The official Sports Festival was a couple of days ago. It was quite nice! The students put their hearts into it and it went great. Even the speeches in the beginning weren’t so bad. The groups were set up by their classroom and color. The sports consisted of running, crossing the bridge, some kind of rope grab, climbing monkey, giant group jump rope, and performances.
The running is just the simple, class vs. class showdown. All of the races were interesting though. I was surprised at some fast ones. The rope grab was just a giant group of them making a huge circle around broken pieces rope and everyone had to dash and grab as many as possible. There were some mini-tug of war games within that game, but that’s to be expected. 
The climbing monkey one was interesting. A giant group of the students all tightly grab a wooden pole, two of them are kneeling, with their backs facing the runners, while the remaining 6 runners wait for the signal. All of those 6 have to dash to the pole, use one or two students’ backs to jump on and get a good grip on the pole. Then they have to climb up and stick a little flag at the top, slide down then hit the hand of the next person like a mini relay race. It’s a bit dangerous because they fall sometimes but they all seemed to have fun.
Crossing the bridge is a fun looking, but another potentially dangerous game. One person, while getting their hand held, stands up on a students’ back, and walks down a line of back of students. There are only about 6 or 7 students so they have to continually run in place. Some of them fell, but they were okay.
The giant group jump rope is exactly how it sounds. Here are some pictures for it.
The performances were great. Most of them really had it on point, while others even though they were a little sloppy were great. Two groups did a small number to Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller.’ They weren’t bad lol. I was more impressed than anything because they actually tried to do the movements. Some of them half-assed it but I think that just came from having no confidence.
In the end, the all girl’s class one, the yellow team. Of course they were crying, that’s to be expected in these things. I….participated in a race. It was alright; I mean you can’t put a math and social studies teacher in a race and expect them to win, lol. But it’s okay. It was funny that even though all classes cheered for their own color, they all cheered together when I passed by. They’re cute lol. In any case, it was a good day, despite my going to work on a Saturday….at least I get Monday off.
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Today, I was able to go to work with a regular t-shirt and sweatpants because of the Sports Festival preparation. This is my second Sports Festival but for some reason, this one seems more exciting. It could be because around this time I had just arrived so I wasn’t used to anybody yet. Even so, it’s like a holiday without being at home because I’m able to lounge around in comfortable clothes or just stand around and chat and watch the students do a practice run of the festival. It’s one of the most relaxing days at Japanese high schools and the students get to relax and spend time with each other outside of the classroom. I’ll get to the actual Festival another day, but something ridiculous happened.
So, after the morning schedule of practice, I decided to go to Hotto Motto and come back. I come back, sit down with my drink, prepared to eat it when the boss (who was currently not in our office) told all of the Guidance Counselor teachers to come meet him in a certain office. I’m in the Guidance Counselor’s office, but I’m assuming that I don’t have to go so I just tell them to tell me whatever happens. They leave to see what’s going on. I’m half-way into my lunch when one of the teachers comes back and tells me that two students were caught smoking, while a third, an accomplice was seen trying to alert them to a teacher coming so they can escape. Yes, it’s as serious as it sounds, unfortunately. 
So, at first I was told that three students were caught smoking and two of them were caught while the other one escaped. Then I find out that they were all spotted, tried to run, but were caught by the Guidance Counselor Boss. They brought in the accomplice and demanded answers. He sat right in front of the fridge, while the G.C. Boss was directly in front. On the desk was his written statement. He was accused of being the lookout and telling them to escape when they saw the boss coming. He completely denied it and said that even if he made the hand waving motion to tell them to get away, then he did it unconsciously. See…that would make sense if the G.C.Boss who found those three didn’t see him do it. Therein lies the problem, doesn’t it? In any case, he got yelled at for a while, was told to write down his story on paper and get out. He was only a small fry…an appetizer, if you will.
The next kid that comes in, he’s the third grader (senior) who is graduating this school year. He’s not a bad kid at all, a little headstrong, I guess. Not really judgmental, more like, you have only like two chances to prove to him that you’re cool, otherwise he won’t give you the time of day, kind of guy lol. He’s into baseball as well and is the star pitcher because he’s very good. He was one of the kids caught smoking, but I’m guessing they didn’t interrogate him in this room, so I didn’t see that. 
