I was still sick this morning, but I was lucky enough to catch a ride with Kuniko. She had to bring some heavy supplies in to work, and so she drove and I was in the passenger seat. That got me to work a little earlier than usual.
Despite being sick, I worked hard to keep my voice loud and understandable during the four classes. The students were giggling at my Barry White voice, and it was funny to me, too. It was really funny up until the middle of my fourth class when I started to lose my voice altogether. Higuchi sensei alertly noticed and steered the lesson away from my pronunciation and more towards reading and translation. I thanked her later as we were walking back.
By the time I had finished lunch my voice was really starting to fade, and soon I was unable to speak at all. I talked with another teacher and we decided that I should just go ahead and go home to rest my voice. Tomorrow I’ve got another four classes, and I wanted to be as ready as I can. If I can’t speak, I can’t teach.
When I left there were no other teachers to consult with, and so I decided to just go ahead and go home. Technically I’m supposed to tell my staffing agency when I leave early, but they have a really weird structure that makes me do all kinds of paperwork and phone calls before I can leave, and in the end I lose pay for the hour I left early. It makes a lot more sense to just go and worry about them if they find out.
I got home and just rested, and now Kuniko is in the kitchen making us dinner. I think she’s enjoying the peace and quiet. Hopefully I’ll be better for tomorrow!
