Good-bye Letters from the ２年生 (8th Graders)

These are some of my fav lines from the ２年生 letters. The cover was drawn (painted??) by one of the girls, Sonoko. :)


I like to speak with Mya resting time. -Masao

No Mya no English. -Marumo

The class of Mya was terrible and happy. -Kotomi E.

Thank you very much for English lessons. Since I was an elementary school student. You are a very kind teacher. Please come to Japan again. I miss you. I want to see you again. You are great. That's why you, remember all the names students and teaches. Be active in the U.S. too. -Kohei Y.

When I am in a difficulty, you always teaches me....Your lesson is so popularity. -Shohei N.

I know you go to school by bike evry day. -Shoko

When I didn't like English, I meat you. I like English very much. -Junpei

My Profile
name. Mariko A.
HPB. 1998/2/6
love. ARASHI (嵐), Mya
like. iPod, CDs, DVDs, books

When I talking to you, then was very funny! I will miss you after you are gone to anywhere. -Keigo

Your smile was charming Mya. -Morio

I won't forget that I spent days with Mya. -Ren E.

Thank you maya. I never forget you. -Aoi Tkhs.

Thank you for learning my name. -Mizuki Nghs.

If I can speak English very well, then I have a lot of things that I wanna talk to you more. -Rina

I don't forget a good memory with you. -Takahiro (a.k.a. Robato)

I think you are great teacher. Because Japanese is difficult. But you learn our name. -Yuya Kdm.

Don't forget me! -Yusuke H.

Dear Mya
Do you have to go to the U.S? You can't come back to Japan? I'm so sad. I think you are good English teacher. When I was a boy, you came to Ohrui elementary school, I was so happy. I miss you. Will you come back to Japan, please. We will welcome you, when you come back to Japan. Thank you very much. I love you. 今まで、　ありがとうございました。　お元気で。 -Toru

Good-bye Letters from Class 3-1

Yesterday was my last day at school with students. ;( I'm really sad...but, surprisingly, I wasn't that emotional yesterday. It was a HUGE relief, because I fully expected to be sobbing on stage in front of 550 students and staff while trying to give my speech twice-- once in English and once in Japanese. Giving speeches is stressful. Giving speeches in Japanese is more stressful. Talking while sobbing is embarrassing. Giving a speech in Japanese while sobbing is my nightmare. I am so glad that I was okay. And I was able to just talk from the stage without crying much and without being super nervous. I got a lot of help with my Japanese translation from my good friend, Matsumura Sensei. :) Right before the assembly where I gave the speech, I had my last class. LAST CLASS!??! It was with a san-nen-sei (9th grade) class. Here are some excerpts from their letters...

I enjoyed your class. Because you teach me a lot of things with your smile. I never say "Good bye". Because I will met you again!! -Kazuya

But I love the class of the Mya. -Chinatsu

You are kind and tender. You are cute and good smell. -Chihiro

That is made annoyingly at class and not breathed in always. However, Mya taught always gently...It is lovery Mya and it exists indefinitely. -Riri

I am poor at studying English paticulaly. But thanks to Mya. I am good at English a little. -Yusuke

When the earthquake occurs, Mya didn't return. Everybody was very relieved. We love you very much. -Momoka

I owe like English to you. -Aika

I think that want to you give something to thank. But I can't. So the letter write hard. -Miki

How was your staying in Japan? good or bad? I lived all this while in Japan. It's a very good place. -Seina

Thank you for the earthquake's happening and teaching English though it was serious. -Katsuhisa

えいごのじゅぎょうでこころにのこっているのは、　here と hear　をまちがえたことです。 -Takahiro

Good-bye Letters from Class 3-4

Reading these good-bye letters makes me laugh and cry. Here are my favorite lines from the students in class 3-4.

I don't forget you. -Hyuga

I like your class of all. -Ryo M.

I like English. Because I can read English. I'm happy to study English with you. -Kota

Because you taught English us I can understand. -Risa

I'm a member of rugby club. I'm famous for the world. -Keisuke

I can hear real English very good! -Shun

I think that English is difficult but it is fun and important. I'm happy to meet you. I'll never forget you. -Takahiro

My name is Ken. I'm from Japan. -Ken

I'll give you a point. Very funny. -Yoshinary [This is an inside joke in this class...One time when I said, "I'll give you a point", it sounded like a Japanese sentence...so it turned into a play on words. We all cracked up! After that, whenever I went to 3-4, it came up again and again.]

Thank you for listening to my suffering. When I do not understand it by a class, thank you teaching it kindly. "I'll give you a point" was very interesting. ...I never forget it for the days that I spent with you. -Yuka

I want to be a scientist, so I study science hard. Another dream is to go to other country. I will go to there alone if I become a man. -Souta

Talking with you very happy. -Takeshi [I like this comment because Takeshi never seems happy to talk to me...and I always feel like he doesn't want to talk to me...so I just say hi and try not to bother him. I'm really surprised and relieved that he says he was very happy to talk with me!]