The second kid caught smoking comes in looking simply bewildered and/or blindsided. It was as if he was confused about what was going on. I’m assuming it’s a bit worrisome if you get caught smoking and you have to have your parents come and take you home. That’s what happens to all of the kids, when something this serious happens. He didn’t stay long in here, but his school bag was packed to the brim with all of his books but his school slippers stayed here. I’m not sure what was going on with him, but he’s a second grader, so he has the chance to make stupid mistakes, but I’m not sure what’s going to happen since he’s the main cause of this, or is he?
The mother of the last student came in. She and her son sat next to each other, the side closest directly in front of the wall, while the Boss and a different teacher sat across from them. Her son was of course, one of the kids who were caught smoking so he’s in trouble as well. He and his mother had to sit there while the G.C. Boss yelled at the student for being stupid. He asked him if this is the kind of behavior a senior should have and why did he come to this school since it seems it certainly wasn’t to graduate because he’s being an idiot and all that. I think the saddest sight wasn’t that this “manly” student was near tears, but how his mom was trying hard not to break down and sob. Like, she was crying, but it wasn't sobbing. I’m sure you’re wondering what I’m wondering; why the hell is the mother crying? Well, this is what happens when you decide to have teachers act like a surrogate parent. The teacher/parent can yell at student, thereby the parent indirectly. The parent should take more responsibility but she knows she’s at fault because at the end she thanked the teachers. It’s a painful embarrassment for the biological mother.
I’m sure that’s not the only reason why when the G.C. Boss was done yelling at them, they were both crying though…but this is the third time this student got his mother called in to the school because of bad behavior. According to the school rules, that’s grounds for immediate expulsion. I’m sure they were well aware of that too. Another sad thing about this is that he’s a senior and since he wasn’t a bad student, he already had a job lined up after graduation, but he got the job through the school, so does that mean he no longer has a job ready for him? I don’t know. So, at the end of the day four students’ lives were interrupted because the G.C. Boss (who is a smoker) would never mistake a cigarette scent. 
This is the full story. The 2nd grader was the one who bought the cigarettes. He bought them that morning at the damn convenient store. Why the hell are they selling cigarettes to high school kids?! The mandatory H.S. uniform is essentially an I.D. card in and of itself, is it not? Not to mention, yes there are cigarette vending machines everywhere, however, you have to scan your ID card in the machine before you can buy them. Despite that, the idiots working at a convenient store will gladly sell them to high school kids? Whatever. So, he manages to get the cigarettes from there in that morning. Shows them off to the older kids and of course he would. That dynamic of wanting to seem cooler to slightly older people doesn’t change. If only it was something more positive because the next thing they know, they’re busted and a kid might get expelled. Who is at fault anyway?
Honestly, I can’t blame the kids. These nicotine-addicted teachers smoke all the time on school grounds! Whenever the teachers have no classes or if it’s during lunchtime or something, you can always see them hanging out together and smoking. Not to mention, Japan still has that belief that you look cool when you smoke. I’m pretty sure the States discarded that notion by the mid-late 90s. Even so, one stupid mistake by a convenience store clerk potentially resulted in a student being kicked out school, thus losing his job offer. Who is responsible for this? Could it be the kid for purchasing them in the first place? Could it be the idiot who sold them? Could it be a social problem? So many people need nicotine that almost everywhere we go has some kind of smoke room, or if there isn’t one, you can smoke where you sit. Could the youth who are clearly influenced by all of these factors be responsible for his response to his own culture? I don’t know.
So, there was a typhoon yesterday. Nothing much happened other than everyone continuing work as usual. That’s all well and good if you have a car, but they had students come in too. Now, I’m not going to get into the cultural significance of teachers coming into work and kids being forced to bike to during a typhoon, only to be sent home an hour later and be expected to bike home with the typhoon worsening, but it’s something ridiculous.
The vice principal was supposed to decide if teachers would be able to go home without having to take nenkyuu, but they weren’t fooled. He used the Japanese equivalent of, “….I’ll think about it.” Yeah…those teachers weren’t going home without taking a vacation day. A lot of teachers did take paid holiday, but I don’t think that should have been necessary. However, there were enough teachers who, believe it or not, didn’t want to go home, but I don’t think they were part of the reason why the vice principal made teachers take paid holiday just to go home during a typhoon.
