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enterpris · 6 months

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An Education in Attraction

Pairing: Reader x Gojo

Summary: It's spring when you start your Master's degree. As the flowers and leaves unfold, so too do your feeling for Gojo

Warnings: None this chapter

@PlaidSparrow on ao3

The April air is buzzing and alive as you walk through campus. In the past, you’d started school as summer sighs into fall, but beginning your Master’s degree in the spring is invigorating. Everything feels fresh and new. The walkways are lined with carpets of freshly cut grass and you smell the rich soil and verdant plant life. Sunlight melts through the trees and dapples the sidewalks. You savor the warmth of the unseasonably warm day as you stroll to the south side of campus.

The university grounds are truly magnificent- dotted with stately buildings and ancient trees, just starting to put out their first leaves. Walking to your first class, you’re joining the tens of thousands of other students that have completed their studies here. The excited buzz of other students’ conversations as they walk down the brick paths mirrors your own anticipation.

After countless application documents, letters of recommendation, and translating your transcript, you had been accepted by the prestigious University of Tokyo. When you’d received the acceptance letter months ago, you could hardly believe it. Now that the first day has arrived, you’re eager to start classes and jump into the material.

The giddy underclassmen thin out as you approach the stout buildings that make up the Graduate School of Education. The students walking alongside you now stand tall and move with urgency to their classes. As you pass other scholars, you wonder if any of them might be in your program.

You split off onto a smaller pathway and approach an impressive building with an arched doorway. It stands tall and proud, one of the oldest on campus. You double check the name on the placard with the schedule on your phone, then push through the doors.

The interior of the building is no less grand than the outside- large windows give the foyer a breezy open feel and there are tufted benches lining the far wall. A few other students are chatting along the walls or searching for their own classrooms. You stride up the stairs, heart beating in anticipation as you approach your first course.

When you reach the assigned classroom, you immediately feel welcome. It is small but airy, golden morning light painting the horseshoe of tables set up around the perimeter of the room. There’s already a few students settled in, introducing themselves and getting set up before the professor arrives.

You’d never thought you’d be the type to return to school after finishing your Bachelor’s degree. Four years of school had dragged on by the end, and although you were always a good student, you were eager to see more of the world. You had visited several countries after completing school, enjoying your freedom and exploring. But Japan's delicious food, vast history and art, and ambitious students had won your heart.

When you decided to stay in Japan, you knew you would have to adjust your career plans. Living abroad in a more permanent sense requires you to keep up on your education, and make sure that you’re a competitive applicant to a wider variety of jobs. It's clear to anyone who meets you that you're not a local, but after four years living in the center of Tokyo, you could hardly imagine ‘home’ being anywhere else.

For all that you love the city, moving abroad has its difficult moments too. Your coworkers at the Eikaiwa school are kind and you’ve gone out for drinks with them a few times. Some you would even consider friends. But many English teachers stay for just a term or two, and then move to another school or country. You enjoy many parts of Japanese culture too, but sometimes nuances that are second nature to Japanese people are ones you’re still learning.

Completing your Master’s degree will not only help you continue to network, it should open opportunities to teach a subject outside of English. You’re looking forward to meeting classmates and getting to know them over the course of the program.

Since there’s only a couple other students sitting down so far, you pick a seat close to the front of the room. From here you should be able to see everything on the board and listen attentively to the first lecture of the term. There’s a woman already seated to your left, you smile and introduce yourself. She says her name is Nahono Kuzume.

After you exchange names there’s a brief pause. It’s time to make a good first impression- you’d like to make a friend in the program, and you admire Kuzume’s bright smile and her stylish outfit. Perhaps the two of you can find some common ground.

You compliment her skirt and Kuzume starts to answer, but her sentence is abruptly cut off. Her eyes are fixed on the door. Puzzled by her response, you slowly turn to see what’s happening in the entryway.

He’s tall.

His glossy white hair nearly brushes the top of the door as he saunters into the room. He’s handsome too, with delicate features and a sculpted jawline. The man looks more ready for a stroll downtown or a modeling shoot than class, wearing fashionable black streetwear and looking down through dark shades at the phone in his hand.

