October 11, 2016

  • Teaching with hay fever

    Teaching with hay fever
    I hate ragweed. It is the bane of my life. I have a runny nose, itchy eyes, sore throat. I manifest all the yucky symptoms of a cold but without a fever. Ugh.

    So in bungo today, we were learning the interrogative/emphatic particle や (ya) and I used a famous poem as an example. I set up the poem explaining how Narihira was hooking up with the princess Takaiko who was already promised to the emperor. Of course, when the powers that be found out--her brothers--they secreted her away where he could no longer meet her. A year later he goes back to the place they used to hook up and recited a poem expressing his loneliness:

    　月やあらぬ春は昔の春ならぬ
    　　わが身ひとつは元のみにして
    　Is the moon not there?
    　　Is the spring not the spring of old?
    　　　My self alone being the same self...

    So as I recite this poem, I sniffle a bit and suddenly feel a tear streaming down my cheeks.

    Juliana: Sensei! Are you crying?!?

    MarieClaire: It's the pol...

    Juliana: "The poem?" she blurts out before MC could complete the sentence. "Are you so moved?!?"

    The class--MarieClaire, Xavier, Monica, Irene, Mark, Phoebe, Pim, Yuta, Chloe, et al--exploded into laughter, as I try to explain my issues with hay fever.

    Did I mention?: i HATE RAGWEED!!!