Elementary, Dear Watson

SO I eventually found Nonaka elementary school by chance. No one really gave me directions but just sort of told me what road to go on. after driving about 10 miles up into the mountains I arrived in the Nonaka 'district' of Tokamchi, which was essentially about 30 buildings on the side of the road with some rice fields here and there. There was no sign for the elementary school so I just looked for the biggest building. Alas, there were little mountain children.

Usually when I go to a very rural school the shock is so great for the students that they sort of smile and stare and scream and run away. That's what I expected this time for the school that has 11 students, and I am the first foreign ALT teacher to ever visit. But immediately as I left my car I was swarmed by three girls shouting 'hey Erik Sensei, wanna play badminton?' and later I was presented with the most, albeit the strangest, presents I've received from a group of students including a set of thank you notes, a rock, a tomato taped to a bottle, and a small snowman that they had kept in the freezer since winter.

Classes were difficult as one class had 3 students (3rd graders) and the other had 4 (3 2nd graders and the only 1st grader), no one spoke English and they didn't really know what to do with me. I'm usually used to massive classes so it was a challenge getting them doing lively things but I think it was a success.

The kocho sensei (principal) was what I would imagine a small mountain village principal man to be. He was smurf-like in stature (had to be under 5 feet) and so overly friendly but nervous to have me visit his isolated little micro-school.

I'll end up visiting this school 3 times this year, and I'll teach the 6th graders too (there are no 5th graders).