Tuesday, March 01, 2005
Graduation Day
Today was the graduation ceremony at Nakako. It was pretty stoic to be honest. No throwing off caps or cheering, but polite applauds and lots of bowing. It was very respectful, don’t get me wrong, but it hardly seemed like a joyous occasion. Everyone told me the celebrating would come later. I did get to sing the school song though. I’ve heard it several times, but I don’t have the words. Yesterday Nakano-sensei finally wrote them down for me and I was able to (sort of) sing along with them. Afterward Nonaka-sensei asked me what I thought of the ceremony and Takeda-sensei answered for me, “Like an army.” I could not have said it better.
But, once the two hours of bowing and speeches were over, all the seniors got their yearbooks and came to the staffroom for signatures. At first no one was asking me to sign; I thought maybe they were too nervous and no one would. But then, Kota Sakimoto came and asked me to write and even take our picture together. It was really sweet. After he asked, everyone came and starting asking. He broke the ice and I was signing away in students’ books who’d I’d never even taught before!
I was so proud of Kota. I would have been happy if he was the only student who asked me to write in his yearbook. He has always been one of my favorite students—I have a thousand favorites, don’t I? I really like them all. But, if I were a 17-year-old high school girl I’m sure I’d have a crush on him. After writing he shook my hand and said, “Eigo de dekinai. Demo honto ni arigato gozaimasu.” (I can’t say it in English, but honestly, thank you so much.) He was so nervous he was shaking, eyes darting around the room. I knew exactly what he felt like and was so pleased by his bravery. Foreigners are scary.
There’s only one senior English class that I teach and Kota is in it. It’s is not in the highest class, but he sure does try. I have a lot of respect for the students who are brave enough to speak to me outside of class. They are few and far between. He wrote in my yearbook that he didn’t have an aptitude towards English, but that I came to class and made it fun. Now he likes to study English and understands why it is important! Doesn’t it break your heart? Well, probably not, but it breaks mine. He was so special. I will miss him a lot. I gave him my address and he said he will send me the picture of us together. He’s going to work for a ship-building company in Hiroshima. He leaves at the end of the month. He’s going off to be an adult. I hope I see him around town, but if not, at least I get to continue teaching his sister at the elementary school. She’s a 4th grader at Wakamatsu Higashi Elementary and is as adorable as Kota.
Actually, a lot of students wrote that they wish they talked to me more. I know when I walk down the hall sometimes I see students are gathering up the courage to say something to me. If I notice this, I will slow down and smile knowingly, but almost without fail they get scared and shake their heads like they already know what’s coming. If I continue walking, they just sort of watch me pass and then regret that they didn’t say anything. At least that’s what they write in our class notebooks and the yearbook. A few juniors and several sophomores will talk to me, but I teach them more often so it’s understandable they are more comfortable with me.
Today was a really great day. It’s not quite the end of the school year yet—seniors graduate about a month before the end of the term. The closing ceremony is on March 24th and the new school year starts on April 8th. I’m really looking forward to the new sophomores coming in, and a new set of classes. Currently I teach 3 sophomore classes, 2 junior classes and 1 senior class per week, if I’m lucky… and I’m usually not. There are about 40 English classes each week so I’m teaching very few. Satomi is a part time teacher and she has 8 classes a week, 2 more than me. Do I feel underutilized or what? It’s the plight of probably all ALTs in Japan though. Overpaid, under-worked. I do plenty of other things besides teaching class. My radio shows, my bulletin board, tutoring students after class, class notebooks (writing back and forth to students in a notebook) helping students with speech contests, pronunciation of English songs, whatever they come to me with. And at the junior high I teach all six periods on Tuesdays, but I can do more.
So I’ve asked for more classes next year and Hatakeyama-sensei is more than happy to give them to me. He’s going to let me be a part of class scheduling during spring break in late March. The current sophomores are the first who will have listening comprehension on their college entrance exams (Now entrance exams only have reading and writing sections and so college-bound students don’t have “time” for classes with me.) With listening comprehension on the tests now, there’s a “need” for a native speaker in the high-level classes. I’m really glad because I’m not supposed to teach my favorite class of sophomores next year as juniors. They are supposed to hit the books hard with grammar!