I have ached eye. -Ryouta

Because you return to the your house; I am sad. I want to study English more, and to visit your house. I wanted you to teach English more. I don't forget you for a long time. Thank you for reading this letter from me. -Souki

Please don't forget this school indefinitely. -Chihiro

I want to talking with you many times. So I'm sad. It is hard for me to study English, but I like English. I'll study English hard. -Nami

I've been happy to study with you. -Mizuki

When I talked with you, I was happy. I want to be a good baseball player. Because you will be a good English teacher. -Atsuya

Talking with you was a lot of fun. -Keisuke [He's another boy who doesn't ever seem like he wants to talk to me...Surprising comment!]

I will study English very heard. Because when I meet Mya I want to speak in real English. -Murakami

You were understanding Japanese. So I can speak with you. -Kei

Your advice was a great help to me. -Suzuka

I have been happy to study with you. -Hirata


Me, too! I have been happy to study with you.

Student Good-byes

On Friday I had my last class with 3-3 (3rd grade (U.S. 9th grade)
class 3)...sad!! Masayuki, who is the English gakkari (student in charge of checking in with the English teacher regularly and relaying important info to the rest of the class), presented me with a book of letters from all the kids in the class. Here are some of my favorite lines...

I enjoy going to school every day...Thank you for teaching us native English. --Toshiki

By the way, My hobby is watching TV. -- Keisuke

I don't have dreams so I will find dreams. --Haruka

I'm not good at English. But I like English. --Ayaka N.

Answering my question all the time. I always enjoyed Mya's class. --Yuri

I like fish very much. But you doesn't like fish, doesn't you? Fish is very delicious. So I want you to like fish someday. ...And you always dress well. --Mao

I don't forget you. --Sota

Thank you for teaching. I didn't like English. But I like it now. :-) -- Ayaka I.

We speak and study and have a good time. --Daiki

If I'll be a English teacher, I hope like you!! --Tetsuya

By the way I'm so so. --Rikiya

You have worked hard in this school trying to make us develope English. --Ken

I want be very good father. --Ryuya

I love love love love Mya. Thank you for answering my questions. --Mikiya

I love sweets. Because I can be happy. --Honami

I have a stecker from Mya so I'm happy. --Takumi

my dream is wont to speak English it --Kyouhei

I want to speak English. --Kenta

I'm tired and sad and soso and fine and angly and hungry and sleepy and by the way I love you. --Ryonosuke

Aaah...I'm SO sad to leave these kids. I can't believe I have to say good bye to 20 more homerooms full of kids in the next week and a half and give 7 good-bye speeches, plus try to catch up with the kids in the 4 classes I don't have anymore classes with. やだ。　本当にさびしい。

Clarification of which socks are banned

As I wrote a couple posts ago, we have a new school rule banning short socks. Here is the poster that was distributed to clarify which lengths of socks are banned-- as indicated by the infamous "batsu" X. The acceptable sock lengths are those with a "maru" circle above them. This is still crazy to me.

Rules Rule Life in Japan

The rules in this country are truly hard to believe-- hard to believe what they are and how many there are. It's like the whole country (well, maybe mostly jr. high.....but not only jr. high!) is an altar boy boarding school. I'm not exaggerating. I mean if it wasn't my real life, I would not believe it. If I was reading this blog instead of writing it, I would definitely think it was just ridiculous. BUT, I hope that you will believe what you read, because it's true-- even though it's ridiculous.

Today I received the "Seasonal Change of Uniform" notice on my desk. Starting today, students are allowed to start transitioning from their winter uniforms to their spring/summer uniforms. This means that they can wear short sleeves if they want to, and girls don't have to wear their vests. This transition must be completed by June 13, meaning that after that date girls won't be allowed to wear vests anymore, and no one will be allowed to wear long sleeves. Even if we have cold weather. We've already had several days of weather in the high 70s, but no one was allowed to wear short sleeves because it wasn't one-week-before-June (i.e. May 23) yet. The acceptable uniforms are dictated by the typical weather patterns of the calendar, without regard for the actual weather conditions. Who thinks this makes sense? [NOTE: Short sleeve shirts and vests cannot be worn together. Vests are only permitted to be worn over long sleeve shirts.]

