15 Chapter 15 - Sports Day Part 1: Morning

Kate wakes up late and rushes to her first Sports Day, where she quickly becomes part of the energy and excitement. As the morning goes on, she is impressed by the teamwork, organization, and spirit.

Download PDF: Chapter 15 SCRIPT & GLOSSARY

Slow Eigo is an English learning project specially designed for comfortable, immersive learning, and built on the understanding that people learn best when they feel relaxed, connected, and motivated to try.

Your creator and host, Anne Roop-Takata, holds a Master’s degree in Education and has over 30 years of experience in teaching and curriculum development, including 20 years supporting Japanese students of all ages and learning goals.(See bio for more details)

Slow Eigoは、心地よく英語の世界に入り込みながら学べるように特別に設計された英語学習プロジェクトです。人は、リラックスし、つながりを感じ、やってみようという気持ちがあるときに最もよく学べるという考えに基づいています。

制作者兼ホストのアン・ループ・タカタは、教育学の修士号を持ち、30年以上にわたり英語教育とカリキュラム開発に携わってきました。そのうち20年間は、さまざまな年齢や学習目的を持つ日本人学習者をサポートしてきました。（詳しくはプロフィールをご覧ください） 

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Transcript

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Slow Ego Audio reader. Book one stories from an A LT in Japan, part two, settling in chapter 15, sports Day part One morning I was in a deep sleep when my alarm went off early on Saturday morning, I hit the snooze button and fell back to sleep. I hid it again 10 minutes later, and then once more. The fourth time my alarm went off, I sat up wide awake as if someone had thrown cold water on my face. Oh my goodness. It's sports day. I have to be at Keita Sato Elementary School by 8:00 AM I rushed to get ready and flew out the door without coffee or breakfast. I jumped into my little car and headed down the dirt road. I made it. I took a deep breath and pretended I was perfectly calm. The students and staff were already there making the final preparations. Families were also arriving to claim the best spots for their picnic blankets. The air was electric. And I could feel something very special was about to happen. I helped out here and there encouraging the students and giving them high fives. At nine o'clock sharp, the opening ceremony began. All the students from grades one to six were divided into two teams, red and white. The students stood in neat rows with their classes. One side of the school ground was a sea of white caps, and the other was a sea of red. I stood beside the grade two red team, even though as an English teacher, I shouldn't choose sides. Standing there made me feel like I was on Team Red for the rest of the morning. I was secretly rooting for them. After the national Anthem and a few speeches, we were off all at once. Everyone ran to their positions for the first event. It was spectacular to see how smoothly everything was going. One event followed the next, and everyone knew what to do. I was deeply impressed. I I had fun leading the ball Count for the TAMA or ball toss game. Everyone joined in as I counted in English. The voices were loud and strong as I counted 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, but as I reached the higher numbers, 13, 14, the voices started to fade. I could tell they were losing confidence. By the time I got to 31, 32, it was only me and the older kids. Still counting. The difference was noticeable. The crowd laughed. It was pretty funny. Before I knew it, it was lunchtime. I was so hungry, but because I was rushed in the morning, I hadn't prepared a lunch At any rate. I had to go to the other school for the afternoon and I could buy something at a convenience store. Along the way, I started to say my goodbyes to the students, but they insisted, no, Kate Sensei, And they pulled me towards a group of families picnicking together. The parents signaled for me to come over and sit down. The food was all laid out on the blankets. One of the moms filled a plate for me and another poured me some juice. What a feast. I felt so welcomed and so full.