Reading things in English is easy. Asking junior high school students questions in English is hard. It's going to take some time to figure out how long to wait for a response. Wait-time is important to allow students to process the question and formulate an answer in their heads. Wait-time needs to be longer in foreign language classes because of the additional internal processing students need to translate in their heads. There's also the cultural difference that leads Japanese students to be hesitant to speak out in class. Giving a wrong answer is shameful, but giving a correct one can be seen as boastful. Japanese culture values the group rather than the individual, and many times students would prefer to discuss their answers with one another before giving them. How long do I wait? Should I ask follow-up questions? It's all very awkward. Oh, well. I'll get better.
In contrast, elementary students are great. They love shouting out answers and beg to be called on. They wave and say hello to me in the hallway. And the class activities are more fun.
School lunch!
For dinner I decided to try using my fish grill for its stated purpose.
Sardines are high in omega-3s. Three ounces of sardine contains more calcium than a glass of milk. And since they're low on the food chain, they contain very little accumulated mercury. Too bad they smell so bad!
To be honest, I prefer smelt. Those guys are small enough that you don't have to pull out the bones.
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