Fun with Special Ed

Today I attended a pottery class with the special education class.  Last week when I had lunch with them the teacher and students showed me what they had been making in pottery classes.  The teacher then invited me to come along too!  I carefully blacked it out in my timetable so no-one could book me in for a class.   

I'm not sure if it was the pottery or communication that was more artistic - the teacher has as much English as I have Japanese!  But we did have fun!  The kids had lots of fun saying "very good" (in English) and encouraging me with my pottery.  They also offered me lots of looks at what they were doing, so I could say "very good" to them too!   

I'm not sure what I made - a bowl (of some description), a tallish cup/vase/toothbrush holder and a flatish plate.  I'll decide what they are when they come out and decide what I need in the house and name it accordingly.  

Hopefully we'll be able to arrange another time that I can go back and finish them off.   

My other class today went rather well too.  Today (and yesterday and the day before) we only had 3 periods of class because there are parent/teacher interviews for the last 3 periods.  I seem to think that the kids can go home, but they are included in the interview as well.  So, it has been a rather quiet few days.  And quite boring... but I'm getting plenty of reading done.  

Anyway, my other class today.  95% English spoken in Class!  This is the first class that has come anywhere near that.  I pretty much took the class and the teacher clarified things occasionally, but not very often.  I guess it also shows that the students are becoming more comfortable with me and are happy to try and work things out for themselves without everything being translated.  The language and explanations weren't that technical - months and dates etc, but it was ALL English!   

Hmmm, nup, nothing else interesting to tell you.  Daniel and I are going out for dinner with the English teachers for a little Christmas party tonight.  And no, just because they're English teachers, doesn't mean that they will speak English!  But you get that!