Most native speaking English teachers know that there is a serious problem with the way English is taught here. It doesn’t take that much time to realize it, especially when you’re in class and you say, “Hi guys!” to 2nd year high school students (that I have taught for a year by now) and they stare at you blankly to know that there is a problem. However, the problem isn’t with the students; it’s with the teachers. How are the some teachers, who don’t even seem to have interest in English themselves, are supposed to teach students a language that even they themselves don’t understand? I suppose it makes sense, since I hear all the time from my school’s Japanese Teachers of English (JTEs from now on) that either they “should have done something more interesting” or “yeah…it was either teaching English for a career or doing History as a career, haha!” and it’s this kind of attitude that doesn’t make it surprising that the kids are just as apathetic about as English as some teachers.
To them, unfortunately, English is just seen as another subject in school since English is mandatory in the country. So the people that are truly interested aren’t really allowed to shine amongst other students who don’t have an interest because for them (using something that most of us can relate to), it’d seem like the nerd who was a genius at Math and couldn’t wait to show off their skills. In Japan, that’s quite insulting and that person would be ostracized and mocked for seeming to do better than everyone else, so everyone kind of pretends to know less than they actually do, for fear of being isolated. This doesn’t really happen in my school though. Maybe for other subjects, but in English my students are always pleasantly surprised when one of their classmates can answer one of my questions and they always get some kind of praise or an applause.
Some other kids, however, simply do not have an interest in English and see no need for English because they will never leave Japan. Then there’s the other group that like English and the native speaker of English in the class, but don't understand 80% of what’s going on because of holes in their education. Those holes are glaringly apparent when they don’t know simple words that they should have learned in middle school. This is more my school.
Today for example, I played a game called Sentence Auction with a younger teacher. Sentence auction is when teams buy correct and incorrect sentences and of course go to the highest bidder if they believe the sentence to be true. Once the game got underway, they were quite bright and a lot of them were quite thrifty in dealing with their finances and most of them knew the correct sentences. Before that however, we had to do an explanation of course. The explanation took 20 minutes in a 50 minute class. The kids took about 5 minutes to break up into groups; so ONE part took 15 minutes. What part might that be you ask? It was the simple fact that NO STUDENT knew what the word “sentence” meant in Japanese. WHAT?! Second year students in high school who took 4 years of English before this, didn’t know what the word “sentence” meant? Coupled with this, the JTEs thought that using Japanese during our team teaching class was a waste and how the students won’t be able to listen to my English, so we should try and use ALL English in the class. That's a very noble, lofty, but ultimately naïve dream. However, reality dictates that my just speaking English to them won’t make something click in their brains, and all of a sudden they can absorb everything I’m saying. Proper PRIOR teaching is necessary for them to be able to grasp meanings.
Not to mention, I went to a JTE’s English class just to see how they teach… it’s ridiculous. She barely touched on grammar and during the class she would just say English words in a rapid pace while the students quickly repeated it. Then she had me just say the words fast and I felt like the biggest dunce ever, mainly because the kids just stopped repeating the words so it ended up me just saying random English words because it’s fun. This is the extent of the English “teaching” that goes on here? That wasn’t all. Afterwards, the Japanese teacher said a Japanese word and then I would say the English definition in a rapid pace again, then the students would repeat the English. That would have been alright…if there wasn’t 50 words including long phrases, like “the meeting begins at 10:35am,” or other words that are completely unrelated to each other. So then I stand there and I just think to myself that of course they’re not learning anything. Not to mention the whole lesson was taught in Japanese. That’s understandable, but then you can’t go around and do ALL English for a class that they’re constantly unprepared for. It just makes them dislike English, or slowly start to dislike English all the more. 
I think the JTEs believe that I only want Japanese in the class so I can do less work, but they’re so stupid because they continue to forget that it’s NOT ABOUT ME. It’s about the students that look at me like little lost kittens and puppies whom so desperately need Japanese, while I’m left to stand there awkwardly because it is NOT my job to give Japanese translation and the JTE look at me and seem to like watching me sink because they don’t provide Japanese translation. So all of this crap gets put on the shoulders of the powerless foreigner regardless of whose fault it truly is. The problem is maybe the teachers think that the lesson went well if we use all English but they’re so frustratingly oblivious to students quickly losing interest without Japanese because they DON’T UNDERSTAND and just end up chatting to the people next to them or start doing something else. So I get pissed off for the students because of these stupid teachers who are so focused on which language is being spoken, that they completely forget the students and that the main focus should be whether or not the students know what’s going on. It’s naïve to think that students won’t need Japanese all the time, especially if agricultural schools are known for having low-level English. Why is it so hard for JTEs, who also went through the same classes to figure that out?
