Japanese Kids

So the conceptions I had of Japanese kids is for the most part true. I thought that the Junior High and High School kids would be all laid back and shy. And for the most part they are, except the classes where one of my jokes lands and they all get the giggles.
Today I was teaching my class of three 13 year girls. They are all usually dead silent and mumble English to me, usually with perfect grammar and pronunciation. Today however, I got them into the giggly mood by cracking a joke saying Jeremy and I were going to take pictures together in a photo booth, a time honored Japanese girl tradition. They all lost it and couldn't stop laughing. The rest of the class was great because they actually had energy when they spoke. I have discovered that the best way to reach these older laid back kids is to crack a joke. And this is not hard to do, because basically anything eccentric I do gets a good laugh. For example, to explain "bang my head" I did a classic moved performed by ZEV in high school where you run towards a door and pretend to BANG your head, but you actually block it with your hand. My students erupted in laughter, they didn't stop laughing for 5 minutes. Laughter is the key method I use when teaching, I remember being a student, and my favorite teachers were always the ones that could make me laugh. I really think that it lightens the mood and makes learning fun.
Some other good news, I got my favorite student Masayoshi back from Jeremy next quarter! So I can continue to teach fun IDIOMS! This kid is a genius and he is hilarious, he makes my day every time we have a class together.
I'm on my way out to the Tottori nightlife, but I'll post again on Monday my time, Sunday your time!
ONE :-)