Duck, Duck, Goose

As I was leaving a first grade class today, after teaching a lesson, one child extended his hand for a high five (or "high touch" as they call it here). I assumed that no harm could come of a high five and obliged. Little did I know that this was a huge mistake. Immediately, the entire class rushed me in an attempt to procure a five, inciting a genuine first grade riot. While the kids whose faces were being stepped on didn't seem to mind much, I resolved to be far more cautious in such matters in the future.

My kindergarten classes went well as usual. One girl closely inspected my socks and my keys before declaring that they were "cool". She then insisted on sitting on my foot while I read a story to the class. I ended up with more extra time than I had budgeted for, so I taught them duck, duck, goose, an old favorite of mine. I figured that this would be an easy enough game, as it only uses two English words. I didn't really know how to explain the difference between a duck and a goose in Japanese, however, so I told them that a goose is "a big duck". Everything went off without a hitch until the last round, when an argument over whether the goose was safe or not ended with the victor crying. The teacher had to reassure him that the game was over but he had won. He still kept crying.