He doesn’t look up from the device as he walks casually to the other side of the classroom and drops into a seat, sprawling his long legs under the table. If he is bothered by the open stares or drop in conversation, he doesn't show it. He seems perfectly at ease scrolling on the phone.

Whispers start to buzz again, and the noise has an urgency that wasn't present in conversation before.

You’re not sure what all the fuss is about, so you turn back to Kuzume to resume your conversation, but the door to the room swings shut. Attention snaps away from the man and onto your professor, the room falling silent again. She walks briskly to the front of the room and begins setting up her laptop. Her introduction is brief and assertive.

"Welcome everyone. I'm pleased to introduce you to the first course in the Professional Development of Teachers division. We will be focusing on curriculum design and instruction this semester."

Before diving into the syllabus and first lecture, your professor encourages everyone to introduce themselves. She describes her background in child psychology and her Doctoral research into student workload management, then gestures to her right to continue on. Your peers share their names and areas of focus.

The breadth of subjects includes everything from biology to physical education, Japanese literature and mathematics. Kuzume announces she intends to teach music and then it’s your turn.

After declaring your subject of focus, you take an initial impression of your peers. They have shining eyes and introduce themselves with excitement. Hope and pride pool in your chest. These optimistic and impassioned people will be your peers in teaching and empowering the next generation.

Nearly everyone has spoken now, and introductions have made their way to the white haired man. You're curious to learn more about him, and your peers' attention is rapt as the man to his side finishes talking.

He’s relaxing back in his seat and still hasn’t taken off the sunglasses.

“I’m Satoru Gojo. Here to teach advanced mathematics and physics.” He flashes a beaming grin and passes the spotlight to the next student.

He's officially piqued your interest now. No one else has mentioned two subjects, and finishing a mastery in one is difficult enough. You didn't even think it was possible to gain a teaching license in more than one field.

As you’re puzzling over Gojo, the professor gestures to the syllabus projected behind her. The format of the class is nothing you didn't expect- significant reading, campus research symposiums, and a group project that will span most of the term. Collaboration and planning will be key to passing the course with flying colors.

The professor continues describing the expected workload and pacing. She goes over the sick policy, plagiarism disclaimers, and academic misconduct rules. All of the typical expectations for a graduate level course.

You want to focus on the administrative details, but you feel your mind start to wander. In preparation for classes, you’d read the syllabi the night before. Trying to stay engaged and look busy, you type some meager notes, but your attention drifts away from the instructor.

Your eyes flit to the row of windows across from you. The sky is rich and blue, with a couple of fat white clouds drifting slowly across the pane. You vaguely listen to the murmur of the professor's voice as your eyes shift from the windows to your peers. From this angle the students across the room are back-lit golden by the windows, and your eyes catch on Gojo.

The gentle light softens his dark clothes and the sharp line of his jaw. His pale skin is warmed by the sun and his hair is luminous, haloed by light filtering through the white tresses. He looks like the subject of a painting.

Gojo doesn’t seem to be paying much attention to the professor either, and while everyone else is listening raptly, you observe him.

He’s got the same relaxed posture from the start of class, but now his attention appears to be on your classmates. He’s leaning back in his seat, idly flipping a pen in his hand that’s resting on the table. You watch his head turn as he observes each of your peers in turn. He catches you looking at him and grins a little. He tilts his head down and peers over the rims of his glasses.

His eyes are shocking- piercing crystal blue and so clear they snap you out of whatever trance you had been staring at him in. You take a sharp breath and jerk your head to the front of the room to focus on the professor, cheeks burning and heart racing.

You swallow and try to breathe slowly. The first day of classes is decidedly not the right time or place to oogle, especially not a fellow classmate. Even though he’d caught your attention, fawning over a guy is the last thing you need to do. You need to be laser focused on successfully finishing your degree. You tune back into what the professor is saying and are eternally grateful to hear the syllabus discussion has finished.

