One more year in Japan!
When I looked out the window this morning, I found a thin layer of snow covering everything...it's the first snow of the year!
I handed in my intent to re-contract this morning. I will be staying another year!
While at school, it started snowing again. It's so beautiful to watch. Especially from inside the staff room where all the kerosene heaters are working at full blast. However, if it continues for much longer, I might not be able to drive back home after work today.
When I mentioned that I would be joining one of the PE classes today, Shimasaki sensei decided to join as well. Because it was snowing, the class consisted of running around the inside of the gym for 20 minutes non-stop. I'm not sure what distance I covered, but I felt like I got quite a workout.. I couldn't believe that out of the 80 students (2 classes), not a single person stopped to take a break during the 20 minute run. Everyone is in such good shape...and if they're not, they'll still push themselves to the max because quitting is not an option.
I've decided I'm going to start running regularly.
I got an answer back from the Foreign Language university about possibly sitting in on one of the Japanese classes that they offer. I'll be heading down to the university to meet with one of the professors after work on Monday.
During today's daily morning meeting, the teacher responsible for enforcing the rules (all teachers enforce rules, but he makes annoucements regularly about checking that all skirts reach below the knees, that pants are not falling off the boys' behinds, that the top button of the shirts are always done up, greetings are done in a loud enough voice etc...) announced that they received a phone call from someone who lives in the school's neighbourhood. According to this individual, two Seiryo students were sitting at the back of a bus and making out..! So he/she called the school to complain about it. "What are the teachers teaching!" He asked, " Why aren't the teachers doing their job teaching the students what is acceptable behaviour in public!" In the 2.5 years at Seiryo, this is the first time they've received a call complaining about a student.
For a westerner, it might seem a little ridiculous to think that any undesirable activity that students partake in AFTER school, AWAY from school grounds still be the responsability of the teachers. But that's how it goes here.
I never cease to be amazed at how much responsibility is placed on the school/teachers to raise the students. They are responsible not only for teaching subject school matters, but also (and more importantly) for teaching manners and how to behave properly with one another (to work together, to think of others, to make everyone feel included etc.). A lot of importance is placed on greeting people correctly, being polite, always striving for excellence, always doing your best. One of the most commonly heard phrases is 'gambatte!' (do your best!) or 'gambarimasu'! (I will strive to do my best!).
Every aspect of the student's life is monitored by the teacher. The intellectual, emotional and physical developement of each student is closely followed by the teachers. The students are required to write about how they feel after school events, special talks, performances etc. The students have forms they have to hand in to the teachers accounting for how they spent every hour of their weekend. The amount of information that the teachers know about each student would be considered a total invasion of privacy in any Western school.
Teachers have one of the highest regarded jobs in Japanese society and are very well respected. But along with that comes huge responsibilities. The time spent at school is unbelievable. Between managing club activities, preparing for classes, teaching classes, meeting for all the committees that each teacher is on...I don't know how they manage to find time to do anything other than work!
I handed in my intent to re-contract this morning. I will be staying another year!
While at school, it started snowing again. It's so beautiful to watch. Especially from inside the staff room where all the kerosene heaters are working at full blast. However, if it continues for much longer, I might not be able to drive back home after work today.
When I mentioned that I would be joining one of the PE classes today, Shimasaki sensei decided to join as well. Because it was snowing, the class consisted of running around the inside of the gym for 20 minutes non-stop. I'm not sure what distance I covered, but I felt like I got quite a workout.. I couldn't believe that out of the 80 students (2 classes), not a single person stopped to take a break during the 20 minute run. Everyone is in such good shape...and if they're not, they'll still push themselves to the max because quitting is not an option.
I've decided I'm going to start running regularly.
I got an answer back from the Foreign Language university about possibly sitting in on one of the Japanese classes that they offer. I'll be heading down to the university to meet with one of the professors after work on Monday.
During today's daily morning meeting, the teacher responsible for enforcing the rules (all teachers enforce rules, but he makes annoucements regularly about checking that all skirts reach below the knees, that pants are not falling off the boys' behinds, that the top button of the shirts are always done up, greetings are done in a loud enough voice etc...) announced that they received a phone call from someone who lives in the school's neighbourhood. According to this individual, two Seiryo students were sitting at the back of a bus and making out..! So he/she called the school to complain about it. "What are the teachers teaching!" He asked, " Why aren't the teachers doing their job teaching the students what is acceptable behaviour in public!" In the 2.5 years at Seiryo, this is the first time they've received a call complaining about a student.
For a westerner, it might seem a little ridiculous to think that any undesirable activity that students partake in AFTER school, AWAY from school grounds still be the responsability of the teachers. But that's how it goes here.
I never cease to be amazed at how much responsibility is placed on the school/teachers to raise the students. They are responsible not only for teaching subject school matters, but also (and more importantly) for teaching manners and how to behave properly with one another (to work together, to think of others, to make everyone feel included etc.). A lot of importance is placed on greeting people correctly, being polite, always striving for excellence, always doing your best. One of the most commonly heard phrases is 'gambatte!' (do your best!) or 'gambarimasu'! (I will strive to do my best!).
Every aspect of the student's life is monitored by the teacher. The intellectual, emotional and physical developement of each student is closely followed by the teachers. The students are required to write about how they feel after school events, special talks, performances etc. The students have forms they have to hand in to the teachers accounting for how they spent every hour of their weekend. The amount of information that the teachers know about each student would be considered a total invasion of privacy in any Western school.
Teachers have one of the highest regarded jobs in Japanese society and are very well respected. But along with that comes huge responsibilities. The time spent at school is unbelievable. Between managing club activities, preparing for classes, teaching classes, meeting for all the committees that each teacher is on...I don't know how they manage to find time to do anything other than work!
posted by Meeshe at 6:06 PM
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