Hi Linda, 1) Yes, I'm an educator, and when my students get it, it brings a lot of joy (it's the days they don't get it, well..) 2) Well, of course there could be more. 3) Hmm, this is tough to answer, it does kind of depend on the day and other factors, but maybe a 5 to a 6.

Hi Walter; ================== I'm an educator, and when my students get it, it brings a lot of joy (it's the days they don't get it, well..) ================== Rudy thinks I rattle cages. lol. I guess maybe I do sometimes. Weird humor aside, I can relate to a small degree. I taught K-8 art for 3 years. Trying to work on an art project while the boys are trying to show their coolness factor while also impressing the girls - and the girls are doing the typical squealing to show they're girls was sometimes a challenge. If I remember right, you teach university, but I'm not sure of subject matter. Is there a way you could turn it back on the class or use an off the wall approach to see if you can capture their interest on "those" days? Sometimes businesses need to do that, too. I guess people are people, whether they're at school, at work, or shopping. ; ) : ) Linda

Hi Linda, I teach English through content material and business related subjects. Of course, as teachers we all try to find ways to have students stretch themselves, but the Japanese education system is lacking in some areas. For science and technical aspects they do a good job, the problem is with more general majors it sometimes turns into a four vacation. Students generally don't work so hard, need to be prodded to do homework, etc. I'm always looking for a new way to 'stretch' my students, so finding ways to approach something differently is a continual challenge. Of course, another challenge is dealing with some larger classes for classes that are suppposed to be oriented toward language, some of them are too big. I suppose that is the 'ugly' business side of university lecturing. But I enjoy my job, and I like some of the topics we cover as they are always learning experiences for me too! Now, if I just knew where to buy an electric cattle prod for that next section on crime and punishment for those sleeping students....