How about an English Club?

Now that you've finished your introduction at school, what are you going to do next? If you are teaching at JHS, how about starting up an English club that introduces your members to world culture as well as learning English that is not taught in the class room. You have basically the freedom to teach whatever you want instead of being the human tape recorder... "Repeat after me...zzz... I used English club to teach about American Holidays such as Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day. I planned many activies as well as lessons for each holiday. Kids love it! ( I did too!) If you plan this well, you can approach your Principal and request for funding. Many schools have a club fund and more than likely you can get some funding if not all of it funded. It is also normal for kids to pay for extra-curricular activities. I never charged my students more that 500 yen. Most of the time, I was lucky to have donors, volunteers and even the PTA help out. You may even hold an "International Day" in your class. There is an organization called JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) here on Okinawa that may be able to assist you in planning an "International Day". Kids can research and prepare questions, teach about Okinawan culture, song and dance to foreign visitors that JICA can send to your school. You can even join the school broadcasting club and teach a couple of kids to be DJs by playing foreign music, saying the school lunch menu, school functions, or even the weather report in English. Whatever you decide, English club could be refreshing and a great chance to actually get to spend some one-to-one time with your students. Have a great year!

Here is the contact info for JICA on Okinawa:

Okinawa International Center
1143-1, Aza Maeda, Urasoe City, Okinawa Prefecture 901-2552
Tel: 098-876-6000 Fax: 098-876-6014
Email: jicaoic@jica.go.jp