“The strategies and models that you learn here will not only determine your success in this course, but your success as an educator moving forward. Our schools are some of the most prestigious and effective in the world,” she states. She adjusts on her laptop and the projection switches to an introductory presentation.

For the rest of the class, you’re a model student. You keep your eyes glued to the front of the classroom, listen resolutely to the lecture, and take exquisite notes. When the professor dismisses class, you pack your bag and offer Kuzume a quick goodbye. You’re still feeling kind of embarrassed about being caught staring and you don’t want to face Gojo yet, so you dart to the door.

Learning Theories and Application, your second class, is in a different building, so you have a few minutes to order your thoughts. Gojo surprised you. And although being caught staring was deeply embarrassing in the moment, it isn’t the end of the world.

You head into the classroom and slip into a seat in between two that are occupied. Best not to risk having to sit beside Gojo. You’d like a bit more time before you try to make a second impression. You peek out the corner of your eye to watch for him as other students enter the room.

For all your concern, Gojo ends up being a non-issue- although most of your peers are in both classes, he doesn’t show up for this course.

You breathe a sigh of relief and settle in as class starts, ready to devote your entire attention to the professor. Education is the priority, and on the first day your focus should be on the material. You won’t spare another thought for Gojo.

#gojo x reader #gojo satoru #gojo #light academia #reader insert #college AU #EiA

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nordic-language-love · 1 year

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(Re)introduction post

I seem to be gaining a lot of new followers atm (migrants from langtwt, I’m guessing! In that case: hello and welcome to langblr!) SO here’s a little bit about me and my blog!

About Me

I mostly go by Victoria online and it's what I prefer

She/her

In my 30s (yes I am a Real Adult with at least some of my shit figured out)

UK born and raised (East Midlands), although I'm moving to Japan soon!

I currently teach English as a foreign language on italki to students of all ages (current age range is something like 5-60), but will be teaching at an Eikaiwa from January

I'm also an aerialist (pole and hoop), which I teach and perform, a stilt-walker and fire performer (you can go visit my sideblog @jo-jenova if you're interested)

I'm also a fan of gymnastics, dance, writing (fantasy/sci fi/general fiction), baking, buying and owning books (and occasionally reading them), vikings (not in a weird white supremacist way), corvids, cats, Star Trek and, of course, linguistics

I’m currently awaiting an ADHD and autism assessment. I’m 99.9% sure I have ADHD and have pretty much no doubts that I’ll get a diagnosis (autism I’m less convinced of, but we’ll see what the experts say)

Languages

My native language is English (British - close to modern RP)

I also speak Norwegian and it is my main love/target language. This year I took the official B2/C1 exams and got C1. I write bokmål and speak a variety of Oslo dialect.

I'm also learning Japanese (current level: not quite N5). My goal is to reach a comfortable N5 level before I go there.

I largely understand Scots (more written than spoken), Danish (more written than spoken) and Swedish.

Languages I love and have some experience with but am not learning right now include: Finnish, Icelandic, Ukrainian, Tswana, Spanish

Wishlist: Korean, Cornish, Irish, Old Norse, Old English, Chinese

I can speak/understand a bit of French because I learned it for like 12 years but I've forgotten most of it (I do appear to be dabbling in it a little again though whoops lol)

I post primarily about Norwegian, Japanese, other Nordic languages, Celtic languages (Scots included as an honorary member) and linguistics, but occasionally I'll post about other things too.

About My Blog

My blog focuses primarily on my own personal language journey. I'm not really about aesthetics (you might get an aesthetic picture once in a blue moon) or pretending to be more advanced than I am. I mostly try to reflect where I am.

Sometimes this means I come across as bragging when I’m proud of myself or attention-seeking when I’m feeling down. That’s not my intention; I mostly just aim to be honest with myself and everyone else.

I post language logs once a week. These are so I can keep a track of what I've been doing and how I feel from week-to-week. They're not to show off how much I did or make anyone feel like they should be doing more. But if they make you feel that way and need to unfollow me because of that, then I understand.

