Try to have fun!

Currently entering my 2 months of teaching at Luna International School set in the beautiful mountains of Nagano. Coming from a background teaching teenagers and only teenagers. When I got an offer to start teaching younger students, it definitely scared me. I always thought I could do it, it won't be that different from teaching high school (so I said!). Boy, was I wrong!

Barely a week in and I cracked. It was hard! I learned that kids especially younger ones had the attention span of a fly. I felt like a clown put to show and begged the kids for attention. My balloon tricks weren't doing the work here. Had to talk to Jim (my boss) on how to make the kids pay attention and what is too hard and too easy for them. Basically, his advice was to go back to the basics, alphabets, song, singing, and dancing. Acting silly with them. Try to have fun! 2 months in and he still reminds me of that, have fun with the kids and I do agree with that. Once I start enjoying my time with the kids, I start to relax and understand their needs better. 

I learned a lot, to be honest, I noticed how students pick up languages differently. Most kids require a hands-on approach while others are okay with learning by textbook. I felt a mix of emotions, more patience definitely. I learned different methods in approaching kids with help from Jim. I do want to be better for my students because I know they are silently struggling to understand a foreign language too. My heart cares for these kids a lot and I do agree that they deserve the best education possible and hopefully, with more guidance and learning on my side. I'm able to help them. l I still have a long road ahead and I am excited to see what else I learn! 

Kenza's experience

I woke from a nap to find out that Luna had two classes that Friday without a teacher. I realised that they were desperate, and were struggling to find anyone who could help, so I talked to Jim and Laura and volunteered to stand in as I realised this could be an interesting experience.


The only previous teaching experience I had was about 2 hours of teaching a few teenage boys how to cook cauliflower soup a year ago. However, Jim had planned both lessons out and had everything prepared beforehand so I felt confident to go ahead with this unique opportunity. Meeting the half dozen or so students that Friday evening was really lovely and I could tell they were a special bunch of kids. It was challenging at times as I learnt everyone’s English comprehension levels, and also learnt how well I could communicate in English. In the end, I was glad that I had the experience.