Other school rules include:
-No plucking or trimming your eyebrows. (This doesn't mean you shouldn't do it at school...It means you're not allowed to pluck or trim them at all-- not even at home.)
-Keep your fingernails clipped short. (Or else, you will be made to go to the staff room and clip them over the trash can before you can go back to class.)
-Girls whose hair is longer than shoulder-length must tie it back with an elastic-- or two, but not three-- that is either brown, black, or navy blue.
-No clipping your hair in the front.
-No perming or straightening your hair.
-No colored socks-- only white.
-During cold weather-- which according to the school calendar is Sept. 26-May 23-- if you wear a coat, gloves, or a scarf, they must be navy blue, black, gray, brown, or white.
-No bringing backpacks into the staff room.
-No wearing sports team uniforms in the staff room.
-Girls may not wear pants, except for when wearing sports uniforms.
-Boys must button their Mandarin collar suit jackets up all the way to the top button (or not wear them at all). If you take your jacket off, you must also take your sweater off because sweaters are not allowed to be seen, even though they're allowed to be worn.
-P.E. uniform jackets must be zipped up all the way to the top (or not worn at all).
-No going into any classroom other than your own.
-No spending the night at a friend's house.
-No going to an arcade without parent supervision.
-No stickers or key chains on school bags or gym bags.
-No food of any kind is allowed to be brought to school. (You must persevere through the hunger (and pay attention in class) for the approximately 5 hours between when you eat breakfast around 7 or 8, have morning tennis, soccer, baseball, or volleyball practice...maybe have P.E. and when you eat lunch at 12:55.)
-Mints are also strictly forbidden.
-Of course, no make-up, nail polish, or pierced ears.
-Even for teachers, there isn't supposed to be eating at school, other than lunch...Unless the food was given to you as a present from another staff member. [This loophole makes the whole rule even more incomprehensible.] **CONFESSION: I have actually snuck a Tupperware container of peanut butter toast into the bathroom at school and eaten it in the stall because I couldn't last the 6 hours between breakfast and lunch. WHAAAT?! Who does this?? This is my real life. This is my real life? This is my real life! OHmyGOSH. I'm always wishing that someone would bring back peanut butter toast for a staff room present.

I think there are many dozen more school rules, but many of them have become so commonplace to me now that I can't even remember them. OH! I almost forgot...There is a new school rule this year: Girls are not allowed to wear short socks. Of all the rules, this one brought the biggest surprise recently. I thought we already had every conceivable rule, but some teachers managed to think up another one! Aah, one more...this is an elementary school rule: (Are you ready for this?! I can almost not even write it without laughing out loud at the absurdity of it.) No putting your hands in your pockets. (If you do, teachers may use packing tape to seal your pockets shut.)

Outside of school there are innumerable societal expectations that regulate everyone's lives, even though they may not be written.
-Be quiet on trains.
-No eating or drinking on trains.
-No eating or drinking while walking.
-Water is mainly for washing, not drinking. You are allowed to drink water, but you will get questions and strange looks. And if you order it at Starbucks, they will give you a 2 oz. shot of water, which you will have already drunk by the time you walk to your table.
-At staff dinner parties and other official functions, there is to be no drinking before the official "kampai" (cheers). Even if you're thirsty and there is a beverage in front of you, you may not take a sip.
-Women should not sit cross-legged when sitting on the floor in restaurants or homes. Sit in seiza. **NOTE from Wikipedia: "Those unfamiliar with seiza will likely find that maintaining it for more than a minute or two tends to lead to loss of circulation, with the accompanying 'pins and needles' feeling, followed by painful burning sensations, and then eventually complete numbness in the legs." Awesome.
-Wearing sunglasses is really, really unusual, so if you wear them, you will definitely get lots of comments about how cool you are and how you look like a Hollywood star. You will have to explain again and again and again how light-colored eyes are more sensitive to the sun...and contort your face to demonstrate how if you're not wearing sunglasses you have to squint when it's bright outside. All of this is just embarrassing. Especially because it's really frowned upon in this culture to draw attention to yourself. (As though you're wearing sunglasses in an attempt to draw attention to yourself and make everyone think you're ultra cool!) ;D

It's hard for me to recall all the rules and expectations that used to be news to me but now just seem normal. ;D The rules in Japan that make me the most crazy are the post office rules. They require an entry of their own. Stay tuned...

My Perfectionism is Unglued

"Are you good at gluing?"

This is a real question asked to me by one of my JTEs (Japanese Teacher of English) this week. I offered to help her glue the covers onto the songbooks she had copied for the 9th grade teachers (including me! Yaaay!) to use when we sang at the Farewell Assembly for the 9th graders, who are graduating next week. I wanted to believe that this question was a joke.....but I didn't really think it was. Despite it being a serious question, I couldn't think of a serious way to respond. All I came up with was an out-loud-laugh and a sarcastic, "Yes, I'm an expert at it." ;D I mean, seriously!! Are you kidding me?!?! AM I GOOD AT GLUING??? Do you think I'm an idiot? Apparently. Do you have any idea about my life? I am a trained teacher. I moved halfway around the world by myself. I live in a foreign culture where everything is complicated and hard to understand. Do you have any idea what I did to get this job? I completed a quarter-inch thick application-- including essays, recommendation letters, transcripts, fingerprints, a background check by the FBI-- in triplicate. I was interviewed intensely by a panel at the Japanese consulate who asked me everything from how I feel about women's rights...and how I'd feel about being asked to serve tea...to how I'd adjust to the role of assisting teachers in their classrooms when I was accustomed to being an independent teacher in my own classroom...how I'd introduce myself to students in simple English...and how I'd explain American foreign policy to Japanese high school students with limited English ability. I was all of a sudden confronted with one of the interviewers speaking Japanese to me-- Japanese that I didn't understand. But nowhere in that insanely long screening and selection process was I ever asked, "Are you good at gluing?"