Eventually though, when my simple English doesn’t do the trick, the JTEs would “take the reigns” decide to repeat what I said in English, as if it’s going to suddenly click for them (I’ve been saying the same thing for 10 minutes, if they didn’t get it 5 minutes ago, maybe you should try a different method). Then, they get to go through the same slight frustration of having students not understand you in the slightest. They’re completely unwilling to speak Japanese in the class, but you don't need the foreigner to tell you that it’s necessary since that’s been the same way they’ve been learning English since they started. During the lesson he asked them over and over again, “What is sentence in Japanese? Sentence. Sentence. Sentence. Seeeenn-teeeence,” as he points to the 10 sentences on the worksheet he goes, “THESE are sentences. What are they? Sentence. Sentence,” while he’s repeating that, I feel a sense of retribution in that I hope he understands that bringing in the native speaker once a week won’t suddenly make the students geniuses at English and it’s best to just do what you have been doing, and what you will continue to do when we’re not team teaching, which is…USE JAPANESE.
After a while, I saw him breakdown and saw clear frustration on his face, then he decided, after 15 minutes of precious time, to write the meaning of the word “sentence” in kanji. I mean, even I’d say that kanji wasn’t necessary; he could have just said it, but I think he was that frustrated that he didn’t even want to say anything. Oh well. He should have said it 15 minutes ago so we could have just moved on with the lesson, but if he wanted to learn the hard way, I was more than happy with letting him experience that and realize how impossible using English cold turkey is. JTEs simply have the most important job when it comes to team teaching since they are supposed to be the bridge of understanding between students and the foreign teacher. If only more of them felt that responsibility and weight and didn’t use English as a means to escape a “greater evil.” 
What’s even more frustrating about this is that he was the exact same guy who told me, ”Yeah...a lot of these kids are too stupid to realize simple things. A lot of them are slow. I have to speak slowly, even in Japanese, and sometimes even then they don't understand, haha! It’s sad,” despite this guy who said that he lived in the Washington D.C area for a year during study abroad, and yet still can’t understand simple English at regular speeds. Stfu. It’s a lot easier to blame the students and the foreign English teacher for your own pathetic shortcomings…maybe teaching the students the word “sentence” could be a nice start?
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I've been to a few museums and always thought the same thing like most casual fans of museums, "Oh...that's a nice drawing!" or "Wooooow...that's a great drawing!" or "Omg, that's a FANTASTIC drawing!" or any deviation from those three feelings. Afterwards, I kind of just go along my way and not really think about it anymore. Here, however, Keith and I were actually invited to participate in an Art Exhibit at the art museum here. It was quite interesting, as were the people who were there, however, some people need more recognition than others. 
The day before the actual event, most of the artists went to the spot to prepare the gallery and hang up all of the pictures. It was a bit awkward when we first got there...it usually is, but eventually we felt comfortable with being there since we helped set up the gallery. There were about 30 people there, some big number, so of course, after a while, 30 people aren't necessary to do the work...so some people were left to stand around. While we were standing around, I decided to talk to some of the people that weren't doing anything.
I walked up to this lady, who looked like she was being ignored by everyone at the museum. I felt bad for her because obviously no one wants to be ignored, especially with like 30 people still here. I wasn't sure how to start a conversation with her, but I overheard other people starting conversations by asking, "Dore?" so I just decided to copy that. Dore means "which," so in this art gallery context, that one word means, "Which ones are yours and let me see them." Honestly, all of that rolled into one because when I saw someone use that to open a conversation, the addressee would nod and quickly show them to their paintings. Going by that, I ask her, "dore?" and she smiles and leads me to her art. I talk to her in Japanese and she responds in English, which depending on who you are, you'd either be pissed off about it, happy, or neutral. At the moment I was pleasantly surprised that she knew English, since it's a bit rare. She explains that she's been painting for a while and she loves to paint. I talk with her a bit more and then she says, "I'm 32 years old but I look very young! I've backpacked all around Europe...I've been to so many places in Europe so if you have any questions about Europe, please ask me," on the inside I'm like, "???????" while on the outside I give her a pleasantly surprised look and go, "Oh really? Thanks!" I thought that was a bit strange, since I'm guessing she doesn't know that most people in America will have studied Europe and the countries therein for 10 years, but whatever! I didn't think anything of it then. 
