Smelly butt...stink bugs...and inappropriate comics

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Lately work has been busy busy busy.

I thought things would slow down after the Cultural festival...not so much.

Observation classes galore have commenced! Monday was the big observation class for our youngest science teacher. ALL teachers watched his class. The rest of the students in the school were left to do worksheets. Today was the observation class for one of my JTEs who isn't a "real" teacher yet. Quickly....you have to pass two tests to be a "real" teacher. If you pass the first level you become an instructor. If you pass the 2nd level test or if there is a desperate need for teachers, for example, someone goes on maternity leave, you can become a "real" teacher. It's hard to pass the 2nd level so young instructors have to switch schools every year. My youngest JTE is an instructor and an old dude from the Board of Ed. came to watch her class. Also the rest of us English teachers observed her class too, along with the principal and some other random teachers who didn't have classes during that period.

I'm preparing for an observation class on December 5th. My oldest JTE is being observed by the Board of Ed. because she's been teaching for awhile so it's just time for her to be checked out. We started planning yesterday, I hope it goes well. I'm also helping with another observation class next week, this time for 1st grade students. We haven't planned as much as I have for the one on Dec. 5th. I think the Dec. one is more important.

Oh yeah the smelly butt...I tried really hard to keep a straight face in my first grade class yesterday. (NOTE: in JHS here, 1st grade = 7th grade in America). One student really had to go to the bathroom and when he came back everyone sitting around him were like...."yuck, dude you smell!" (of course in Japanese) and they were covering their noses. Not even 5 minutes later, same kid goes running back to the toilet. It disrupted our class, but I found it slightly humorous that my student had to run to the toilet again. This also isn't the first time he's had to go during my class...interesting kid.

Stink bugs....not as funny, but apparently they like to hang out where the sun shines, which makes classrooms a prime location. We've had a few incidents where students make a big deal about finding them when really all you have to do is scoop them up with paper and toss them out the window. Another stink bug showed up during my third period class today. Luckily it wasn't as big a deal as it has been before in other classes.

Finally....quite the incident today, also during third period in one of the 2nd grade classes (2nd grade = 8th grade in America). Someone brought a manga (comic book) that they bought on the way to school. Except it wasn't your regular manga, it was one of the hentai kind (like porn, kind of, in any case it's very inappropriate). My JTE got a bit angry and took the boys in question out of the classroom. There were three of us teachers this time, luckily so the other two of us kept going with the class. Of course all the other students found this really funny and the two boys were really embarassed. However...it's pretty disturbing that my 2nd grade students are into that kind of stuff already. At least, I really don't want to see it in the classroom. I wonder how the passive system of discipline in Japanese schools is going to deal with this situation....

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