Like I mentioned in my previous post, this experience in Japan has helped me recognize my own culture. And I think it is actually one of the best things about this whole experience-- partly because it was so unexpected...and partly because this overarching knowledge will affect the rest of my life. I mean, I came to Japan expecting to learn about Japanese culture and Japanese people's ways of doing things, but it has come as a really big surprise to me that I've learned so much about American culture and myself. A great surprise! =)

And in the case of Ms. AreYouGoodAtGluing-- a terrible surprise. ;[ This is a teacher who is an eXtReMe perfectionist. (Except of course when it comes to creating worksheets with awkward and wrong English and THEN asking me to check them 5 minutes before class, and when I point out 2 or 3 of the several English problems, responding with, "Well, I've already copied them, so I can't change it." When I dare to point out one more serious error that shouldn't be presented to students on a worksheet, she says, defensively, "Okay, that's enough.") Anyways, back to the point. This is a teacher who thinks that her way of doing things is the right way and that no one else can do as good of a job as her. So even if I am good at gluing, if it's not her way of gluing, it's not acceptable. We recently started a point card system where kids can earn stamps on their point card if they answer questions in class or initiate English conversation outside of class. She was really reluctant to allow me to stamp kids' cards instead of telling her who initiated English conversation so she could stamp their cards. Sometimes I do stamp their cards, but if she's around I'm a bit nervous about it. (!!!) Tolerating such condescending, micromanaging, I-can't-trust-you-with-anything treatment from her for the past 2 years has been terrible! Being a semi-perfectionist, like-to-have-things-done-my-way, excessively-attentive-to-inconsequential-details-person myself, I can relate to this teacher. THIS is terrible...to realize that I have been guilty of making other people feel as terrible as she makes me feel. UGH!! Working with her and being on the other side of the situation has been like a mirror reflecting the light back to the base of my light house (see post from Feb. 9). It makes me want to abandon my tendency toward very specific expectations and give people the trust and freedom to do things their way, even if it's not my way. Even though I REALLY like details to be attended to in certain ways ;D I REALLY, REALLY never want to make anyone feel like this perfectionist makes me feel. Although this isn't a lesson in American culture, it is a valuable lesson about myself...and I'm thankful for the experience.

Did you know...?

On my bulletin board at school I have a section called "Did you know?" where I post facts about American jr. high, American holidays, etc. that I figure most Japanese jr. high kids and teachers don't really know. From time to time, it occurs to me that there are random things about Japan that most Americans don't know. For example, did you know that Japanese toilet paper isn't perforated?

Did you know that most public restrooms don't have hot running water?

Did you know that in most prefectures all elementary and jr. high kids AND teachers eat school lunch every day?

Did you know that before lunch is served, the principal has to go to the kitchen and eat his/her lunch first to taste-test it? [I just found out about this last week!! I always wondered where my principal went every day before lunch. HA!]

Did you know that during the summer when it's really hot, the regular size milk cartons that we usually get with school lunch are sometimes replaced by extra large cartons of milk to help quench thirst? (!!?? Seriously, who wants to drink more milk on a hot day??)

Did you know that Japanese people don't really drink water much? (They drink green tea.)

Did you know that a lot of jr. high teachers wear sneakers for their indoor shoes at school even when they're wearing suits? (??!! On that note-- a side story--> One day at the beginning of last year I saw one of the new teachers wearing Crocs with his suit, and I thought, 'Oh, that looks nice!' And then I thought, 'Something is seriously wrong with the fashion here if wearing Crocs with a suit seems "nice"'!!) :P

Next, did you know that in jr. high, attendance is taken by teachers with clipboards and class lists checking the shoe cubbies at the school entrance to see which kids haven't changed from their outdoor shoes to their indoor shoes (indicating that they haven't arrived at school)? (You can see that #20 in class 3-4-- fourth from the top, second from the right-- wasn't at school the morning I took this picture...because his/her indoor shoes are still in the cubby.)

Did you know that you can't take leftover food home from most restaurants?

Did you know that at restaurants you usually only get one menu to share between everyone at the table?

Did you know that you're expected to be quiet (as in, not talk) on trains?

This list is turning out to be longer than I planned, and I could keep going...but it's dinner time. So I'll save others for another post. Hope you learned something new!

The base of the lighthouse is the darkest.