We're talking for a bit more, and I noticed that whenever I speak Japanese, she answers back in English. Huh. Why the hell is she doing that? Even then I didn't think too much about it. Until (yeah you knew it was coming), she tells me, "Oh! I have two friends in America, in New York City and they love it!" I smile, ready to do my usual plug for NYC, and tell her, "Yeah! NYC is a great place! You should visit!" Then she quickly shakes her head, and says, "No, no, no. America is WAY too dangerous. Everyone has guns. That's all I hear on the news, that's the only news I get!" aaaaaand there it is. Really lady? Then I calmly remind her that she has two friends in America that haven't been shot or probably even seen a gun. She agrees that's probably true, but still has her opinions about America. That's the shit that pisses me off; you're staring into the face of proof that not all Americans are dangerous and carry guns, and you have Japanese friends currently in America who love it, and yet you're gonna look me in the eye and tell me that America is dangerous because of Japanese "NEWS?" Whatever, moron. My friend kindly let me know that Switzerland has way more guns than America, but I didn't know that little factoid until after this. I can slightly understand it when Japanese people have rarely seen foreigners, they'd be more inclined to believe those things, but people that have LEFT Japan, or people that haven't left Japan, but have met plenty of foreigners, will still love to think the same stupid crap as if they've never met any, like that moron English teacher. What the hell is that? So, something clicks (Keith tells me), and it hits me! She's a Europhile (as well as an English leech)! She blindly and mindlessly loves and obsesses over anything related to Europe, and even seems to love Europe more than her own country, while at the same time, refusing to talk to non-Japanese people in Japanese and insists on using English. NOW I see why everyone ignores her.
After I smile politely and excuse myself from that moron and after lunchtime, we're back in the gallery again. We were still killing time since even a little before lunchtime, the guys who usually set up the galleries there were taking control of the set up, so even less people were needed. Keith knows pretty much all of these people here, because (of course) they go to the same studio he goes to. After about like an hour of doing absolutely nothing and noticing that a good amount of people left during lunch, Keith nudges me, points to a girl and tells me to go talk to her. Naturally, I'm a bit weary of talking to random ladies again, having been savagely ambushed by ignorance not two hours ago, but Keith tells me that she's actually quite nice and always makes it a point to say "konnichi wa," everytime she sees him. Not to mention, she's been ignored by everyone since morning, and the only person that she spoke to had already left, so she was just standing there looking bored and sleepy. I've heard/seen that crap before and I didn't know what to expect, but I decided I'd go for it.
So I walk up to her, and I ask the same thing as I did Ms. Ignorance, and the first thing that strikes me odd about her is that she cocked her head and went, "Huh?" So then I just motioned to the 60 something paintings in the gallery that we're standing in and was about to ask her again then she goes "Oh! Oh! Hai! Okay!" then shows me her paintings. Huh. Curious. I thought I did something wrong but apparently she just needed a second to think about what I needed lol. However, so far, so good, no ignorance so far. So then we just start talking about her art and how long she's been doing it. I realize that she's actually quite nice, knows 0 English and apologized to Keith for not knowing English. Well, that's sweet! There's no reason to apologize though, but I guess she felt guilty. So we start talking and I ask her what her interests are. Konomi smiles and proudly states, "Anime." I gasp and chuckle a bit, understanding the weight of her statement.
In Japan, you have to understand, being obsessed with anime isn't a good thing. Just like the hip-hop group, j-pop group, visual kei group, sports group, etc, everyone has their stereotypes and it's expected that once you find an interest you put ALL of your energy into it and completely engross yourself in that interest until you BECOME that interest. So, those who are into anime here, are immediately pigeonholed as being smelly, rude, creepy, socially awkward, pretty much all of the descriptions of American and other non-Japanese otaku, but multiplied times two because there are more anime-obsessed otaku in Japan than there are in America. It's hard to spot an anime-otaku on the street unless they cosplay, or wear kind of small item from an anime, but at the same time it's easy to spot one because they're always at anime shops. So, to see this cute, 24 year old girl proudly declare anime as her main interest shocked me. She even reminds me of an anime character, "Miss Osaka," from Azumanga Daioh because she's so cute and ditzy. Keith was telling me that a couple of weeks ago, everyone was painting quietly in the studio when they hear a loud crash. Everyone turns to see Konomi with a very embarrassed face standing over broken shards of giant shell that other people had to draw. It's kind of cute!
