May 15 2024,  5:10 pm

This writing piece is about interviewing OYIS teachers and students to understand more about them. On May 15, 2024 we interviewed Ms. Cristine the kindergarten teacher.

What do you enjoy most about being a teacher? Well, I enjoy making crafts with them. I enjoy having fun with them. I enjoy doing some jokes with them.

Yeah, and I enjoy seeing their smiles on their faces as well. So yeah, that's what I enjoy about teaching kindergarten here. Before coming here to OYIS,  of course, I was in the field.

I was in the field of teaching already, and I'm teaching elementary students, like grade 3 and grade 4. And it's quite different from what I'm doing right here in kindergarten. So in grades 3 and

, like, the higher grades, you have to actually, like, do math and stuff? Yeah, that's true. That's, that's true.

Yeah. Yeah. And in my previous school, we needed to make sure that the kids learned about math with, like, yeah, less jokes, and more of like, yeah, really formal teaching.

I wish I was in kindergarten. Oh, yeah. Uh, where did you work before? Oh, did we ask that? Yeah, I already answered it.

Sorry. Do you enjoy life in your home country or here more? Yeah. Well, back in my home country, because, you know, we got a lot of beaches there.

So I enjoy, you know, going to the beach, or even, like, going to a place that has mountains or waterfalls. And I also enjoy the food. The one that I miss so much is the food, actually. Of course, we can make

Japanese food. We have, you know, so many Japanese restaurants in my home country.

Yeah, we love it. I love it. My husband and I love it.

But there will be some times that, oh, we're going to talk about and miss our home country's food. Yeah.  What do you dislike or would like to change about being an OYIS teacher? I think, for now, I would say that I love to teach here in OYIS.

And I love that the community here is so open. Like, we were able to invite the parents to join us on our trips, like field trips. And what I also like is constant communication with the administrators.

So if ever we have some situation, and then we approach them, there's going to be action for that certain situation. And yeah, I think for now, I would say that I enjoy teaching here at kindergarten and here in OYIS. Ah, what do you enjoy most about here, OYIS? It's mostly, I think, first because I have been here in OYIS since, like, 2018.

And I was like a Saturday school teacher. So I would say that I got inspired by the activities that the external programs have.   And we did a lot of experiments together with the kids.

So they were able to, for example, have fun playing in the summer; they like water play; and they also have, like, some games using water, things like that. And so I came here this school year, 2023-2024.

I came here as a kindergarten teacher. And I like that the teachers here are also friendly. And they are always there.

If I needed help, because I'm like a new OYIS Monday-Friday teacher, I would like that. Yeah, they're always like, Hey, are you okay? And if I ask them something about what I need to do, they're available to give me some advice.

So that's what I really like about the OYIS community. What is your favorite food in Japan? Yeah, um, there's so much. So I would say that.

Yeah, I think the top will be on the sashimi. I really like that. And yeah, next are ramen and sushi.

So good. Yeah, that's true. And we got a ranking of ramen.

So my number one is ramen Zundo. I'm not sure if you guys have tasted that one. The second one would be what we call that Ippudo ramen.

Yeah. So I'm not sure if you guys also tasted that. But you would like it if you want to give it a try.

I didn't even know there were  different types of ramen. Yeah, it's a different shop. And if you want to go to Namba, it's  like if you guys are vegetarian, you can go to Ichiran with no pork ramen.

Anyway, if you guys are interested, Yeah. Thanks for the recommendations.

Yeah. All right. Cool.

Thanks.