In Person Class

 I met my students (some of them, anyway) in person today.  Of the 11 registered, 8 were present and 1 had emailed me to let me know they were feeling ill.  I had them read an article from the Midland Daily News about the Edenville and Sanford Dams progress.  It maybe wasn't the most exciting thing, but everyone had a chance to read out loud, ask me questions about pronunciation and meaning, and engage in a discussion about the structure of American government.  

It is difficult to explain the concept of "county" here.  I think I got the idea across by drawing a parallel between USA - Michigan - Midland County - City of Midland and Japan - Tokushima Prefecture - [county goes here] - Tokushima-shi.  It's a layer that does not seem to exist here.  Next week our article will be about tennis.  This was by suggestion.  One student said it should be about sports, and another said "tennis" in a sort of panic when I asked them.

We ended with a bit about the difference between "silly" (orokana according to Google Translate) and "stupid" (bakana).  I know many students view me as a bit silly, but I hope few see me as stupid.

There's a great reluctance to admit not understanding something.  This is true of all people.  In some classes I use the technique of a "secret vote."  Students hold both of their hands against their chest and look at me.  I ask a question and give 2-4 different answers.  As a student you extend the number of fingers associated with your answer.  In this way I know what each student is thinking, but no other students know.  It reduces the stress of making a mistake somewhat.  Most of my students today admitted in secret that they were confused with what I was saying.  So, we backtracked and I tried again.  Next week I'll make more extensive use of Google Translate to help me.

That's what I learned from class.  I did some other things (afternoon tea with Susan and Brooke, was very nice), but for today I need to run to the store and buy a little bit to round out my dinner.  Tomorrow afternoon will be a bigger shopping trip, I think.