Pinatas in Japan

I figured out how to get some photos in action! Yay. Here is the only photo of me from our crazy pinata day yesterday at Yasuoka Middle School. I was so amazed at the pinatas that the students made. Many were sculptural like this one:

The students in Japan wear these blue uniforms, as well as more fomal uniforms, to school every day. I think the blast of birthday color really brightened up the joint. We taught them how to sing Happy Birthday in Spanish--one of the many ways-- and made cake for them too.
Today I taught my first elementary school class. YAY! It was fantastic. I taught them the parts of the body so they could draw their own "Yokai-- monster-- bodies." I love teaching my own classes and I really enjoy the energy and curiosity of elementary school students.
This brings me to something that I think is very important: Last night, Mikel and I were discussing how important it is to be curious about the world. The people I have met who are curious about the world also tend to patient. If you enjoy the process of learning you will be patient with the process of other people`s learning. You will also be able to ask yourself if what you are teaching is remotely interesting to your students. It seems that usually, if something is boring to you, your students will be bored as well. Also, if you act annoyed and impatient with your students--or your own children-- you might kill their curiosity. People don`t grow into unhappy adults because adulthood is miserable. We are taught to be miserable.
I cannot craft when I am miserable.