Yesterday on her way past my desk and out of the staff room to go to the weekly staff meeting (which I don't attend), 荒木先生 Araki Sensei said-- in her endearing way-- "Mya, bye." = ) Then 藤井先生 Fujii Sensei followed and raised her hand in a dramatic wave and proudly busted out the three words of English she knows, "See you again!" This was the happiest moment of my day. I had actually had a good day with many happy moments, but this surpassed them. To be called by name...to be addressed by someone who doesn't have a specific need to talk to me, but does anyway...these are the makings of a happy moment. It reminded me of my trip home during Christmas...and that I still haven't written about it.

Each time I go home-- to the States-- I notice something different...things I never noticed when I lived there...things for which I previously had no lens of comparison through which I could see them. At one of the first training seminars I went to soon after arriving in Japan the keynote speaker said, "The base of the lighthouse is darkest." At the time, I considered it for a moment and thought it was kinda interesting...kinda. Now, 2 1/2 years later, after having gone back and forth between Japanese life/culture and American life/culture several times, I'm blown away by the reality of this comparison. My experience in Japan can now light the base of the lighthouse of my American life experience. This past trip home the thing that stood out to me most was HOW FRIENDLY AMERICANS ARE!!! I mean, seriously! I was really in disbelief! えっ！　アメリカ人はいつもこんなにフレンドリーだったん？！ Woah! Have Americans always been this friendly?!

I went to the dentist-- a new dentist, whose office I'd never been to before-- on Friday, the day after I arrived in the States. Then I had to go back on Monday for a follow-up visit. When I walked into the dentist office Monday morning, the receptionist immediately beamed, "Hi Mya! How was your weekend?" !!! "Hi Mya...How was your weekend?"...!!???! NO ONE EVER says that to me! (Well, actually...two of my closest friends here, Matsumura San and Shiyo, both of whom have lived in the States, do ask me.) Within a few minutes the dental office staff knew more about me than the people I work with and sit next to in my Japanese school staff room EVERY DAY. Crazy! I was soooo happy! This was THE BEST way to start off my time at home in the States. It was a striking reawakening of my senses to the friendliness and openness of Americans.

When I went to the bank to exchange my ￥ for $, both tellers who helped me asked right away if I had come from Japan...how long I've been here...what it's like to be in Japan...if the shopping is good...what I do here...if I can speak Japanese. "Wow! That must be so exciting!" they said. One of them told me all about the experience she and her husband had when they lived overseas many years ago. I thought to myself: 'Personal interactions like this would never happen in a Japanese bank.' (Although, if I-- a blond foreigner-- initiated such conversations with Japanese bank staff, they may go along with it. If they're extremely friendly by Japanese standards, they'll think of a question to ask in response to me initiating a conversation.)

As my dad and I were walking out of the bank my dad said, "Hi", to a lady we passed. I knew he didn't know her. Well...I thought he probably didn't know her....But....he just said, "Hi", to her...it seems like he must know her...no I'm sure he doesn't...my dad's just friendly...but, REALLY? I couldn't completely convince myself and fight off the temptation to ask, "Do you know her?" Of course the answer was, "No". Of course, but still hard to believe. Americans say, "Hi", to people they don't know. Again, Japanese strangers greet me-- a blond foreigner who gives them a chance to put to use the English words they remember from jr. high-- but I don't think they ever do this with each other. And unless they're obaasans or ojiisans (around retirement age or older), according to my Japanese teacher, they probably think I'm strange if I greet them first.

I love when Araki Sensei talks to me. She uses a few words of English, and I can tell she's happy to connect with me. She'll never know how much of an impact those few words and her smile have on me-- an American working in Japan...the only American in our school-- surrounded by 580 Japanese staff and students every day.

Some thoughts on education...continued...

Continuing from November 26th...the story I really wanted to tell was about the ridiculous rigidity of the test-focused education system and how it often affects English students (which includes all jr. high students). I'd heard multiple stories from Japanese friends describing the same scenario I'm about to describe, and I was always baffled in disbelief. But when I actually experienced it myself, it was SO appalling and frustrating. It really makes me wonder how this place stays in business. Well, I guess as long as they stay in the testing business, they'll come out on top.

