April 1st is the start of a new fiscal year in Japan. In the US, fiscal years didn't mean much to me. However, in Japan they have ushered in a whole slew of changes. The new fiscal year also coincides with the new academic year. Students that I taught in elementary school are now looking so much older dressed in the junior high school uniform. I haven't had any classes yet (this first week was filled with administrative chores), but it will be interesting and perhaps difficult to switch from being seen as their main English teacher to an assistant who controls such a small percentage of any given class.
My school now also has a few new teachers. The Japanese system for teacher placement is confusing to me. I know I wouldn't want to be a part of it permanently. A teacher cannot stay in a school for more than six or seven years. Once they reach that point, and oftentimes many years beforehand, they are moved to another school. The school doesn't even need to be a local one. Gunma is divided into four education zones. A teacher can be transferred to any school within one of the zones. And by any school, I mean that a teacher teaching at a junior high school could be moved to an elementary school or vice versa. The time frame for reorienting yourself after a move is extremely short. Just about a week is given between finding out if/where you are transferring and the start of the new school term. Can you imagine being a teacher at a nice jhs near your house and then on March 31st (with the new school year starting April 7th) being told that you will be transferred to an elementary school an hour commute away?
I don't see much sense in this system. I guess you can argue that it keeps things fresh and fair since everyone is affected equally, but it seems like teachers cannot build strong relationships with staff or loyalty to a school. It also seems to cause unnecessary stress.
At any rate, my school now has four new staff members. That is a relatively low turnover. Some of my friends' schools have lost a third of their old teachers. Lucky for me, none of the new teachers are English teachers, so I won't have to start over again with a new person. The new teachers are also very welcoming and interested in me which I appreciate.
Another change which I find a bit disorienting (simply because I keep forgetting about it) is that the teachers change which grade they are teaching. They are attached to a particular class. For instance, the teacher of first years last year is now teaching the second years. The old second year teacher now has the third years. I would have hated this system growing up. To be stuck with the same teacher (or class) year after year just sounds horrible. Plus, it adds more work to the teachers' life since they are responsible for creating lesson plans for every grade, not just perfecting them at one level like in the US.
Showing posts with label strange. Show all posts
Showing posts with label strange. Show all posts
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Office Parties
I wrote about graduation, but I haven't talked about the enkais. An enkai is an office party. Some schools (and businesses) have them all the time. A friend has been to three or four in half a year. Both my junior high and elementary schools' only enkai was in connection with graduation.
I was picked up at my apartment on both occasions by an English teacher. The junior high school's enkai was held in the upper room of a popular Chinese restaurant. Not every teacher came, but most made it. Unlike American office parties, no spouses or other guests were allowed. The point of an enkai is to allow everyone a safe place to get drunk and speak freely so office tensions can be eased. Beer and other alcohol flow freely at these events. Each person pays about 50 dollars to attend, which provides for the private room, the immense platters of food, and the limitless drinks.
Part of the etiquette of an enkai is to never let a glass go empty. It is also rude to fill your own glass. The proper thing to do is grab a bottle of beer or a pitcher of tea and circulate the room, ready to top-off anyone's glass. Even a full glass means little. I had teachers tell me to drink from my full glass so that they could refill it. It was a fun and boisterous evening.
To close the party we all stood and some teachers made short speeches. Then the teachers began a series of rhythmic clapping. I had no idea what was going on. Apparently, this is a normal way to end a party in Japan.
It was, however, not the end of the night. After our first enkai, the party went on to second enkai. The women and men split up for this. I have no idea what the men went on to do. Probably something fun. The women went to a brightly lit chain restaurant for ice cream sundaes. It wasn't quite the second enkai I was expecting, but it had its own charms. I've heard of some schools continuing on through third and fouth enkai, but since people were tired ours ended after two rounds.
The enkai at my elementary schools was pretty much the same as at my junior high school. We went to an Italian restaurant instead, and more people got drunker. While the jhs stuck to beer only, the elementary school teachers also brought out wine and sake. Perhaps that explains the oddest moment I've had yet in Japan. I was eating some spaghetti early in the evening when a third grade teacher who I hardly interact with tapped me on the shoulder and handed me a piece of paper. He then requested that I sing a song with him in front of everyone later in the evening. I was surprised, but I couldn't say no. I looked down at the piece of paper he'd handed me. The song we were to sing? Puff the Magic Dragon. Later in the evening our turn to entertain arrived. The teacher pulled a guitar out from nowhere. Then he unfolded a music stand from his bag like he were Mary Poppins. It was professional. He called out in English, "Ladies and Gentlemen! Boys and Girls!" People looked at him amused. I wondered if he was crazy. He started to strum his guitar and we started belting out Puff the Magic Dragon to a group of drunk teachers. It was surreal.
