19 August 2012
Year Two, just as new as the first
Posted by Roland under: JET .
Applying for JET I had always had the expectation I would stay at least two years. Mainly because the whole first year would be me learning how to actually live and work in Japan while the second year would be my “actual” experience, that is I wouldn’t be focused on learning but more on actually doing. But as the second year has now started, it seems like there’s still plenty to learn, maybe to the point that this is going to be just as “new and exciting” as the first one.
The elementary English books, while still following the general pattern of last year’s books are still new lessons for me to experience so I’ll have to work out plans for them with teachers. I’m also hoping that at the junior high, now with a year of working the teachers there under my belt, there may be a chance to mix up the lessons with some new activities, aside from the usual lecture/review style currently going on. I also hope to return to putting up some activities on the English board, which I had stopped as the new first years showed up. It seems like this year’s group isn’t too bad at English though, so there’s some room for some activities to be done.
Aside from that there’s still much to be done in the community. There’s new JETs (five of them) to get to know and some long standing traditions coming up, such as the fall festival and the weekly English group. And of course, there’s still kendo going on, although it’s hard to get excited for it in the summer (way too hot!). Perhaps there’s room for one other activity to sneak in there this coming year?
And there’s the JLPT Level 1 test, which I had intended to take by this time, which I never really got full invested studying for. May be time to also dust off those books and actually get back into the studying mood?
Looking forward to whatever happens in the second year in Japan!