So, I ask her what her favorite anime is, and she tells me Naruto, Bleach and other Shounen Jump anime. I chuckle again, completely blown away about this because of how rare this is, and I tell her that I like anime too, as I show her my cute Uryuu keychain and Icha Icha Paradise and Itachi keychain. She laughs out loud and then we just start talking about random things, now that we know that we have common interests. By this time, however, it was time to go since the gallery had been properly set up and completed. As we were getting ready to leave, I lost sight of her but I figured I'd see her again anyway because of the studio. The next time I see her, I'll be ready to ask her more questions and find out more about her interests.
Interestingly enough, we run into her again while we cross the street and head towards the bus stop. While we decide to walk together she asks me about New York and tells me, rather oddly, that I walk very fast. I never really noticed until she pointed it out; it's just how most city people walk I think. Then I tell her that, then she tells me that she was born in Tokyo, lives in Miyazaki and prefers Miyazaki because of the slow way of life. I suggest Osaka, while I chuckle on the inside, then she says, "No...even they walk too fast.." I couldn't stop laughing about that, mainly because of her similarities with Miss Osaka, but we get over that. I explain to her the reason behind the fast walking; mainly because most people have places to be, with no time to get there. So then she tries to walk fast as well, but she starts waving her arms all crazily while she's walking and asks, "Hey! Do you guys swing your arms too??" I laugh about that but say, "nah....we don't really do that," then she stops with an "Oh, okay," but still tries to walk fast. She's so silly! 
After our fast walking adventure, we make it to the bus stop and we realize that we're going in the same direction. So while we're waiting for the same bus, I ask her what kind of music she likes. She thinks for a second and goes, "Anime songs!" Once again I am taken aback because I like quite a bit of anime songs too, and she tells me that she can sing a lot of them. I tell her I know some anime songs and almost immediately she goes, "Great! So then we can go out to eat and do some karaoke!" ONCE AGAIN I'm taken back because Japanese people don't just automatically make the assumption that you're going to go eat and sing with them. In fact, they wouldn't really ask, but hope that you do. So to see her so unbelievably, but pleasantly forward with asking to do anything with two foreigners honestly made me happy. I genuinely smile and tell her of course and that we should make some plans as soon as possible.
The ironic thing about her is that she works at a convenience store. In Japan, working at a gas station or a convenience store is the same social equivalent to being a 28 year old cashier at McDonalds. It's not a good thing, and it shows that you didn't go to college, you wasted too much time there, or you had a good job but you lost it; pretty much, you threw away your opportunities. So seeing someone so progressive working at the convenience store is so sad. She has the rare ability to see foreigners as people and not barbaric animals or stupid children. It shows in how she doesn't simplify her Japanese, whether speaking or text message. It shows in how she doesn't try to incorporate random, stupid English in conversations because she remembered it from way back when and decided to use it and feel better about herself. She doesn't ask stupid questions like if Keith and I can eat Japanese food, or if we can use chopsticks, because let me tell you how that gets old FAST. She didn't metaphorically pat me on the head and go "Woooow! Your Japanese is soooo good!" She treats us like adults who understand, and that goes so much more deeper than our shared interest in anime and anime music. The amazing thing about Japan is that all of this started with a simple question of, "Which painting is yours, and can I see it?"
Once again time went fast in the office today. I have to tell you how great it is to wake up, get all irritated that I have to get ready to go to work, only to get here and get a warm greeting when I walk in. It's so much better than the lukewarm greeting in my former office. I also did some more cleaning and work unrelated to teaching English and it felt just as rewarding. It's a bit strange doing cleaning for an office that I only joined like last week, but already feeling like one of the group. I had to throw away most of the ALT crap that I know I, and any other ALT won't need. I threw away a basketful of crap, and I still have enough crap to fit and overstuff my cabinet. 