Other things I post may include vocabulary lists, grammar posts, things related to linguistics, challenges and links to things related to my target languages that I find interesting.

I don’t do drama or discourse. I feel no obligation to respond to inflammatory asks and usually delete anything that I think is contentious. This is a language blog and it’s pretty rare that I deviate from that (I have a side blog for all my non-languagey stuff). But of course you can ask me questions about me and my life!

My blog is absolutely a safe space for people from all walks of life regardless of sexual identity, gender identity, ethnicity, nationality, colour, religion, size, IQ, background etc. If you consider that to be an issue, then you know where the unfollow button is.

I’m kinda terrible at replying to messages, so please don’t take it personally if I never respond to you.

My ask box is always open and anon is always on, so please feel free to send me any questions you have! (But uhh like I say I’m bad at replying sometimes so please just give me a nudge because honestly I may have just forgotten)

#langblr #language blog #norwegian langblr #japanese langblr #learning languages

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corvid-language-library · 2 months

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What kind of stuff do you wear to work? Is there a dress code or anything? I just wondered what the teachers wear during the grades where the students don’t have uniforms.

Hi there!

So firstly, I work at an eikaiwa rather than a school and so none of the kids wear uniforms. The junior high students often wear their PE kit, but other than that I never see any kind of uniforms.

As for me:

I wear a polo shirt with my company's logo. The company provides one free when you join and then we have the opportunity to buy more throughout the year in various colours (I have orange, blue and baby blue).

If, for whatever reason, we don't have a company polo, then any collared shirt is fine. The most important thing is that it's long enough to not ride up and show any skin if you reach up or bend over.

During the winter months I wear a long-sleeve top underneath to (a) keep me warm and (b) hide my tattoos. During the summer I have UV protection sleeves I wear over my arms to hide the tattoos. If you don't have tattoos then you don't have to wear the extras.

Trousers we're basically allowed to wear any kind of jeans/cargos/anything casual providing they're not skin-tight (no skinny jeans, no leggings) or unprofessional.

No skirts (because kids might look up them and see something they're not supposed to), no sweatpants (too unprofessional, plus a kid might just pull them down), no shorts above the knee and nothing with wide flare (because we might trip, or again, kids might look up them).

The only exception to the no tights/leggings rule is if you have leg tattoos, in which case you can wear them underneath shorts that reach below the knee during summer

No shoes in the classroom because it's Japan, but we have to wear socks (obviously nothing with holes in them, but other than that go nuts). If we have to leave the classroom (eg to take a kid to the bathroom) during the lesson then we wear the hideous company-provided plastic slippers

We're not technically allowed to wear jackets or cardigans or anything over our polo shirt, but that rule was made by some office-dweller south of Tokyo. Here in Tohoku we sometimes stick on a cardi or a hoody over our polo shirt, especially when we're taking the kids out to their parents and there's an actual snowstorm. But it does still have to be the kind of jacket/cardi/hoody that opens (not a pullover), so our polo should always be visible

Only minimal/natural makeup is allowed, and we're also asked to not wear perfume (Japanese people don't typically wear perfume). Piercings asides from ear lobes are also forbidden. Also just generally no accessories (the UV sleeves are allowed because they're plain), no caps or hats (religious headwear is fine but I think it has to be plain).

Long hair must be tied back (no restrictions as long as it looks neat and is out of our faces). Additionally, hair colour must be something natural (you can dye it but only like, brown or blonde or black or ginger. No bright green buzzcuts)

Masks aren't enforced anymore but everyone wears one anyway

Thanks for the question! Feel free to ask about anything else you're curious about 😊

#what does the jay say #jackdaw in japan #treepie teacher time

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englishconversationprivatelesson · 7 months

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Private English Conversation Lessons At Your Home in Tokyo

If you are a native or near-native speaker of English, chances are you’ll find opportunities to teach in Japan. The country’s students are eager to learn their native language and many teachers find it rewarding. In addition to English, there are many students interested in learning other languages as well – French, German, Spanish and Italian teachers are in high demand. Check their site to know more details 英会話個人レッスン.

