What I Do

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Hey everybody. It’s been a while, but I am back with more of my exciting adventures. This time, I will talk about what I actually get paid to do, i.e. teaching English. Every morning at 8:10 or 9:00 depending on the school, I arrive to a chorus of teaching screaming “Ohayou gozaimasu” or “Good morning!” I try to respond to as many as I can in an equally booming voice. At that point, there is a meeting of all the teachers in which I listen quietly and pretend I understand. Then the school day starts. I teach between one and three classes every day. I know, I know; it is quite a workload. Usually, before each class begins, one of my students comes to the teachers’ room to ask if he or she can help me bring my stuff to the classroom. I am always glad to oblige their goodwill. When the class starts, the students bow to the teachers, the teachers bow to the students, and we announce that it is time to start learning English. In my most enthusiastic voice, I proclaim “Good morning” to the students. After a two second hesitation, they respond “Good morning.” Then I ask, “How are you?” Once again, there is a two second delay before they respond in unison, "I am fine, thank you. How are you?" My mission every day is to get them to say something different. On good days, some of them will say they are happy or hot.
At that point, the students end their talking in English except for the occasions when they are called on or once in a blue moon, volunteer. Even if I ask a student a question as simple as "What is your name?" they will consult with their classmates both to determine the meaning of the question and the appropriate response. Teachers condone such behavior as a group mentality is encouraged here. My role in class consists largely of repeating words, sentences, and paragraphs for the students to repeat mindlessly and endlessly. To try to make things more interesting, I try to make games with the grammar of the day. The winner of the game receives internationally known Scott Dollars, which are actually lottery tickets. Scott Dollars are exactly like U.S. one dollar bills except for the fact that it is my face and not George Washington’s face that graces the front. At the monthly school assembly, I choose several winners and present them with authentic memorabilia for the U.S.A. such as postcards and stickers with pictures of New York. The students are very much looking forward to it.
A couple of times so far, there have been guests in the classroom. Both times, they did nothing but stare at the Japanese teacher and me for their entire visit. The first time, the guests consisted of the head of the Board of Education and other Very Important People. They stared for twenty minutes, and then they left. I ran into them again when I was teaching elementary school. I was working with the only four students in the first grade, singing “Heads, shoulders, knees, and toes” complete with body movement, when they arrived. The men in suits stared at us while we sang and danced to the music. We tried not to laugh at them.
During the day, I try to talk to as much students as possible but many are impossibly reticent. However, there are a few with whom I converse about insects and zombies. The more kids I can get together, the more likely a conversation is to ensue. They pool their resources, questioning each other after every statement that I make, and then attempt a response, usually in largely ungrammatical English. That is the fault of the class though. Everything is dedicated to preparation for the high school entrance exam, which is of course written. I did sort of have a conversation with one of the best students about the evils of war. I was pretty impressed.
When the day is over, I usually stay a while to play sports with the kids, and then I go home. Since I leave at 4:00 or 5:00, I am always the first to go home. I believe the average teacher packs their bags at around 6:00 or so, always careful first to make sure that there is no work left to be done. As for me, with my minimal responsibilities, I say “Sayonara” and head on my merry way. I am free to temporarily return to my world of spaghetti and American movies before another day of teaching calls.
Well, that’s my daily experience here, more or less. Questions, comments? I would love to hear from you.
I hope all is well,
Scott

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