The day the 8th grade English mid-term was handed back, I stopped one of my students, Ken, in the hall and asked him how his test was. He said, "I hate Japanese English." At the beginning of this school year, Ken and his family moved back from Washington, where they had spent about 2 years. Having gone to American school and learning English as a Second Language-- as opposed to English as a Foreign Language, as kids in Japanese schools do-- Ken speaks and writes English naturally. Better than the English teachers. Much better. He shouldn't even have to take the standard English class but there isn't a differentiated (leveled) program, so there's no other class he can take. Poor kid! When I ask him what he means by saying that he hates Japanese English, he shows me one of his test questions that was marked wrong, but that he believes is actually correct. Aah, "I hate Japanese English" means 'I hate English that is awkward and rigid and used to pass tests, not to communicate.' We had recently studied map/directional related words, like: right, left, beside. On the test, students were supposed to write the Japanese word that means "across". Ken's answer was marked wrong because he had written the Japanese word that indicates being diagonally across, rather than the word that means directly across. Although the word catty-corner/kitty-corner exists, it's not like we use it all that often...AND the word "across" could obviously be used to describe something that is catty-corner to something else. I tell Ken that I agree that his answer is correct. He has already talked to the Japanese English teacher about it, but she disagreed. He asks me, "Can you talk to her and get me some points?" / "Yes!" I respond with determination-- hearing the words of Roy, my principal in America, resound in my head: "We do what's best for kids"...while, in the same instant, recognizing that I'm not at Antelope Trails anymore, and these words that I believe with all my heart aren't so easily carried out here. Of course I will go advocate for Ken. But I'm afraid. I shouldn't have to fight this hard with other teachers (!!) to do what's best for kids...but I do. I do have to fight hard because this is a system that is about test scores more than it is about kids as individuals. To people outside this system, this probably all sounds pretty dramatic for something as inconsequential as "across" vs. "catty-corner", but it's not just about this incident. It's about this system that creates this incident again and again in school after school, sending the message to kids that what matters is thousands of memorized words and formulaic, right vs. wrong English on written tests-- not using English as a tool for communicating with people and understanding media. So, I take a deep breath, put on my game face, and go into the staff room and approach Ken's English teacher. I try to be confident inside, while showing humility in my approach. I am on the low rung of the ancient ladder of Japanese school hierarchy. Despite being a native speaker (the only one in my school) and a trained, licensed teacher, with an educational emphasis in ESL (English as a Second Language), my knowledge (I'm not saying I'm an expert or anything!) and opinions have no bearing in this system. I'm abandoning my post on the bottom rung by approaching this veteran Japanese English teacher to question her decision to count a correct answer wrong. (Even now, a month and a half later, just thinking and writing about it makes me sigh with tension.) I use my gentlest, indirect English to bring up the issue with her. She explains that the word Ken wrote means diagonally across, not across. I listen and use my Japanese listening sounds and pause and then finally say that I think (ha! "I think") in English, "diagonal" can also be expressed using "across". She says, with firm frustration in her voice and countenance, "I know". "But in the textbook it says..." "We taught [this meaning]."

Are you kidding me?!?! You are counting this proficient English speaker's correct answer wrong because he didn't write the answer that you taught from the textbook??!! RI-DICULOUS! And even though he knows he can use English-- which is what matters-- he's now in this system where test points matter, so he's distraught over those missed points. I have to go back to Ken and say that I'm very sorry but the teacher won't give him credit for that answer. I try to reassure him that what is important is that he can speak English; at the same time, I acknowledge that I realize that as a student those points matter to him. I try to encourage him by pointing out that in the course of his academic career-- intense as the Japanese jr. high career is-- those few points won't make a difference. I just don't get this teacher's kind of thinking at all. I don't think she's a bad teacher either. She explains grammar clearly and tries to make learning engaging. But this prevalent philosophy of only accepting the answers "we taught" is a crime.

kotoshi mo yoroshiku onegaishimasu -- 今年もよろしくお願いします

"Thank you God for such a great day!" are the words that popped out of my mouth as I got home after work today. I have so many things to write about...my student's test from a month or so ago...my trip home and all that I realized and appreciated...my trip back to Japan and my New Year's here. But, if I don't write about today now, it will soon be added to the list of things I've been meaning to write about. So, I'll write about today for now and then go back to those other topics even though the non-chronological order is, in the back of my mind, driving me crazy. ;D

Today was such a great day. It was much different from my first-day-back-after-break-in-America last year. There wasn't any awkwardness. WELL...actually there was, but not the usual kind. Today's moment of awkwardness came when Nakazatomi Sensei (a.k.a. Super Man) asked if Shimoda Sensei and I went to a such and such place for lunch. I repeated the such with a questioning intonation, "goukan?" Nakazatomi Sensei and the other 9th grade teachers instantly burst into laughter. Oh no! I obviously didn't hear him correctly, and what I did hear is apparently inappropriate to be questioning out loud in the staff room. OhNoOhNo! What did I say?! I instantly reach for my electronic dictionary. Nakazatomi Sensei repeats, "gouka", but at this point I'm much more concerned with finding the meaning of the word I said. Next to me, Shimoda Sensei (the 9th grade English teacher) is bent over in laughter. This is embarrassing. When the definition of goukan comes up on the screen, I'm shocked and more embarrassed. I turn to the 9th grade teachers, bow, and-- through laughter-- say, "sheetsureishimashita" -- I'm sorry...Excuse my mistake. "Goukan" means "rape". Oh no! Next I look up what Nakazatomi Sensei said and found that "gouka" means "luxurious", "deluxe", etc. "Did you go to a fancy restaurant?", is what he was asking. Wow! That was awkward. YET, yet, far less so than the usual awkwardness I experience here...especially on a first day back after break when the typical lack of interaction with the coworkers I sit merely feet from all day is even more shocking after having been in friendly and free America. There is much more to tell about this day, but not enough time now (as is always the case)...To be continued...