I had this DELICIOUS Bento for lunch today. It's called Buta-Namban, and that's just pork with namban sauce, which is like a delicious, tangy tartar sauce. The best thing about it is that it's really crunchy because it's fried and even the tartar sauce doesn't make it TOO soggy when poured on it. The drink with it is a delicious white grape drink with soft white grapes in the drink itself so you're swallowing and chewing. It tastes like real grapes. Fantastic!
I ran into Iihoshi-sensei today (the guy who I used to sit next to), and as usual he manages to just say some stupid nonsense that only makes me even happier that I don't have to sit next to him. We were talking about lesson plans (which I normally avoid, but he brought it up) and he explained that since I was here for a year, maybe I should be the one to pick which days I do lessons with teachers. Then I look at him, think in my head, "Oh of course...he manages to prove AGAIN how little he knows," but out loud I go, "??? What do you mean?" Then he explains for the past month how I haven't picked the days and how one of the other teachers always does it for me. Then I calmly explain, and try and use the simplest English I can think of to tell him that yes...the lady did help me...for ONE MONTH. I can't be expected to know what classes they are and aren't having because I don't get a schedule. What usually happens is that I'll get a template and I pick which classes I want to do and when, she helped me out in the beginning before I got the hang of it. For some reason, however, when he hears the other teacher say that she'll pick the classes for me last month, that means that she's been doing them since last September............no. Then I tell him that he's wrong (again), and that I've been choosing which classes to go to SINCE OCTOBER and I needed her for this month because this is my first April in Japan so I DON'T KNOW HOW IT'S SUPPOSED TO GO, like is it really that hard for him to slowly work that through in his mind without having to say dumb crap out loud? Then he looks at me all skeptically and goes, "....Hontou? (really?) Then I just sigh, call him a moron in my head, smile and go, ".....Yes. Why didn't you know that?" But then I quickly change the subject because it's time like this where I remember that I don't have to tell him anything because he has already made his mind up about foreigners and 100 Americans can walk up to him tomorrow, speaking perfect Japanese and he'll STILL think that Americans are small minded and feel as though they don't have to learn any other languages because English is a universal language....stfu. He's like a dark cloud of annoyance, irritation and ignorance, all rolled up into a little ball made specifically to annoy me, but whatever! Moving on.
Anyway, after he left, life got easier again and I just decided to walk around and talk to students. My students are quite interesting and always have something funny to say. Of course they're completely different people when we're doing classes, but a good amount of them are really good kids...even the "bad" ones. I'm looking forward to talking with them again and meeting the new students who are coming tomorrow. 
I have normal black people hair. It's not a big deal, it's curly, cute and can do well in most weather patterns, it's NOT a perm. Most people in Japan assume that my hair is a perm but why? Clearly I have different hair than they do since I'm not Japanese, but in any case I always get the occasional group of girls and boys who just stare at it, ask the SAME QUESTIONS, sometimes in the same order and ask to touch it. In Japan, a perm for a Japanese person would be similar to my natural hair type. So it's a big deal to them when I explain that my hair is naturally that way. I don't mind when they touch my hair because it's the first time they have seen this type of hair, so it's a big deal for them. In any case, I go through the usual motions of yes, it's naturally curly, no it's not a perm, yes I put color in it, yes most of the time it's easy to manage...etc etc etc. I always explain that if I had a perm, then my hair would look like theirs. In any case, it's nice that they feel comfortable enough with me to ask random questions and to completely ignore any kind of personal space to get IN my face to see my hair up close because of their comfort. It still might take some getting used to though.
Also, IT'S ONLY BEEN THE SECOND DAY THAT IT'S BEEN CONSISTENTLY WARM...WHY DID I ALREADY SEE 4 SPIDERS IN ONE DAY? :(
Well...it's been a whole day since I've switched to this room and I must tell you... I LOVE IT! It's such a huge difference in comparison with the other room I was at for 8 months. Everyone is younger, so everyone isn't so high strung, and some of them know a tiny bit of English and always try and speak it, and when they don't understand what I'm saying they'll come out and say, "Uh..sorry..I don't understand...." and just the overall atmosphere is a complete 180 degrees. I had assumed that every office is like that because I never stayed at any other office, but now I see that it's so unbelievably different! Everytime other teachers come into the office, they always tell me that it's such an oppressive atmosphere and they don't like coming into the office unless they have to get their mail and talk to the vice principal about something. I was in that office, but at least I was an okay distance from the vice principal, the ALT before me was actually at the desk closest to the v.p. so I'm so sure that he hated that desk.
