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Saturday, April 18, 2015

A new job and other carryings on

Well, I've just finished the first week of a new job, and it was great fun.

Late last year, with an eye on the future, I decided to quietly scale back our own business and look to introduce supplementary work so that when the time comes for us to return home to my own country there will be fewer loose ends to tie up.

So this week I started a new job, going to four different elementary schools as an assistant language teacher, meaning that I entertain classes of Japanese school kids in English all day and hope that something sticks. In most cases I also have to come up with the curriculum, so over the course of the year we'll be covering ABCs as well as things like animals, numbers, food, colours, shapes, places around town, occupations, etc.

I'd not really taught large groups of students very much at all (I'm used to smaller classes of 1-6 students), so this week has been quite a change, but a very pleasant one. I didn't realise how much like minor royalty foreign teachers are treated in country area schools. The kids all know your name before you even arrive, want to shake your hand, give you a high five, shout hello or otherwise show their interest in the foreigner.

It does mean that I'm working more hours in the day (I leave home at seven, return at three or four, and then teach classes at our own school until nine), but there's a bit of extra money coming in and, as they say, a change can be as good as a holiday.

Anyway, to celebrate a good week, I've ordered in a final 60 or so figures to properly finish off my Roman Civil War project and am returning to plans I have of sending a batch of Greeks and Macedonians off to Sri Lanka.

But in the meantime, I must stop and pop into class for another lesson!

16 comments:

  1. Good luck with the new work.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  2. Hi Aaron, hope it all works out for the grand plan!

    Paul

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  3. Replies
    1. Yeah, it's nice to change things up once in a while Ray!

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  4. Glad that you are enjoying the new job - I remember the same work as being both incredibly energizing (their energy was infectious!) AND tiring (too much of a good thing?) Good on you for doing that and your other teaching work too. :-)

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    1. Cheers Oliver. The tiredness will no doubt come, but at the moment it's all good :)

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  5. I confess that I'm a little envious. I miss my own brief career teaching and I do rather enjoy the kindness that I've received from the East Asian children of my own acquaintance. There are moments of discomfort to being the obvious outsider (many well earned, sadly) but they never come from the children. Their eagerness to talk to this oversize chubby Western guy is a rare balm. I hope your classes go well.

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    1. Yes - you know what I mean then. Their willingness to interact is genuine and enthusiastic, and it warms the heart of this jaded old cynic!

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  6. Sounds like life is coming together! Well done.

    Which painter do you use in Sri Lanka? Do they paint up to the quality your Macedonians are?

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    1. Cheers Kristopher. The only painters I've used are Fernando, and they did in fact do my Macedonians. I used the collector standard (about $1 a figure) and would recommend them highly, but you do need to give clear and detailed instructions.

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  7. I must've missed this update when you posted it; your teaching job sounds very interesting!

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    1. Thanks for dropping by Dean. Always great to hear from you!

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  8. Congratulations on the new work, Aaron!

    Like Dean, above, I missed this milestone as well.
    Perhaps a little of the income can be siphoned off for the hobby?

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    1. Thanks Jonathan. Can confirm that some siphoning has already begun!

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