Some thoughts on education...

One of the reasons I came to Japan was to learn about the education system and to compare/contrast it w/ the American system. Surprisingly, there’s almost nothing to compare and almost everything to contrast. When teachers and students here ask me how American school is different than Japanese school, I am totally at a loss. ‘Um…in America, kids and teachers don’t clean the school. Someone does that as a job.’ …‘Students don’t wear uniforms.’ And that’s about as far as I get—those two overt differences. Yet in reality, the things that are the same barely number over two, while the things that are different make up the overwhelming majority of the aspects of American school and Japanese school. It's just hard to explain most of the other differences to people who don't know any system other than this one; for me, the second part of that challenge is to explain in a way that doesn't sound critical. Not to mention, I'd have to explain these complicated, delicate issues in very basic English or risk-ridden Japanese (I say "risk-ridden" because of the high chance of sounding offensive in this language that has soo many rules and formulas for showing respect and communicating indirectly, especially with a message that could potentially be taken as negative). No one ever asks me, “Mya, what’s the same about American school and Japanese school?” Presumably, it’s because they expect that most things are the same and few things are different. Subconsciously this must have been what I thought, too, before coming here and entering the world of Japanese education by becoming an ALT (Assistant Language Teacher). Ha! I can’t believe I ever thought that! It's laughable now. If anyone ever did ask me about the similarities between the education systems of our two countries, I could give a complete answer in about 20 seconds. ‘There are students and teachers. There are desks and chairs. Teachers write on chalkboards……[14 seconds remain, so I’m wracking my brain for other things that are the same.] ….There is a lunch break (though almost everything about them is different from the other country). There is bullying (though in America, it’s not acceptable for teachers to bully). There are parent/teacher/student conferences……[9 seconds left…???? That’s all I’ve got.]

I have thought several times that this job would be a lot easier if I wasn’t a teacher…if I didn’t have any background in education…if I hadn’t studied any classroom mgmt. strategies, child psychology, assessment, lesson plan design, etc. etc. Like, if I was just some engineering major who wanted to come experience Japan and so I decided to apply to be an ALT and hang out in Japanese school for a bit, I think I’d be way less appalled and frustrated than I often am. I wouldn’t have so many defined expectations about what education should look like or even what its purpose is. One of my friends here, Rocio, who is from Spain, recently told me about a book she’s been reading. It’s about Japanese society, and specifically, she was talking about the education portion of the book. It says: the purpose of Japanese education is to create Japanese people. !!! This made SO MUCH make sense! SO MUCH sense. It was as if all the lights in Tokyo—well, that’s a lot of lights! …so, maybe not quite that many...it was as if all the lights in Tokyo Disney Land came on in my head! I’m often frustrated and shocked and baffled at what I see in the education system here, because I’m evaluating it and analyzing it through the filter of what is considered right by American education standards. BUT when Rocio told me that, I realized that the purposes of American education and Japanese education are entirely different [even if upon further consideration it could be determined that one of the key purposes of American education is to create Americans-- people who think as Americans, work as Americans, communicate, express their opinions, balance their time, hang out, ask questions, love, apologize as Americans-- as we do all of these things in vastly different ways than Japanese people do them], so it doesn’t make sense for me to judge the system here through the lens of the American system. I felt SUCH relief. In an instant it was as though a heavy burden had been lifted from my shoulders. I no longer have to try to make sense out of the countless disparities I encounter every day. (sigh) :)

However, today was a day of extreme dissatisfaction with “the system” of English education in Japan (guess I haven’t really shed my American education lens! ;D)…which is what prompted me to start writing...but I’ll have to save the details for another sitting. I’m going to Matsumoto Castle (松本城) in Nagano Prefecture (長野県) EARLY (ugh!) tomorrow morning with one of the 9^th grade math teachers, Nakayama Sensei (中山先生), and his daughter. So for now…I’ll just leave you with two final things to consider:

A quote from Japan’s first minister of Education, Mori Arinori, 1885: “In the administration of all schools, it must be kept in mind that what is to be done is not for the sake of the pupils, but for the sake of the country.”

And on a lighter note, something I learned from Shimoda Sensei (下田先生) during 9^th grade English today: Only 3% of our communication is verbal. (I was pretty stunned when I heard her say this in 1^st period, and I thought maybe I misunderstood her Japanese…so I listened more carefully in 6^th period…and she said the same thing! Can you believe it?! I think I’ll have to do some investigating before I do.)