In a previous post when I was talking about atmospheres, I mentioned that it was a slow day so the time just crawls by. In this office, time passes by so quickly! It's because I can actually have light-hearted conversations and joke around without feeling intense pressure from the vice principal. Another younger teacher that was in the office with me, ended up being moved to the same office I was and even he commented that he likes this office so much better. Other people even noticed our change from our switch and commented that "we look happier," I was a bit embarrassed because I didn't know I was so transparent, but then again it was the female Japanese teacher of English and she knows more than other people because I tell her. I actually look forward to going to my desk now, it's so great.
Also, the teacher that I used to sit next to, I saw him when I came back from lunch with teachers from my new office and we spoke for a bit. I asked him if he ate already and where his office is. He said yes and that his office is right next to mine and I should come visit. I said okay, goodbye and WALKED AWAY. You have no idea how good that feels! To be sitting next to a person, who puts pressure on you because the vice principal is watching, and having to be forced to listen to his close-minded drivel, it was great to be able to walk away, return to my desk and not have to see him OR the vice principal. I can regulate how often I see him until classes start, and that's great. I mean, he's serious about teaching English and we work well together when we're in class, but there's just too much of an age and culture barrier that makes communication a bit difficult sometimes.
In any case, class doesn't start for another week, and I don't think I'm going to be team teaching until after that week, so I have plenty of time to prepare for lessons, and I'm going to look forward to thinking of new ideas for students because of the support I get from the office.
I feel such a giant weight lifted from my shoulders once I walk into the office in the morning, and I'm going to try and make damn sure that I don't mess up this almost perfect arrangement.
Well...April 1st. The big day of yearly change. The day before, I found out that the teacher that I've been sitting next to for a year is getting his desk changed, and he's going to be the new homeroom teacher of a class. I gave him a clap and congratulated him and he shook his head and was like,"No, no, no. That's a bad thing. It's too much work being a homeroom teacher," then I chuckle a bit and point out that at least he'll be out of the stifling vice principal's office. He agreed, but he said it wasn't worth having extra loads of work and responsibility. He's right though, being a homeroom teacher means that you've essentially become the parent of 40 students. They have to make sure that they're eating right, they're not getting in fights, they're studying, etc. If they do a bad job and the student does something bad, the first person they're going to blame is the homeroom teacher, NOT the parents. That's why teachers always have to find out bad things first before parents. The homeroom teacher's responsibility was a bit exaggerated, but has it down in a drama and anime called "Gokusen," you should watch it.
So, I won't be around that guy anymore, which I'm quite happy about and won't miss. I mean, he had a bit of interesting things to say, but the fact that he believes such dumb things about Americans (as if Americans are only one ethnicity) despite meeting a bunch, doesn't make me want to talk to him now that we don't have to sit next to each other anymore. That's all well and good to me, because even he would put pressure on me because I was in the vice principal's office, so I'd get double of that on any given day. That's not the way I want to spend my time here in Japan, so I'm unbelievably happy for that change. So, I'll stick with my original desk, and wait for a new guy to come, and hope that he and the vice principal are nice guys. Then he randomly says to me, "Oh by the way...you might be moved to a new office," like what? oh thanks for the tip...will I or won't I? He said that he didn't know, but whatever. I'll find out eventually, like most things.
The problem with that office is that it's filled with old men who are stuck in their ways and think everyone is below them, Japanese women and younger Japanese men included. However, my desk and the decently sized cabinet behind me is filled with years old ALT crap, that it'd just be too much of a hassle to move. In any case, I wait for lunch time, like I usually do on days that nothing is going on, and as I'm about to leave for lunch the guy next to me finally says, "Oh...yeah you're going to be moved to a new office where two other teachers of English are." So, I was a bit shocked, and a little annoyed, not because I didn't want to move, but because I'd have to move all that crap by myself by the end of the day. So, I smile, nod and say okay, then leave for lunch. I come back and just sit around for a bit. Then I decide to move all that crap. I started at like 2:30, and as 3:30 hits, I realize that I might not be able to move this all in time. It wouldn't have been too much of a hassle, but I wasn't feeling well at all, so I was getting more and more annoyed about more of the crap I uncovered that was left from past ALTs.
