Term has officially started, and it's a lovely change to have students running amok in the halls. I'm teaching 13 English conversation classes a week, each 50 min long. Because the typhoon caused several days of classes to be canceled, I've only taught a handful of lessons, so it's difficult to get a bearing on what teaching will be like. So far, it hasn't been a huge success- students spend the period staring at me, only to look away quickly when I ask them a question. But there have been no revolts or deaths, so I guess that's something.
English curricula in Japan concentrate on speaking English, not on reading or writing it. This was somewhat of a shock for me, considering that in American high schools and colleges, language students are typically expected to be able to at least write a paragraph in that language, if not a short essay. Though Japanese schools start teaching English as early as kindergarten, the level of instruction doesn't progress very far. For one thing, there is no systematic teaching of grammar (how pronouns work, conjugating verbs, etc.). Most of the high school students I've encountered speak in simple, declarative sentences: "I like soccer." "My favorite food is pasta." "I have 2 sisters." Indeed, I've been told that it's not uncommon for the Japanese teachers of English to not actually be able to speak English, and spend the class speaking in Japanese. This forced the government to pass a law this year stating that English must be spoken in English classes the entire time, and that all Japanese teachers of English must undergo a proficiency test. If you don't pass, you can find a new job. (All the teachers at my school speak English well. There are also a number of students who have incredible facility in English, usually because they have at least one parent who studied abroad in an English-speaking country, or studied it in school.)
The line between me and the students is an interesting one. There are three types of relationships I can discern. First, Normal Sensei: these students treat me as any other teacher, and bow low to me in the hallways, or on the road to and from school. They are also the least likely to talk or make eye contact with me. They are respectful, but painfully shy.
Then there's Be My Pet Elephant Sensei. Many of the girls are far more familiar, and like to pet, examine and praise. I had one girl offer me french fries on the condition that she be allowed to feed them to me like a greasy communion wafer. Another randomly started playing with my hair, until I turned around to talk to her. She blurted something out in Japanese, and refused to tell me what she had said until I appealed to another student, who replied, "She says you smell good."
Being a westerner, this feels a little creepy and more than a little wrong. It probably would be by Japanese standards too if I were Japanese, but because I'm the "other," people seem to find this kind of behavior charming, as if this is just a part of the cultural exchange. I mean, students in the West give teachers back rubs or sniff them for traces of perfume, lotion or deodorant all the time, right? Right? (Those last two examples are true and happened to two JETs.)
The final kind of interaction I have with the students involves what I call "The Two-Way Mirror Look." I'll catch sight of students staring at me in the hallways, eyes narrowed, like at an animal in the zoo, or some kind of looming threat. The look is so intense that it's angry, and takes me aback. When this happens, I stop and say loudly, "Hello! How are you?" The person's whole aspect changes. They look shocked ("What?! She can see me? I'm not standing behind my force field of invisibility?"), and then a huge smile lights up their faces, "Hello!!!" they chirp back, "Iamfinethankyouhowareyouuuu?"
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| The Two-Way Mirror Look |
What gets me about the Two-Way Mirror Look is that they never seem to see me staring back at them and register that they're being rude. They're so engrossed in studying me, that they are oblivious to everything else.
BUNKASAI
Every fall, the schools in Japan hold bunkasai, or a school culture festival. Students and various clubs perform dances, songs and skits, there are speeches by administrators, and each class takes on a project: decorating a classroom, selling food they've prepared, etc.
Our bunkasai lasted two days. The highlights: kocho-sensei singing Sinatra's "My Way," a girl in a giant Pikachu costume, two boys kissing onstage, the boys of 2-6 dressing in drag and dancing (nothing entertains a Japanese audience like cross-dressing men), and eating a good 20 lbs of food a day. Oh, and then there was the time when I got up onstage to perform with the ESS club. There was singing. There was choreographed dancing. There was a lot of awkwardness. They had chosen two songs; first, "Material Girl" by Madonna, and then (my ears bleed), "We're All in This Together" from High School Musical. Having reached the august age of 26 without ever having seen the movie or heard one of its songs, I had hoped that the High School Musical craze had passed and that my HSM virginity would remain intact. Alas, it was not to be. We practiced 3 days a week, 3 hours a day, for 3 weeks. As for the performance itself, suffice to say that several of the third year boys pointed and laughed at me.
And that's all I have to say about that.
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