Most of these teaching jobs can be found in eikaiwa (English conversation schools), which are usually office-like buildings with small classrooms for one-on-one English lessons. Teachers work with students of all ages and levels for about an hour during their workdays.

These private lessons can be difficult for both students and teachers. Students will often be nervous, which makes it more challenging to communicate. However, a teacher can help to ease the stress by speaking slowly, being patient and encouraging the student to speak more.

The teacher must also be aware of how cultural differences may affect the lesson. For example, it is important to keep in mind that Japanese culture values privacy and a teacher should be careful not to intrude on the student’s personal space. Additionally, students might feel uncomfortable with silence, which can be a difficult thing for Westerners to understand and deal with. It is important for the teacher to make sure that the lesson has a clear objective and not allow the student to become lost in irrelevant discussions.

In order to attract and retain students, teachers should be professional at all times. Although it might be tempting to be chummy with students and treat them like friends, this can be a problem for the teacher’s reputation. Students will not be willing to spend money on lessons with teachers who are rude or act inappropriately.

Teaching online is a popular way to earn extra money in Japan. Companies such as Best Teacher, Lyngo and Eigoru hire both native and non-native English speakers with little or no experience. The pay is low ($5-$6 per lesson) but the flexibility and freedom of freelance teaching is appealing to some.

If you want to teach online, it is important to find a company that offers payment via Paypal. Lessons are typically 30 minutes in length and students pay on a monthly basis.

For a more personalized approach to learning, students can enroll in lessons with Home Language International. Founded in 1998, this family-run business offers English and other languages at the experienced teachers’ homes throughout Japan. Lessons can be tailored to a student’s needs and students are guaranteed a high level of instruction. Home Language International’s teachers have years of experience and provide an enjoyable atmosphere in which to learn the language. Students can practice their skills and gain confidence while experiencing a true cultural exchange. For more information on lessons, visit their website.

#英会話個人レッスン

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ssc-chico · 2 years

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This radio English course (lessons?) uses current news, so some topics are difficult for me. But I think it's more interesting to read this than "Radio Eikaiwa." "Radio Eikaiwa" is easier, but sometimes I don't feel comfortable with its topics… eh… for example, "I know you've been cheating on me." Umm…… I'm so hesitated to read aloud this sentence.

#study

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ninelanguages · 15 days

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Kanji for "distinguished", "outstanding", "English", "UK", "British"

英 = ei

和英辞典 - waeijiten - a Japanese-English dictionary - わえいじてん

英国 - Eikoku - England / the United Kingdom - えいこく

英語がうまい - eigogaumai - to be good at English - えいごがうまい

英会話 - eikaiwa - English conversation - えいかいわ

英文 - eibun - (written) English / a composition in English - えいぶん

英和辞典 - eiwajiten - an English-Japanese dictionary - えいわじてん

英語 - eigo - English language - えいご

#language fun #language #japanese language #kanji #英

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tofuingho · 23 days

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It's time to be told everything I did wrong during the lesson observation that was done on the day that I was sick and extremely tired.

#work #eikaiwa

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panjaman · 2 years

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English Education Lords are the MVP, the teachers of Japan, the ALTs you want to see, the real innovators of the English. They be educated real good. Welcome to an muttlandia public school product.

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natsunoomoi · 4 months

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Togashi calling hiei a child really makes me not want to ship hiei and mukuro as a couple?!

He's a child in that he's probably about the equivalent of Yusuke's age at the start of the series because Yusuke was a 14 year old Jr High school student and that's still a child. That's kind of why in the live action they aged up everyone to at least high school because a lot of the things that they do are unacceptable things for a Jr High School student. My current job I actually teach children of about that age in Japan, and yeah, they are children. Japanese idea of children though is maybe a bit different in that children are considered children until they become of legal age. I teach kids from age 2 until high school or even sometimes until university because sometimes kids stay longer past even high school. They all still fall under the purview of a "kids eikaiwa" because they are underage (under 20 legally in Japan). Japan also has a ceremony for people who will become adults every year in January called "Seijin no Hi". It's a national holiday celebrating the coming of age of all children in the country turning 20 that year.

