High Expectations

Today I had my first English lesson with two Japanese boys, ages 10 and 8. They're both very shy and quiet, and they've only been here for a couple of months. Their 5 year old sister flitted back and forth among us.

I brought a card game that I use in all of my first lessons, and I'd say it was a success. I got them to laugh a lot, in their shy way, and that's always one of my goals. The 8 year old won every game, even though this was the first time he had played it. I helped the 10 year old with English sentences, and we ended with talk of birthdays. At one point the boys had a race with their electronic dictionaries to find out how to say a Japanese word in English. I had a great time.

The 10 year old disappeared at the end, so I asked the 8 year old if he liked the lesson. Talking through his mother, he said it was "futsuu", which means "ordinary." When he saw the exaggerated look of shock on my face, he changed it to "between neutral and interesting." What I love the most is how kids will tell it like it is, no matter what. This kid has high expectations. Guess I'll have to step up my game. Next week he won't know what hit him.