October 10, 1999

Dear Mom:

Things are great here in my new Pacific home. I love teaching these kids! It`s wonderful to see them get really excited about learning English. When we talked, I mentioned that I was having a hard time getting some of them interested. I think I found the trigger. I asked them to fill out an information sheet for me. At the bottom, I told them to ask me a question, any question at all, and I would write them a response. I figured it would give me something to do at my desk that might be EFFECTIVE once I have depleted my energy supply for independent study! Turns out I was right. I got every sort of question, from asking my favorite foods and movies and actors and colors to ones involving what life was like for me in high school and when was I first in love! Some of the ones who asked were those kids in class who are too �gcool�h to participate in the regular activities. In the more advanced classes, I challenged them to stump me with a question. I told them that if someone could use a correct sentence in English and I could not define the word or sufficiently answer the question without a reference book, that I would serenade them IN class. They loved this. I now have a better understanding of their individual English levels. I got questions ranging from �gwhat was the American view of bombing Hiroshima?�h to �gdescribe the universe�h to �ghow do you make sushi?�h So far no singing in class, but I might anyway just to show them I mean it. It never hurts to make an idiot of myself. I also got the occasional sexual or inappropriate question, which I was able to sufficiently dodge. Here is the letter I sent to one first-year student who simply put �gB____ W____ H____ ?�h at the bottom of his information sheet.
To:  Furukawa Shouhei
Thank you for your question. I was a little confused. It looks like you are asking my three sizes, but I know that you must be joking. That would be a secret. Since you must be joking, maybe you were asking about Bicycles, Watermelon, and Hippopotamus. In American, many people ride bicycles, but most kids go to school by bus or by car. In my hometown, the trains are only used to move equipment?not people! Arkansas is also the place where the biggest watermelons in the world are grown. There, you can buy a watermelon that is as big as a television! A hippopotamus is only found in the zoo in America. I think that they are very funny-looking. I have a drawing of a hippopotamus with flowers painted on his side and a big smile on his face. Once I called this a �gHappy-potamus�h and Jessica laughed. Thanks again, see you in class, and no, I still won`t give away the secret!
All of the responses I wrote in that way. I signed each one in my green pen and put one of my stamps at the top. I bought a stamp at Tokyu Hands for \250-that`s it at the top of the page. They are collecting my stamps for a prize at the end of the year, and I reward things inconsistently, so anybody can win, even if they are behind right now. I find that it motivates the ones who don�ft always finish the assignment in class time. I worried that it would discourage the ones at the head of the class who are jockeying for position to go to college, the ones who need to be rewarded for hard work. I reward them individually, invite them to see me after class for clarification of what we learned or just to practice. Then I will write them a little note with a piece of candy or a sticker or sometimes a stamp. It is working so far. Sometimes when we play games in pairs, I will give a stamp to the winner, so it is luck and not always skill. Sometimes I will give double stamps for an extremely good class performance. They love that! But I encourage this question and response thing. I revealed to some of them (knowing it would be spread) some personal tidbits, to encourage them to LEARN what these notes say, in regular English. I call it an investment in trust. Some of them I taught slang, to some I told jokes, some were just rambling, like this one to a second year student who had been challenged to stump me. I thought it was cleverly asked.
To:  Tabito Asai
Thank you for your question! You asked �gWhat time is it now?�h Are you wanting to know the time for you right now, when you are getting this letter? Okay, the time you will get this letter will be Thursday, October 14th, between 9:15 and 10:15 a.m. It is morning time. It is time to do English! That`s what time it is right NOW. Actually, the time for me is Thursday, October 7th, 12:38 p.m. It is lunch time. That is what time it was when I wrote this letter. I enjoyed reading your information sheet. I am also interested in history. I would like to know about the history of Japan. See you in class!
This may be the student that I sing to, because it is always possible that they will change the schedule! So far, it is working beautifully. They study these papers outside of class, and I see them bringing them to the JTEs to help them, who are thrilled, because the kids MUST find out what has been written to them by the gaijin, so they work very hard. Don�ft get me wrong, I am not taking credit for their efforts and I certainly don�ft think I am Anne Sullivan or anything. They are working hard for me so I am lucky. I only started this to keep myself from being bored and I have created a lot of work for myself. The first class asked a total of three questions. I had six classes. Word spread quickly. I answered 112 students. Incredible! It took a long time, but you know me! <grin> Sayonara for now, love from all to all (and other various mushy crap)---Lynley