I often teach classes alone, as the Japanese teachers are so busy with 18-22 classes a week, so I asked if I could officially teach one or two classes alone next year. Hakateyama-sensei said officially no, but he’s willing to put team-teaching on the schedule and just let me go alone. It would be nice to be in charge of everything—lesson plans, quizzes, tests and grades. I’m getting all sorts of ideas for an aural comprehension class so I really hope I get to. My sister just sent me a CD by Legibly Speaking, a band which orates stories to music. They are kind of interviews with elderly people and it is about the right difficulty level for the upper classes. Besides, I think I would take classes more seriously—fewer random games and more structured, congruent classes—if it was entirely my responsibility. I don't want to get too in over my head, but this one class in particular, 1-2A, would be a pleasure to teach alone. I love them as if they were my own children trying to get into college.
Moving on to other news. My mom has confirmed her visit and will be in Japan for three weeks! March 31st to April 21st or thereabouts. She’s going to be on my island mostly because I have to work, but I’ll take a couple days off so we can spend time in Fukuoka and another city—we haven’t decided where yet. I’m really looking forward to seeing her and showing her every inch of this island. She’s going to love it.
My Golden Week plans are also finalized. (April 29th-May 11th) Peter and I will be going on a hitchhiking tour of Kyushu (the southern main island of Japan), visiting all seven prefectures and visiting three tourist spots in each one. Things like climbing Mt. Aso, or taking an onsen in a famous hot spring. It’s actually a charity hitchhike so we’ll be raising money to build a school or library in Cambodia or Nepal—or both. It’s a lot cheaper than my plan to go to Sri Lanka and it seems more reasonable anyway. Peter and I are looking forward to spending some time together (me exploiting him for his Japanese) and learning about where we live. Japan has so much to see, why do I need to go anywhere else for these 11 days?
Well, it’s 5 p.m. and I’m still at school. I’ve been staying here really late recently—until 6 or 7 p.m.—mostly studying and lesson planning for the elementary school visits. I don’t have to stay, but I would just be doing the same things in my apartment anyway. Tonight I have an enkai and so it’ll be a late night as well. Wow! It starts in an hour so I better go home! This is me…signing out!
Love, Sierra
But, once the two hours of bowing and speeches were over, all the seniors got their yearbooks and came to the staffroom for signatures. At first no one was asking me to sign; I thought maybe they were too nervous and no one would. But then, Kota Sakimoto came and asked me to write and even take our picture together. It was really sweet. After he asked, everyone came and starting asking. He broke the ice and I was signing away in students’ books who’d I’d never even taught before!
I was so proud of Kota. I would have been happy if he was the only student who asked me to write in his yearbook. He has always been one of my favorite students—I have a thousand favorites, don’t I? I really like them all. But, if I were a 17-year-old high school girl I’m sure I’d have a crush on him. After writing he shook my hand and said, “Eigo de dekinai. Demo honto ni arigato gozaimasu.” (I can’t say it in English, but honestly, thank you so much.) He was so nervous he was shaking, eyes darting around the room. I knew exactly what he felt like and was so pleased by his bravery. Foreigners are scary.
There’s only one senior English class that I teach and Kota is in it. It’s is not in the highest class, but he sure does try. I have a lot of respect for the students who are brave enough to speak to me outside of class. They are few and far between. He wrote in my yearbook that he didn’t have an aptitude towards English, but that I came to class and made it fun. Now he likes to study English and understands why it is important! Doesn’t it break your heart? Well, probably not, but it breaks mine. He was so special. I will miss him a lot. I gave him my address and he said he will send me the picture of us together. He’s going to work for a ship-building company in Hiroshima. He leaves at the end of the month. He’s going off to be an adult. I hope I see him around town, but if not, at least I get to continue teaching his sister at the elementary school. She’s a 4th grader at Wakamatsu Higashi Elementary and is as adorable as Kota.
