Advertisement
Adelaide and Himeji are sister cities, and for more than 20 years there has been a teacher exchange program between them. In 2010 I taught EFL in Kotogaoka Senior High School. Here are some insights from this experience.
Bu nen kai is the end of year staff dinner at wedding chapel, small room for 80 on 4
th floor, complete with 10 courses, table service, and as much alcohol as could be drunk in 2 ½ hours. Buses picked us up and dropped us back at the station, seating was done by lot and the main entertainment was a Bingo game. Décor – European fantasy castle.
The student
counselor works here one day a month. She meets with parents and students in a small conference room in the suite of rooms where the Principal works.
The students stop regularly to check out the photos and student work
displays outside my classroom. When I moved some, one of the girls was upset, but squealed with delight when I gave her the photo of her heartthrob.
My dentist finished a 90-minute appointment – by saying “Thank You for Enduring.”
Enduring seems to be a crucial quality in all aspects of
Japanese life- especially watching the students sit through 6 silent, inactive 50 minute lessons every day.
I still can’t read
feelings (especially of adults). I am still unclear if people are tired, preoccupied, or displeased, nor if they are having a good or bad day.
The
giggle of girls and boom of boys’ voices clearly announces lunch break, as the kids rush to meetings with teachers in the staff room.
Halloween as a community event run for local primary school aged kids by Shirasagi Residence. Costumes, games, decorations, prizes, sweets, noise and fun. Christmas party was much the same.
Isolation – always sitting at our desks, never eating or talking together. No one shares any personal information. I am constantly surrounded by people, but left alone because there is something different about how privacy works here.
Being a
judge at the Kotogaoka English Speech Contest was a very formal event. The day included computer scoring, coffee and cake and the Chairman of Judging Panels’ prerogative to change first place winner to second place.
When
Kyoto Sensei (the Deputy) is not on the school grounds everyone says they can relax. They leave a
little earlier, do less work, air conditioner goes on, the staff room empties out and it is louder, with more laughter.
Logistics - 280 students went on camp to Okinawa for their high school camp. A truck arrived at school three working days before they flew (chartered plane) to collect and transport all the students’ luggage.
For
morning announcements, students are hurried out of the room, before they can begin. Eyebrows are raised (Kyoto Sensei’s) if anyone comes in late, answers a phone, or speaks out of turn.
No feedback has been given all year. If I make a mistake (say misspell a word) my colleagues look stony faced. However, any cultural gaff I make, the kids giggle and even laugh if it’s shocking enough.
Omiyage are little presents left on my desk nearly every week from someone: apples from the Chemistry teachers’ orchards, chocolates from Korea, sweet potato pie from Okinawa, magnets from Arizona.
Most mornings, beautiful, accomplished
piano concertos and jazz arrangements greet me as I push my bike up the last hill into the school grounds.
Staff are frequently requested to speak more
quietly, take mobile phone calls outside and generally
keep the noise down in the staff room, so as not to disturb the concentration of others.
A homeroom teacher took
responsibility for one of his students’ outbursts of violence (bikes pushed over and one broken) by shaving his own head. This was understood by all to be an appropriate action.
There was one minutes silence at Opening Assembly for one of our students, who
suicided during the summer vacation.
I attended the Hyogo State English
Teachers conference. All speeches were in English and Japanese, the officials wore colour-coded rosettes, and windows were removed from classrooms, so we could observe highly rehearsed demonstration lessons.
Uniform Check ensures that hair must not be coloured, no one can wear earrings, nails must be short, eyebrows (of boys and girls) cannot be shaved and all badges must be exactly in place.
A 17 week term is
very long and I get to leave at the end of week 16. I will be very sad to leave Kotogaoka High School, but at the same time very relieved. Teaching in someone elses’ culture is very demanding.
Women’s handbags are like the tardis – very small, but out of them comes a coffee flask, hand towel, ground sheet, makeup (subtle), toothbrush and paste, an eco carry bag, purse, mobile phone and lunch.
Third year students start sitting for University Entrance
eXams in about October and the results follow shortly afterwards. Interest in school drops off rapidly at this time.
I will miss the sounds of baseball
(Yaque) practice before and after school every day – chanting, calls in unison and the thwack of the balls on bats.
Zany expressions of student individuality include: straps on pencil cases, page protectors, lap rugs, bag decorations, choice of notebooks, pencil cases, and hand warmer holders.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.108s; Tpl: 0.01s; cc: 14; qc: 45; dbt: 0.0539s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Looks like everyone is having fun
Nice photo