Even while I'm packing up and stuff, one of the guys that I knew from last year (old guy of course) was talking to me and was explaining that it was nothing personal....but once the guy next to me leaves, no one else will be able to speak English...so he thought this was best and how I should come visit every now and again. I mean, it was obvious that it was ultimately his say in my switch because he's the head of the office when the vice principal isn't there, so I'm guessing he was feeling guilty. I didn't give a damn. Also, like yeah...being interrogated and talked down upon is my definition of fun...stfu. I was just concerned about getting all this crap moved in before I give up because of how I was feeling.
So while I'm standing there, glaring at all this crap, one of the new teachers come to me and offers to help. The first time I didn't take it (since you're not supposed to at first), but then he insisted so I pretended to reluctantly give in; it's a strange dance of insisting and denial, then finally accepting the help I wanted from the start...that's just how things work here. So I finally get help, with my very small basket, a long thin basket, and 10+ years worth of ALT crap. So I pack everything in the baskets and give him the heaviest things of course, and pretend to be amazed about how strong he is. I mean I appreciated the help and I thought he was just being nice...until I find out that he was helping me along BECAUSE he's taking my seat, lol that prick...but whatever, I ended up finishing my move by 3:50 and had enough time to sit around before I was able to go home.
Before that however, when I was still getting a bit more stuff together, the guy that I no longer sit next to is still there chatting away with the other old men, then he puts out a giant collection of English games and books, and he happily points out that those belong to me because they're for the ESL club and how I need to get those out. I calmly state that I have no space in my cabinets for anything else so he needs to do something about them, then I leave it at that. Then like 10 minutes later when I came back to take the last remaining stuff, while making sure everything is cleared out, the guy who decided that I was moving and get his reason why, finds MORE ALT related crap in a big cabinet on the other side of the office. Then the guy that I no longer sit next to, looks me and goes "Oh look, there's more things for you here to take with you," by now I'm still feeling really bad from running back and forth everywhere, and how it seems like every movement makes me feel even more terrible until I stop, and even up to that point they still talk down to me and say things in ways that they I won't understand, I understand perfectly and curtly reply,"...Didn't know about it, didn't know it was even there, never used it, not my problem," it gets chuckles out of the younger teachers that were there talking to the vice principal because they thought I was joking, but just like that giant collection of games, I left that shit right where it sat. Well, I got my new desk, in my new office, let's see how things work out.
On the 31st, the teachers that were leaving had to meet in the vice principal's office (my office) and give small speeches to all the teachers. Even the vice principal was getting switched; vice principals only spend two years per school, so luckily I came in his second year. Thank God. However, it was here that I found out that two more people that were amazing to me were leaving. I had prepared a little gift and a note of thanks to the teacher who I knew was leaving, but out of two office ladies (whom are essentially the reason why Japanese schools don't collapse), one had a new assignment, while the other retired. I didn't find this out until I saw them lining up with the teacher that I was knew was getting transferred. I felt so sad, I didn't know and no one told me. One of the office ladies was the one that I saw my first Japanese movie in Japanese theater with, and the other helped me a lot when I first got here and was jet lagged and culture shocked to hell. Even the small things that they did meant so much because most people don't think too much about the foreigner. So, I'm feeling awful that I didn't know that they were getting switched, when the Farewell Ceremony started. It was similar to the one in the office, but these speeches were a bit longer, as expected. The lady who was retiring, while she was giving her speech she broke down and started crying while she was talking. Some of the other ladies that were being transferred also started crying. I'm feeling the effects of that, then this asshole teacher had the nerve to say, "Oh wow..their speeches are SO long...shorter is way better isn't it?" I understand where she's coming from, because she's so old, and she's been to these constantly, but it doesn't it make it any less important because she's not being the one transferred. I know who's speech I won't be paying attention to when her time comes.
After the speeches of all 19 teachers, students lined up in front of the teachers with flowers and handed them to the teachers at the same time while music from the band played. Then afterward, many students line up parallel by the exit, and make a little pathway for the leaving teachers. So teachers, with their flowers talk to some students, shake hands, it was kind of like a celebrity type thing. Most of the girl students were crying because they were going to miss their teachers. After all of that, and the teachers that are leaving stood around outside to talk to fellow teachers. I made sure that I was able to talk to the office ladies and apologize about how I didn't know, and if I knew then I would have gotten them something. The lady who was retiring and set literally everything up for me when I first got here, spoke about how I seem so different, and confident and how my Japanese has improved immensely and how she'll never forget me. Her talking about when I first got here, made me think about that time, and what she did for me. I hate crying in front of people -.-.