I was picked up at my apartment on both occasions by an English teacher. The junior high school's enkai was held in the upper room of a popular Chinese restaurant. Not every teacher came, but most made it. Unlike American office parties, no spouses or other guests were allowed. The point of an enkai is to allow everyone a safe place to get drunk and speak freely so office tensions can be eased. Beer and other alcohol flow freely at these events. Each person pays about 50 dollars to attend, which provides for the private room, the immense platters of food, and the limitless drinks.
Part of the etiquette of an enkai is to never let a glass go empty. It is also rude to fill your own glass. The proper thing to do is grab a bottle of beer or a pitcher of tea and circulate the room, ready to top-off anyone's glass. Even a full glass means little. I had teachers tell me to drink from my full glass so that they could refill it. It was a fun and boisterous evening.
To close the party we all stood and some teachers made short speeches. Then the teachers began a series of rhythmic clapping. I had no idea what was going on. Apparently, this is a normal way to end a party in Japan.
It was, however, not the end of the night. After our first enkai, the party went on to second enkai. The women and men split up for this. I have no idea what the men went on to do. Probably something fun. The women went to a brightly lit chain restaurant for ice cream sundaes. It wasn't quite the second enkai I was expecting, but it had its own charms. I've heard of some schools continuing on through third and fouth enkai, but since people were tired ours ended after two rounds.
The enkai at my elementary schools was pretty much the same as at my junior high school. We went to an Italian restaurant instead, and more people got drunker. While the jhs stuck to beer only, the elementary school teachers also brought out wine and sake. Perhaps that explains the oddest moment I've had yet in Japan. I was eating some spaghetti early in the evening when a third grade teacher who I hardly interact with tapped me on the shoulder and handed me a piece of paper. He then requested that I sing a song with him in front of everyone later in the evening. I was surprised, but I couldn't say no. I looked down at the piece of paper he'd handed me. The song we were to sing? Puff the Magic Dragon. Later in the evening our turn to entertain arrived. The teacher pulled a guitar out from nowhere. Then he unfolded a music stand from his bag like he were Mary Poppins. It was professional. He called out in English, "Ladies and Gentlemen! Boys and Girls!" People looked at him amused. I wondered if he was crazy. He started to strum his guitar and we started belting out Puff the Magic Dragon to a group of drunk teachers. It was surreal.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Oddities and Other Ends
Without a self-introduction to give, I was curious how classes would be. I had two first-year classes where I felt mostly useless. I was called upon occasionally to repeat the new vocabulary word. "Band." "B-mumble-mumble-d-nd." "Band!" "B-a-o-n-d-mumble." I hope that situation improves.
The other class I had was a third-year. I was able to lead a warm-up game that actually worked. Written on the board was a word for each team. One by one team members would come to the board to write a new word that started with the last letter of the word preceding. Kids liked it, and that's really the most important aspect of these games right now. I need to figure out what is both at their level and engaging. Found one, now I only need a dozen more.
The rest of my day was consumed with speech competition kids (who are just awesome), rain, trying to figure out the activity for tomorrow's 2nd years, and saying goodbye to a friend from home.
Matt, who is currently at his orientation for Fulbright, visited me over the past two days. It was really fun, especially the time when he, I, and Can talked over Skype. It felt like a mini-reunion from senior year. Yesterday evening, Matt, Leslie, and I went out to eat at a nearby restaurant. It was delicious. Edamame, squid, rice, miso soup, chicken, tenpura, eggs, pork cooked to perfection, sake, and Sapporo (support your local brewery!) beer.
That was feast one this week. On Sunday I am going to Nagano with my cooking class to this restaurant
to eat this meal
I am looking forward to it. We will also be going to a museum and a famous shopping district.
To end I must fulfill the title of this post. Japan is odd. Anyone have ideas as to what these are, or why these are?
The other class I had was a third-year. I was able to lead a warm-up game that actually worked. Written on the board was a word for each team. One by one team members would come to the board to write a new word that started with the last letter of the word preceding. Kids liked it, and that's really the most important aspect of these games right now. I need to figure out what is both at their level and engaging. Found one, now I only need a dozen more.
The rest of my day was consumed with speech competition kids (who are just awesome), rain, trying to figure out the activity for tomorrow's 2nd years, and saying goodbye to a friend from home.
Matt, who is currently at his orientation for Fulbright, visited me over the past two days. It was really fun, especially the time when he, I, and Can talked over Skype. It felt like a mini-reunion from senior year. Yesterday evening, Matt, Leslie, and I went out to eat at a nearby restaurant. It was delicious. Edamame, squid, rice, miso soup, chicken, tenpura, eggs, pork cooked to perfection, sake, and Sapporo (support your local brewery!) beer.
That was feast one this week. On Sunday I am going to Nagano with my cooking class to this restaurant
to eat this meal
I am looking forward to it. We will also be going to a museum and a famous shopping district.
To end I must fulfill the title of this post. Japan is odd. Anyone have ideas as to what these are, or why these are?
