Updated Classroom Arrangement

I added a new bookcase yesterday and was able to better organize our classroom. As always, it's a work in progress. The last major project will be painting the walls next summer and getting Z a different chair. 

This is Z's credenza, holding most of the books he uses on a daily basis. Under the credenza, I've organized our science supplies and some larger art supplies.

This is our newest corner. The top shelves will get painted white eventually. The trunk holds art supplies. The dog's chair is on the left, my desk is on the right.

Below is my computer desk and the books above are my reference and writing books. The new bookcase is the one holding the printer.

Below is Z's desk. The shelf holds reference books and literature.

This is my workspace. The bookshelves on the right hold most of my teacher's materials and my personal stuff.

A different view of the front wall.

During school, Z and I move our desks end to end, he's facing one way, I'm facing the other. It works well  in this smaller space. The desk is actually this Ashton Desk from Staples. We left it in two sections. The feet are padded, so the desk moves easily without scratching the floor.

All of the wall shelves were either freebies or bought at garage sales or thrift stores and painted white. This was an economical solution and allows me to rearrange the floor space if needed.

The red curtains (which are actually tableclothes) are temporary for the winter.

A Tale of Two Japanese Programs

A few years ago when Z decided he wanted to learn Japanese, I had a mini-breakdown, sort of. I made sure he understood that it would not be me teaching him Japanese, it would be us learning together.

I searched to find the right program, one that would be audio and visual and teach grammar and writing. Irasshai was that program. Because of life and other pressing academic matters we started and stopped a few times. We poked at it with a stick. This year we started full-time effort. The Irasshai program reminds me of how you would learn foreign language in high school. The videos on GPB feature Tim-sensei breaking it down into palatable chunks for us. We're using the textbook and workbook to make it a full and rich program.

However, here comes the cons, it does move slowly. Not OMG! Would you move already slowly, but incrementally to make sure all students are progressing.

Because I like to make things difficult and because ds's interest allows us to move at a faster pace, I added a second Japanese program, Beginning Japanese by Tuttle. It includes a text, workbook, and website, timeforjapanese.com. I like it as well, but it moves at a faster pace. It introduces kanji in chapter 1, it assumes you will know hiragana and katakana early on. It is probably best used when there is a trained Japanese teacher available, or a motivated student. In my case I have the second.

The pros of this program are you feel like you're reading and using Japanese, even after the first chapter. They also have a website with access to teacher material. I e-mailed for access and received approval right away. The website also features the dialogues in the book. These are great because they speak at a natural speed. Irasshai is mostly classroom speaking, s.l.o.w.e.r. so you catch pronunciation. They have some video dialogues as well, but the audio isn't as crisp as the recordings from Beginning Japanese.

Right now we are merging the two programs, switching around each week. Irasshai has two volumes that break down into three years of study. Beginning Japanese is followed up by Intermediate Japanese with Advanced Japanese not yet available.

Which is better? Neither. They both serve a function. It really does depend on how motivated your student is and if you, as the teacher, will be learning alongside them.