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April 28, 2005

Start where you begin

A big part of being here is learning how a culture that is so superficially similar to my own can be so vastly different under the surface. I really appreciate the benefits of a different system but I struggle on a daily basis to understand what’s going on around me. In Japan a bit of ambiguity is considered a very positive thing, I can only guess that seen benefits include more shared responsibility and more leniency for the parties involved. In this system solutions don’t get solved, they evolve; it’s quiet intriguing to see in action! So here is a funny example of the kind of ambiguity that I experience in my work place:
At my school there are three English teachers (or sensei if you prefer). Two of whom I teach with (Mrs. Nishi and Mr. Saiki and a third (Ms. Sazuka) who does not teach with ALTs for some unstated reason). The schedule for school changed with the rollover of the new semester. Every week I go to my teachers and ask what they want me to teach the following week so I can plan the lesson.


Last week I shuffled over to Mr. Saiki and asked:
“What should I prepare for the 3rd grade this coming week?”
He replied, “Well we had a cultural lesson last week so… some grammar point would be best I think.”
“Ah I see, what grammar point should I cover then?”
With a puzzled look on his face, “Well…I don’t know.”
“Err, well, what are they currently studying in class?”
“Well…I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?”
“I don’t teach them.” He said this almost defensively so I was really thrown off at this point.
“How can you not know what they are learning?”
“I’m not their teacher.”
“Wha? You’re not their teacher…(long pause while I try to register this one)…so who is their teacher?”
“Oh, it’s Ms. Sazuka.”
“Wha? What? You mean she teaches them all week long except the one class with the assistant teacher (that’s me btw) during which the main teacher is switched and no one told me? Shouldn’t she have said something to me? What kind of damage could I cause to her lessons otherwise?!”
“Ah yes, it’s strange I think.”
Truly I believe no one was would have pointed out this situation if I hadn’t stumbled upon it.


Many teachers are transferred every April. Perhaps the reasoning is to spread around the good and bad teachers. I’ve really enjoyed the new friendly faces. But what’s more is that I’m learning from them that it’s not just the ALTs (assistant language teachers) who suffer. See, at first, I thought it was just me. All ALTs have had the experience of working away at their desk only to look up and discover that the usually bustling office is completely empty and that the school may be as well. About two weeks ago I was working on lessons only to look up and see the office deserted with the exception of the new nurse. We both looked at each other and in two languages said the exact same thing “Where is everybody?!” Sometimes it’s nice to know that it’s not just you.

HANAMI- Flower viewing parties. Wherever you look there are trees with soft pink flowers and petals falling all about. Then it’s all over when the first rain knocks all the petals off the trees and washes them away.






Second year students dawn their matching blue sweats and take an hour-long walk over to a local mountain temple for field day.


Flowers other than cherry blossoms are also in full bloom. Students run freely about the temple grounds playing and giggling, because the temple grounds don’t require lifeless silence like many other religious establishments do.


A girl shows me her ant catching skills.


As a group building activity students from each class compete at jumping a super jump rope. Each class contains 27 students, so that’s about 25 people jumping at one time, the winners scored 24 jumps straight to win!





On Saturday I went for a 20K hike with some friends to Yokomineji temple. Along the path are many smaller shrines and temples.


Emma and Rob pose along side a road while we take a breather.



At the top of the mountain, on the temple grounds are many small figurines.



The bad typhoon season of the previous year has utterly ruined parts of the pilgrims path to the temple.







On Shikoku there are 88 temples that pilgrims can travel to. The founder of the temples was a man named Kobo Daishi. He is said to have created the kana syllabary, and founded the Shingon sect of Buddhism in Japan. The paths to follow are marked by the red pilgrim figure on the sign.

Posted by theinfonaut at April 28, 2005 10:04 PM

Comments

Posted by: Mom at April 29, 2005 11:14 PM

Posted by: Riaz at April 30, 2005 06:22 PM

Posted by: Sabo at May 10, 2005 09:33 PM

Posted by: leslie at May 11, 2005 07:23 PM