One of those people is one of the English teachers, the most progressive one. She told me and everyone else in the office that even if she had the opportunity to go home early, she isn’t going to go. She would never go home early. Why, you ask? According to her, her kids are too difficult to deal with and she could never do things that she wants to do…..whaaat!? So, she doesn’t want to go home because then she’d have to take care of her own kids…..and what’s wrong with that? It was the same thing with the kids; some of them didn’t want to go home and would rather hang out with their friends at school. Based on one of the previous posts, I inadvertently ended up finding out why young kids don’t like going home because it’s either too awkward or, like I heard from one of my English contest students, “There’s nothing to do.” I don’t think I’ll ever understand that.
I suppose I can kind of understand where the teacher is coming from, about her raising her kids is difficult so she wouldn’t want to go home early. I just can’t understand how she can say that so casually to the other males in the office without thinking twice about it. The men laughed about it, but little do they know that their wives are feeling the exact same way lol.
Then she’s going to turn around and complain to me that she has too much work. She was always slightly frustrated at the fact that other English teachers are able to go home at 5 sharp, and why she never seems to be able to. She said that because she’s been in our office the longest that she has the most information, so everyone asks her questions. She finds herself helping everyone else with everything during the day, while she’s staying until 7, 8 o’clock finishing her own work. Once again I get the true feelings of another Japanese person just because I’m not Japanese. Since I’ve been given that privilege again, I take the opportunity and tell her honestly that she’s stretching herself too far for people that just want you to do their work for them. She’s like most women in whom they’ll do anything and everything for people, sometimes without even asking, just so people will talk positively about them. After all, rude chicks don’t get husbands ;-).
While she’s already married with children, it seems as though she can’t shake that off and she finds herself doing everyone else favors. I told her that she start saying no and not think twice about it. Now, I shouldn’t have to tell a 33 year old mother of three about these things but it seems as though she’s never been told things like that. Well…I’ll be more than happy to let her know. ^_^
I’ve said this before but; I’m at an agricultural school. Not many of my students are going to college. From the start, my students are meant to believe that they won’t achieve anything but being a farmer, a gas station attendant, a convenience store worker or making ramen for some stranger (meaning a ramen restaurant not in the family). They aren’t told explicitly; it’s the simple fact that they’re in a school called an Agricultural school, as opposed to a commercial, academic or marine school. The contest was the whole Miyazaki prefecture, so students in which their academic schools have a 95% college attendance rate also attended. Bi-racial students also attended. So my Rock Star Cicada already had about 2 major strikes against him. Despite all that, he came in 5th. I am so proud of him.
I’m heavily biased but I think he should have placed a number or two higher lol. Okay, that’s all I’m going to say about that. I told him about bi-racial kids and that because of how they’re raised they might or might not have excellent, natural sounding English. I told him not to worry about it though, and that all he had to do was focus on his speech. In our case though, the biracial kids didn’t compete in our recitation, rather they were doing the long 5 minute speeches.
Despite his nervousness, the fact that he put all of his trust in me made me even more determined to push him. All of his practicing and hard work paid off. He was up against 35 other students and completely destroyed 30 of them. The ones he didn’t beat had luck on their side -.-. I had to say that I’ve never been so nervous/agitated/anxious for someone not in my family before until that day. They weren’t necessarily bad emotions but they were strong. His voice was a little low because he was a tad too far from the mic but he did very well. We had a couple of hours to wait until the results were finalized though.
I saw Chisaka-san’s speech because we were all in the same room and she did well, she said she did better than she thought she would. She wasn’t able to place though, but I’m just glad that she didn’t freak out and forget her speech or something lol.
So everyone was sitting there, waiting for the results to be called. The second name to be called was my Rock Star Cicada. I couldn’t stop the smile. He did it. He went up to receive his victory certificate then he comes back, smiles shyly and goes, “….I got it.” I taught him natural English of course, so he can use “I get it” and “I got it” in the proper situations. He’s such a good listener!
The contest was on a Friday so I didn’t get all the “Thank you’s” n stuff until Tuesday. One of the teachers said that our school never got into the top 6 until Friday. I’m having a hard time believing that, but I can’t necessarily check it. Regardless, let’s just let the Rock Star Cicada have his day. He’s graduating next March. He is part of the small percentage of students who will head off to college, to the international school at that…..yeeeessss! When I see him in class, he doesn’t slack off on the proper pronunciation of English words even though teachers won’t correct him because they speak the same Katakana English. I think the best thing about him is that if you saw him, you would think he was just like every other normal Japanese high school boy. Little does anyone know, he can act, he has progressive thoughts about visiting other countries, he refuses to use the term “half” for biracial people and can pronounce the hell out of v’s, l’s, r’s and th’s. By the time you realize his hidden talents, you’re already charmed.