Once everyone said their goodbyes, life kind of just went on. When my favorite teacher was leaving, I was the only one who looked at him and said bye. Everyone else just gave a nod and small smile and just went about their business. That was a bit strange, but then I remember that this an every year occurrence for them and when they're time comes, people will do the exact same thing. When the vice principal left, despite our differences (his being a prick, and my being foreign), I was kind of going to miss the awkward, always sleeping vice principal.....for three seconds. Time moves on, new teachers come, new desk changes. Let's see how this will go.
Recently, a big event occurred in Japan. Around late March, early April, teachers will find out whether or not they will be switched to a new school. Usually, Japanese teachers are rotated to about 4 or 5 schools, and spend around 5 years at each, according to Japanese people. However, some people are exceptions and some can be at a school for only one year, or be like one of the teachers I work with, and be here for like nine years. In any case, it's a big deal. My school is close to the biggest city in Miyazaki so most teachers don't want to leave. So, it's around 1pm at my school where everyone finds out, but that's during lunchtime so I don't want to miss it. I quickly get my food and come back to my office, all of the teachers are there waiting. It was the most stifling that the room has ever been! The teachers were chatting, pretending to not be nervous but it was obvious in how everyone was cautiously looking around, or doing some nervous tic. So, I walk in and I (jokingly) point out the insanely nervous atmosphere; some laugh, others nod awkwardly. Meh, that's normal.
In Japan, their teacher transferring culture is interesting. First off, everyone awkwardly stands around, waiting for the vice principal. The vice principal sits at his desk, gets a phone call from the principal, who is downstairs. The principal says the name of the transferred teacher and tells the vice principal to tell that person to go downstairs and find out the assignment. So the vice principal hangs up, then calls the teacher's name. After one teacher is called, the ones that aren't called all simultaneously let out a sigh of relief. The teacher goes downstairs for about five minutes, finds out where he/she is going, comes back up and tells all of the other teachers of their next assignment. Some are happy, most....not so much, but most people hold in their feelings until they can talk privately with someone they know.
I missed most of it because I got my lunch and I was convinced to eat it before it got cold, but everyone finds out later of course. So, most of the teachers that weren't switched let out 19 sighs of relief, since 19 teachers were transferred. I was happy; my favorite teacher (who helped me out since I got here, even when some teachers were being assholes) wasn't switched so I smiled and said, "Luckily you didn't get switched right?" He shakes his head and tells me that he did get switched to a different school so he has to clean out his desk. I was in shock, I didn't see him get called because I was eating so I foolishly thought that he was gonna stay. I was so disappointed, but he didn't seem to sad about it; he only spent one year here.
So teachers found out their new schools on March 19th, and have to be out by March 30th, and the new teachers come April 1st. I was a bit disappointed about it, but nothing could be done.
Another teacher that I found out was getting switched was my supervisor, and I was there when his name was called. It was a bit shocking, but I wasn't really sad about it. I mean he wasn't the greatest supervisor; not listening to me, saying stupid crap, being a bit negligent when it came to team teaching classes, not doing his job when he's supposed to, but can't wait to do his job when it isn't necessary...some other things too. He was also the head of the English department, but was the worst out of everyone in it, he was only the head of the department because he's the oldest. He was also a bit of pushover in class, until about like..Febuary (mind there were little to no team teaching classes after Febuary). I found out he's going to an industrial school, and that sucks for him. Industrial schools are just for kids that are going straight to factory jobs right after graduation, so they're rude, violent, and actually on par with some American students when it comes to being disrespectful. My students, at their worse, just talk a lot and ignore the teacher, but all of the teachers act they're the worst students to around, and they always ask me if I knew students that were "as bad" as these students are....and I'd chuckle and just go, "Ah...I know a few." In any case, he's not that great with discipline and if he can't handle agricultural students, they're going to eat him alive. I just hope he doesn't end up quitting midway.
It was quite the strange day, there were no classes or anything, so people were just sitting around and talking with each other. The thing is, it's strange how it's guaranteed that every teacher will eventually be switched, makes it hard to form genuine friendships, doesn't it?