Actually, a lot of students wrote that they wish they talked to me more. I know when I walk down the hall sometimes I see students are gathering up the courage to say something to me. If I notice this, I will slow down and smile knowingly, but almost without fail they get scared and shake their heads like they already know what’s coming. If I continue walking, they just sort of watch me pass and then regret that they didn’t say anything. At least that’s what they write in our class notebooks and the yearbook. A few juniors and several sophomores will talk to me, but I teach them more often so it’s understandable they are more comfortable with me.
Today was a really great day. It’s not quite the end of the school year yet—seniors graduate about a month before the end of the term. The closing ceremony is on March 24th and the new school year starts on April 8th. I’m really looking forward to the new sophomores coming in, and a new set of classes. Currently I teach 3 sophomore classes, 2 junior classes and 1 senior class per week, if I’m lucky… and I’m usually not. There are about 40 English classes each week so I’m teaching very few. Satomi is a part time teacher and she has 8 classes a week, 2 more than me. Do I feel underutilized or what? It’s the plight of probably all ALTs in Japan though. Overpaid, under-worked. I do plenty of other things besides teaching class. My radio shows, my bulletin board, tutoring students after class, class notebooks (writing back and forth to students in a notebook) helping students with speech contests, pronunciation of English songs, whatever they come to me with. And at the junior high I teach all six periods on Tuesdays, but I can do more.
So I’ve asked for more classes next year and Hatakeyama-sensei is more than happy to give them to me. He’s going to let me be a part of class scheduling during spring break in late March. The current sophomores are the first who will have listening comprehension on their college entrance exams (Now entrance exams only have reading and writing sections and so college-bound students don’t have “time” for classes with me.) With listening comprehension on the tests now, there’s a “need” for a native speaker in the high-level classes. I’m really glad because I’m not supposed to teach my favorite class of sophomores next year as juniors. They are supposed to hit the books hard with grammar!
I often teach classes alone, as the Japanese teachers are so busy with 18-22 classes a week, so I asked if I could officially teach one or two classes alone next year. Hakateyama-sensei said officially no, but he’s willing to put team-teaching on the schedule and just let me go alone. It would be nice to be in charge of everything—lesson plans, quizzes, tests and grades. I’m getting all sorts of ideas for an aural comprehension class so I really hope I get to. My sister just sent me a CD by Legibly Speaking, a band which orates stories to music. They are kind of interviews with elderly people and it is about the right difficulty level for the upper classes. Besides, I think I would take classes more seriously—fewer random games and more structured, congruent classes—if it was entirely my responsibility. I don't want to get too in over my head, but this one class in particular, 1-2A, would be a pleasure to teach alone. I love them as if they were my own children trying to get into college.
Moving on to other news. My mom has confirmed her visit and will be in Japan for three weeks! March 31st to April 21st or thereabouts. She’s going to be on my island mostly because I have to work, but I’ll take a couple days off so we can spend time in Fukuoka and another city—we haven’t decided where yet. I’m really looking forward to seeing her and showing her every inch of this island. She’s going to love it.
My Golden Week plans are also finalized. (April 29th-May 11th) Peter and I will be going on a hitchhiking tour of Kyushu (the southern main island of Japan), visiting all seven prefectures and visiting three tourist spots in each one. Things like climbing Mt. Aso, or taking an onsen in a famous hot spring. It’s actually a charity hitchhike so we’ll be raising money to build a school or library in Cambodia or Nepal—or both. It’s a lot cheaper than my plan to go to Sri Lanka and it seems more reasonable anyway. Peter and I are looking forward to spending some time together (me exploiting him for his Japanese) and learning about where we live. Japan has so much to see, why do I need to go anywhere else for these 11 days?
Well, it’s 5 p.m. and I’m still at school. I’ve been staying here really late recently—until 6 or 7 p.m.—mostly studying and lesson planning for the elementary school visits. I don’t have to stay, but I would just be doing the same things in my apartment anyway. Tonight I have an enkai and so it’ll be a late night as well. Wow! It starts in an hour so I better go home! This is me…signing out!
Love, Sierra
