Losing Control

I am currently using a lesson plan I created that allows for EVERY SINGLE students to come up and speak to me, at least one sentence and they MUST remember the answer. (They also must speak to their JTE, which is hilarious as the JTE's say this is the first time they are ever hearing a lot of their students say anything in English to them) Granted not every student comes up because they either choose not to participate at all, or they just slag off.

Consequently during the game the JTE and me are very busy answering questions and at least half the class is sitting down doing something, (thats at least 20 students) which basically means it can easily lead to chaos. ESPECIALLY in my classes, kids have literally pounded the walls, gotten each other into choke holds, scratched offensive pictures into their desks.

I was really worried, as those were some of my better classes. But today I realize order was broken down so easily due to lack of respect.

I am generally really nice to my students, I don't want them afraid of me and I think some (a lot) of my schools bizarro rules are unnecessary and superfluous(silly word). BUT, today I was teaching with a JTE of mine, shes a part timer but I teach A LOT of lessons with her (3, which is a lot for just one teacher in my school) I sometimes think shes really too strict.

Today while making pairs, two groups of girls made groups of threes, which is silly since the game asked to make pairs. The girls didn't really want to move, and this exercise was only supposed to take 2 minutes, but she got angry screamed at them to move their asses and make pairs. It took something like 3 minutes just to do this, as the girls were I guess moody and not wanting to listen. BUT this teacher STOOD her ground, and I thought holy shit this is insane, just who cares. She is often like this and I just stand there kinda like what should I do, with this face of slight confusion.

BUT, in the game, the one where many classes lost control, they were well ordered, they generally listened and it went well. Probably went the best of all classes so far, even though class 8 is not the brightest. The control this lady has over the classes really makes teaching easier.

The problem with one class (which is not dumb, but they just were animals in the lesson) is that they have no respect for the teacher. They call her by her first name, and she often loses control of them. But, she is really nice to them and generally acquiesces to their rudeness and demands (calling her rudely by her first name in a shouting manner) I have a VERY hard time teaching with her class, half the time we are just shouting pointlessly (pointlessly because it never works) at the students. I really should not get angry at them, as that does not endanger respect or even fear just makes me scream, making them scream, thus creating more chaos. (Also the ones I have gotten angry at, then dislike me from then on becoming even MORE difficult in my classes, ugh vicious cycle)

I wish I wasn't so nice in the beginning, well at least I wish the teachers were more strict so I could be nice. But, seeing as out of 6 of the teacher I teach with, only 2 have any form of respect from their students, I am really unsure of what to do. I wish I could mind wipe them and have them respect me, but in this school you certainly HAVE TO EARN it. And you don't earn respect by being nice in this school, these kids know when you give an inch to take a mile, and I think I've already given them a yard.

So, this school isn't that bad, as long as you know what to do . AND DAMN IT, it sure took me a long time. Actually I realized a long time ago I did not have to be their friend to be a good teacher, BUT I still tried to be very nice....ugh just being strict works best here. The ALT 3 ALTs ago was strict, and did well in the school....granted he did hit the kids, and granted he was a VERY large man...and he spoke Japanese to the students... damn it I keep on forgetting the level of my students. I don't want to give in, I see the ALT's with schools my level who just speak to the kids in Japanese and I think that if thats the case then we just become pointless, but as time goes on I really start to debate my strategy....

Once again I am torn in my decision to stay another year....

Peeing in Japan

So, maybe you do not know this, but in Japan, it's considered rude to make the pee noise. So for you unenlightened or men, Japan is full of what I call squatie potties. They are basically porcelain holes in the ground. When you use them to pee, you squat and well noise is made when pee hits water. In Japan women just do not make this noise, when in the presences of other females, they flush the toilet. The swirling of the noise masks the unpleasantness.

I knew about this little cultural quirk from before I came to Japan. I was informed by one of my zanier high school teachers, what bought that on and why we spent class time talking about it is beyond me but whatever.

I generally abide by the rules and try my best not to make the pee noise. I often thought of it like being from a country where its socially acceptable to fart. You've been there for a short time and noticed "Wow, no one else seems to be doing it" but you let one rip one day, and everyone stares....with those eyes, with the eyes!

Anyhow, I did not want that happening to me. But unlike holding in your farts, which can create some gas problems, it harms only you. And in fact it prevents other people from having to deal with stinkyness. Sadly flushing the toilet to mask pee noise wastes a lot of water. I sometimes hear women flushing up to 3 times for one bathroom break!

I never flush, or resist unless in dire straits! I often wait for the other person to flush then let it go, or wait for the other person to leave. I always thought it be weird to pee. But another friend who also finds it weird but doesn't abide by the rules went" Dude, its cultural exchange, just make the pee noise!"

I debated and debated, and sometimes I made the noise, and other times I did not... but today in the toilet I was kinda holding it in waiting for the other person to flush (again) and I thought damn it, HUMANS MAKE THE PEE NOISE! And I let it rip. I felt quite liberates and I hope from my influence less women will flush the toilet and accept that we make the pee noise.

I'm going to pretend that my previous example of farting does not exist, because I know its really analogous, and really I kinda realize they are judging my pee noise makingness. OH WELL! So other foreign women in Japan, do not be afraid of a little pee noise, were here for grass roots internationalization, and making the pee noise is one damn good example.

I may come to love this school yet....

Recently I've been deep into Sports Day practice. Sports day is a big deal in my school, as most kids are in a sports club, and unlike a lot of school we do not have a Culture Festival. What this means is we put a lot into this event. I came into this school year very jaded and dismayed. I felt like all my work was bearing very little fruit. The kids were rotten much like my lessons, and I had begun to lose patience with the kids. I also realized a lot of them did not aspire to be much, usually things like Pastry chefs, Hair stylists, nail artists....things that I knew would not be requiring much English.

But, my neighbor told me something, as a foreigner with little Japanese, going to any of those places she would hope they could help her. And if something I teach them can help her, then in the long run arn't I doing something good. And then another thing, my school is somewhat blue collar and a lot of workers in the area I live are former students. I went a chiropractor and that person was a former student of my school (in Japan its a profession that requires a two year trade school degree) and at the end of the session he attempted to tell me my bill in English, bless his heart he couldn't.

So lately, I've been just trying to be nice to the kids, to talk to them at every chance. Unlike last year, I've been kinda distant to the kids, since they are basically little shits in most of my classes. I also didn't want to play favorites like I did last year (where I managed to help class 2 at cleaning time something like 5 times vs class 6's once...) But, some kids like English more than others, and some kids will like it more. I think I'm doing them a disservice if I avoid them simply because they want to talk to me, and some others don't.

But, I am also just attacking random kids. I used to think that forcing them to speak English just makes them hate it more, but I come up to them without difficult English. I try to speak proper English, but often in really short bursts. Lately, I've even been having fun. Talking to even the worst students, sometimes it inevitably fails, and I get students running away. But lately, even bad students have been running up to me or attempting to talk to me with out me having to prompt them. I get some bizarre-o sentences but its been fun. I almost feel like I can do this. But, we'll see as I have not even started actual lessons.

So I'm happy and some kids have come into clean the teachers room so time for more FORCED ENGLISH!