21 November 2012 ~ 10 Comments

Conversations 2012 #8: Leave A Teachable Moment Alone

Misc.

This conversation happened between me and a colleague the other day…

Japanese Teacher: I’d like to do a lesson about jobs, using He is / She is…can you  put something together today, Loco Sensei? I know it’s short notice…so sorry.

Me: No prob…

JT: Do you have any photos?

Me: Ummm….no. But, we have a little time. I’ll just go pull some off the net.

I hopped on the internet, thinking I’d find some occupation Clip Art, print it out, grabbed some magnets and be done with it. But, a quick perusal of the top page Clip Art revealed a disconcerting bias in favor of people of European descent (or at least with European features) in most occupations. I was about to use those, as I have had to do many times before, when I had a flash. Here’s a chance to try something a little different for a change.I had an hour before the lesson so had to rush.  After about 30 minutes of googling through an internet that would leave the surfer of color with the impression that the ideal employee’s hue is a light shade of pink, I decided to take a new tack.

Satisfied with my finds, I printed them out, placed them on my desk and waited for the following period to begin. The Japanese teacher came over to my desk between periods and noticed the photos.

JT: May I see them?

Me: Of course

JT: These are great!

Me: Aren’t they?

 (I waited for another comment, but surprisingly nothing was forthcoming. He handed me back the photos without as much as an air suck.  So, I headed for the classroom. 10 minutes into the class…)

Student: He is a carpenter!

Me: Wow, that’s a cool job!  Anyone else? (Hands flew up.) Yes? What does your father do?

Another Student: He is ごみ収集車.

Me: Ah! He is a…um... (I was about to say Garbage Man and caught myself. Then I thought, “Sanitation Worker,” and having to explain PC and figuring I’d need a whole lesson just for that…) Trash Collector.

Student: Trash Corrector? Ah, I see…thank you!

Me: Anyone else? How about any working  mothers? (One hand sheepishly began to rise.) Yes? What does your mother do?

Student: She is a teacher…大学で

Me: Ah! She is a university Professor! That’s great…you must be very proud! 

Everyone was looking at her with surprised looks on their faces. Apparently no one knew.

Me: How about this guy? (I held up a picture of Muhammad Ali)

A third Student: He is a boxer!

(I was tempted to explain to my diversity-challenged students, whose clip art has mostly been relegated to manga character-looking Japanese and Europeans since kindergarten, that he was no typical boxer but, indisputably, the greatest boxer that ever laced on gloves. But nah…sometimes you just gotta leave a teachable moment alone, so I simply said…)

Me: Yes, he is!

(Once I was done I looked at the board and the Japanese teacher’s and kid’s glowing faces and smiled. Here’s what the board looked like when I was done):

 I left the class once the bell rang, feeling pretty good, like I’d done something productive with my day.

 Loco

 

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  • http://fightstart.blogspot.com kamo

    Junk Dealer?

    I’m assuming you didn’t cover the alternate meaning to that one. Though to be blunt, in some of the rougher schools I’ve taught at that’s a more realistic future for some of the kids than anything else on that board…

    • Locohama

      “I’m yo Mama, I’m yo Daddy, I’m that nigga in the alley” lol

  • Osaka_101

    By looking at your blackboard, I can see another great lesson !

    • Locohama

      Won’t you share with your fellow teachers?

  • http://heartblessings.org Kathleen Ellis

    Excellent!

    • Locohama

      Thanks Kathleen!

  • http://whoa-im-in-japan.com Amanda

    Keep it up Loco-sensei! I’m learning too about how teaching isn’t just about the ABCs out here.

    I had a disconcerting moment last week when I was reading to five-year-olds from a book about people of different races being friends. At the end of the book were a bunch of different hued children. White, Black, Asian etc. The best student and leader of the class points to the little white girl with red pigtails and says “this one is me!” She points to the black boy, and then the only boy in our class and says, “this is you”, to mock him. He replied “No way!”

    I calmly pointed to the Asian child in the book explained she represented them. And that the black boy was me. And that WE were all friends. They were quiet and nodded. Not sure how much progress I made convincing them black is beautiful, but I think I at least made them understand that just like Amanda-sensei, black people could be their friends.

    • Locohama

      Hey Bio, yep definitely ain’t just about grammar. We have an opportunity to make a contribution to making this a better world, and I don’t intend to squander anymore. No one should! Good job with your kids…that was a tough one. Potential heart/spirit breaker it was, but you handled it well.

  • Will

    Dr. Lonnie George Johnson… can’t believe he’s not up there.

    • Locohama

      I only had an hour to prepare… (-;