photo, I got very few sprouts. Although I want to plant those sprouts in my garden, they are insufficient in number.

Cabbage Seeds Resulted in Poor Germination Rate

So, I went to a different shop today, and bought another package of cabbage seeds. It costed 440 JPY, not cheap. I hope this time I could get more sprouts.