Six schools since the ALT journey began and I haven’t seen a school that I don’t like. To be honest, at the previous company, I was, intentionally or unintentionally, given somewhat not-so-positive impressions of the students by the staff of the company who related the horror stories told by the previous ALT who left. And to make things worse, one of the teachers reinforced that impression. I was told that if the students got too rowdy, I could slam the table and shout at them to get them to quieten down. Was that scary or what?
I believe they do not think the students are bad because from the way they said it, it seemed more like they didn’t want me to think the students were A-grade angels and then suffer shock. Also, apparently the screaming, shouting, punishing and slamming of the table was what the previous ALT did.
So I got to work then with an understandable amount of jitters but as soon as class began, I fell in love with the school. Well, not both schools. I liked the one I taught from Mondays to Wednesdays but I really love the one I taught on Thursdays and Fridays. I couldn’t see why there were scoldings and punishments before. I couldn’t at all. The students were angels.
There’s only one more school that I haven’t been to. Hopefully I can continue this indiscriminate love. Then again, if I think about it this way, it isn’t so indiscriminate after all huh?