Further, Hiei and Yukina are twins. If the gang doesn't have a problem with Kuwabara chasing after Yukina because of age, then the two of them are around the same approximate age. I also think that Togashi is not being exactly literal about Hiei being a child. He and Yukina are twins and the same age, but he says that about only Hiei? I think it is more like lack of socialization since he was alone for most of his life so his outlook on life is more like a child in comparison to others including Yukina. Yukina would have had more socialization with other children and members of Hyouga no Kuni even if she ultimately disagreed with their outlook. It's probably more a comment about traumatic and circumstantial stunted development.

Togashi also says that he made Mukuro to be the kind of person that Hiei would date. As I mentioned to someone else, I don't ship. I follow canon. Mukuro also generally keeps a respectful distance and allows Hiei to do as he likes, but they have a special place for each other and care for each other, which is something that could grow into something else later as Hiei gets older. If we look at both of them though, they connect though because they have pain and trauma from awful people. Hiei was lucky enough to have other resources, but Mukuro had nothing growing up, and then only built up her empire by masquerading as a man and hiding her identity and being ruthless and earning respect via fear and skill. The people under her definitely respect her and care for her, but more in an official capacity. Hiei is the first time in her entire life that she connects to another person through empathy and that means a lot to her and I kind of respect that. Hiei will also not stay a child forever, and he can decide for himself what he wants.

Also, just because they are made to date each other doesn't mean it's a thing that will last. Age difference relationships as long as both parties are legal are difficult, but not impossible if both people can adequately communicate with each other. They are very easy to have power imbalances as often the younger person is less established in life and can become dependent on the older one and the older one can use that dependency to control them. For Hiei and Mukuro, the power imbalance thing basically doesn't matter. Mukuro has more experience, but Hiei is a genius thief and has his own incredible skills himself, so there's a mutual respect between the both of them and Hiei has his own independence and is free to come and go as he pleases. The normal dangerous dynamics in an age difference relationship don't exist between them.

However, what would become an obstacle in their relationship is Mukuro's unresolved issues about her past. Her past is not her fault, but at the same time she wasn't given an opportunity to heal properly from them and the way that she views her chains as a badge of honor is an admirable attempt at reclaiming her past, but at the same time she isn't really letting go. In the manga, she also punches Hiei for causing a trauma trigger over her memory over her father. I didn't use to be okay with that scene, but recently I had my own trauma actually triggered and I learned that you literally temporarily lose your mind and all sense of what you should do and your brain throws you into self-defense mode and you lash out unintentionally. It is a bonkers experience and while what you do in that state is still your fault, there's some amount of grace that can be afforded and you can try to make up for it later when you're lucid and get treatment so that it doesn't happen again and you can respond appropriately to triggers. You can learn signs and means to ground yourself and keep strong in the present and what's happening now instead of flying back into the past in your mind like you're still in that moment of trauma. Mukuro is not getting treatment and she has those issues. Hiei ends that chapter by kind of forcing her to address her issues to a degree by bringing her Dad to her frozen by Kurama's plant for her birthday so she can decide if she wants him to live or die, but honestly it's going to take more than that to fix her trauma and fixing it is a choice. If she doesn't choose to fix herself, Hiei will eventually get tired of her traumas. He does have a bit of an abrasive way of trying to help, but again he is well-intentioned. But Mukuro recovering from her trauma and being able to handle her triggers responsibly are the hurdle that would determine whether or not a long-term relationship would become something viable. That's up to them, but also things are in some ways promising because they both at least have each other, so there's opportunity and an out to have support as Hiei's friends are also all very friendly and probably wouldn't mind so much being supportive if Hiei decides that's what he wants. Mukuro's subordinates on the other hand are supportive, but kind of in a yes-man kind of way where they don't really give Mukuro the healthy level of support she needs to grow as a person as instead they kind of just enable her to do whatever she wants.

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