A Week of 給食 - Day 5

Today was one of those Western (??) lunches. :)

Chili dogs

Curry flavored soup with cabbage, broccoli, carrots, potatoes, and small slices of pork (I'm starting to realize that these small slices of pork are in almost every soup!)

Blueberry yogurt with bananas and peaches in it

Milk

I hope you guys have enjoyed seeing my Japanese school lunches this week! They are seriously one of my favorite things about my job here! ;) It's SO nice to not have to wake up early every morning to make lunch like I did when I taught in the States. AND it's really, really great to get to try so many different foods...AND it only costs me about ￥250 a day! Best of all, it usually tastes ちょうおいしい.

A Week of 給食 - Day 4

Today's lunch was one of my favorites!

マーボー豆腐 (mabo dofu) - a Chinese dish - ground pork, tofu, and diced vegetables in a delicious sauce with rice

"Chinese salad" - cabbage, cucumbers, carrots, bits of scrambled egg, small slices of pork, and chunks of squid ;(~ in a light dressing

An apple slice

And milk

A Week of 給食 - Day 2

Today's lunch was a highlight of the day.


Chicken with a sesame apple sauce that is SO delicious!

Potato salad-- which wasn't made with pasty mayo. I don't usually like potato salad, but I like the ones we have for school lunch. Today's included cucumbers, carrots, corn, and cheese cubes. I know it sounds strange, but it's actually really good.

Vegetable soup-- which is amazingly sweet. Maekawa San tells me it's just the natural sweetness of the vegetables that makes the broth sweet...but it's hard for me to believe her. ;) There was also sliced pork in the soup.

米粉 (Komeko) Bread-- which is bread made from rice flour, and blueberry jam. (Can you see the jam packet just barely showing behind my plate?)

And milk.

Besides lunch, another highlight of the day was getting to laugh a lot with the 7th graders this afternoon during 5th and 6th periods and also during cleaning time after that. A really sweet kid named Naoya just smiles the most adorable smile all the time...which totally makes me smile. Sometimes, like today during 6th period, Naoya smiles so much it seems like he's about to laugh, which makes me laugh. He sits right in the front of the class, where I was standing today while Ikeda Sensei was giving directions. I had to totally fight the urge to laugh out loud during class. Actually, now that I think about it...I think I may have laughed out loud. Ryo, who sits behind Naoya said, 'What are you guys laughing about?!' ;D

A Week of 給食 (School Lunch) - Day 1

In Japanese elementary and jr. high schools all students and teachers eat school lunch (kyushoku) every day. I am SO fortunate to have the best school dietitian EVER at my jr. high, so I get really great lunches!! (most days. ;) i mean, i am a seafood hater living in Japan, so there are bound to be some lunches i'd prefer not to have...but most of the time i really like what Maekawa San (前川さん) and the rest of the kitchen staff make.) I get to try so many different foods that aren't served in restaurants or that I wouldn't know to order, even if they were. A lot of our lunches are "home cooking" style Japanese food, rather than just the very traditional foods that most restaurants have. Before coming to Japan and being served the wonder that is kyushoku, I wouldn't have imagined most of these foods when thinking about "Japanese food". So, I guess other Americans wouldn't think of these as "Japanese food" either. That's why I decided that I'd post a picture of school lunch every day this week. I hope you enjoy seeing the variety. In addition to Japanese food, we also have Korean, Chinese, Indian, Italian, and Western (??).

I have been thinking about doing this for a couple weeks but kept forgetting, so I was really excited to check the lunch menu this morning to find out what today's lunch was! I could NOT believe what I saw...ししゃも (shishamo) and わかめご飯 (wakame gohan). Ogh...sick!!! These are the two foods I dislike more than anything else! UNbelievable! What a way to start this week of blogging school lunch. Well, you get what you get.


So, here it is...いただきます:

Shishamo [also known as "the most disgusting food in the world"]-- long, slender fish, which are eaten whole-- including the head. Although it's strange to just bite off the head of a fish, eyes and all, and eat it, that's not at all the worst part of shishamo. Other than the head and the little, crispy tail, the rest of the fish is full of tiny white eggs. Just thinking of the inside of a shishamo makes me feel sick. I wanted to take a picture of the inside of the fish so you could see it, but that would have required me biting the fish open. I was not about to do that! I gave them both away to Nakazatomi Sensei, and I thought it might be rude to ask him if I could take a picture after he'd taken a bite. So...check out this link. Really though, shishamo is even worse than the picture makes it look.

Wakame gohan-- rice with wakame seaweed and tiny, clear fish (including heads and eyes) mixed in.

Soup with tofu, spinach, celery, wakame, and carrots.

Cabbage and sprout salad with almond dressing (love this dressing!)

A mikan orange-- which I think is the same as a Clementine. ??

And milk, which we have every day.

I didn't eat much of this meal, so I'm pretty hungry now...time for dinner! Curry. yumm! Check back tomorrow for what will most definitely be a better lunch.