Entrance ceremony is not so different from closing--dress is less the serious, black with white tie, more color (it being spring and all), but still the parents in the back (fewer tears), still lots of speeches, still lots of "stand up" "bow" "sit down" action (averaged a good eight instances of this at entrance; graduation was ridiculous, definitely over a dozen).
Knowing all the new 7th graders from teaching them in elementary school made it really fun to watch all the proceedings. Somehow most of the students were still surprised to see me there, even after I'd told them all at our last classes that I'd see them in junior high school. I won't be teaching them right off the bat (they want to get all their fundamentals down with reading, etc first) but I'm really looking forward to seeing them all in the halls at school (and getting to know the newbies at my other school next week).
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Spring Break (Woo!)
...I didn't actually do much.
The first week of spring break I wound up putting up a couple guests at my place--I've registered for a site through which you can find and connect with people who are willing to put up travelers for a night, show them local sights, etc. Being one of the few foreigners in my part of Japan (and perhaps the only one registered on this particular site), I've gotten a few requests but this was the first one I could answer affirmatively. They were a couple French travelers, who'd spent two months doing organic farming in New Zealand (for those of you familiar with the Willing Workers On Organic Farms (WWOOF) program, that was it) and were spending another in Japan traveling before returning back home. I was pretty hesitant at first--after all, I'm taking a couple strangers into my home--but they were very nice and I actually really enjoyed the chance to play the role of guide, showing off my local knowledge and putting my Japanese skills to good use (they couldn't speak any).
The ensuing week (+change) had me going to the aforementioned farewell banquet, but mostly doing a LOT of housekeeping. I did a quick bang-up job before my guests arrived and at one point one jokingly commented that my home was "very much a young man's house." Other exciting ventures: taxes, financial aid paperwork.
Unfortunately, my grand visions of plentiful travels with the other JETs were dashed by the realization that, unlike me, who gets to chill at home, most JETs are forced to show up to work by their BOE--with no students there, there's very little to do. Some will take vacation days then, but we only have so many so a lot choose to grin and bear it. Overall, though, I had a very restful spring break, and I've returned to school for the new year with a renewed energy, in part due to the gorgeous weather, in part due to the excitement of having new people around again.
The first week of spring break I wound up putting up a couple guests at my place--I've registered for a site through which you can find and connect with people who are willing to put up travelers for a night, show them local sights, etc. Being one of the few foreigners in my part of Japan (and perhaps the only one registered on this particular site), I've gotten a few requests but this was the first one I could answer affirmatively. They were a couple French travelers, who'd spent two months doing organic farming in New Zealand (for those of you familiar with the Willing Workers On Organic Farms (WWOOF) program, that was it) and were spending another in Japan traveling before returning back home. I was pretty hesitant at first--after all, I'm taking a couple strangers into my home--but they were very nice and I actually really enjoyed the chance to play the role of guide, showing off my local knowledge and putting my Japanese skills to good use (they couldn't speak any).
The ensuing week (+change) had me going to the aforementioned farewell banquet, but mostly doing a LOT of housekeeping. I did a quick bang-up job before my guests arrived and at one point one jokingly commented that my home was "very much a young man's house." Other exciting ventures: taxes, financial aid paperwork.
Unfortunately, my grand visions of plentiful travels with the other JETs were dashed by the realization that, unlike me, who gets to chill at home, most JETs are forced to show up to work by their BOE--with no students there, there's very little to do. Some will take vacation days then, but we only have so many so a lot choose to grin and bear it. Overall, though, I had a very restful spring break, and I've returned to school for the new year with a renewed energy, in part due to the gorgeous weather, in part due to the excitement of having new people around again.
Labels:
spring break,
talking,
Tottori
year ends, teachers transfer.
In contrast to graduation, a big, formal proceeding, the actual end of the school year was much more of a whimper than a bang--no formal dress, just students and teachers in the gym for a short speech from the principal.
The biggest deal about the year end is the teacher transfers. As I was in Taiwan the week before, I hadn't found out about any of my schools, but the one I went to the following week had 5 teachers leaving, most of whom I was acquainted with to some extent but nobody I had a terrible affection for (the one I liked most of them was actually transferring to my other school, which was convenient).
However, as I found out at the farewell banquet for my other school as spring break started, I was losing my favorite teacher! She was one of my co-teachers, and probably the most fun to work with--we taught the same graduates who I got to know and who wrote me messages, which were compiled in book form by her. Really enhanced my experience so far, but now she's transferring to the Other School in my town (where I don't work) and I'm definitely worse for it.
The biggest deal about the year end is the teacher transfers. As I was in Taiwan the week before, I hadn't found out about any of my schools, but the one I went to the following week had 5 teachers leaving, most of whom I was acquainted with to some extent but nobody I had a terrible affection for (the one I liked most of them was actually transferring to my other school, which was convenient).
However, as I found out at the farewell banquet for my other school as spring break started, I was losing my favorite teacher! She was one of my co-teachers, and probably the most fun to work with--we taught the same graduates who I got to know and who wrote me messages, which were compiled in book form by her. Really enhanced my experience so far, but now she's transferring to the Other School in my town (where I don't work) and I'm definitely worse for it.
Himeji Safari
Right after I got back from Taiwan (literally right after--I took an overnight bus back from Osaka, took the morning train home, and didn't have time to do much more than change clothes before I set off again), I joined a couple other JETs for a day trip to Himeji. Some of you may know Himeji for its castle--very majestic, the only castle in Japan that has remained standing through the years (though others have been re-built), but it also has a nearby amusement park (shades of Spirited Away--"an old amusement park. They built them by the dozens back in the early '90s."), complete with ice skating rink (!) and safari zoo (!!).
It's always kind of surreal seeing elephants and the like when you're not in their native country, but especially so when spring has yet to fully hit and there are still copious bare trees and cold weather.
Overall, a little tacky, but a little nostalgic too--we did pass on the roller coasters and the like though, having had much better in the American equivalents.
It's always kind of surreal seeing elephants and the like when you're not in their native country, but especially so when spring has yet to fully hit and there are still copious bare trees and cold weather.
Overall, a little tacky, but a little nostalgic too--we did pass on the roller coasters and the like though, having had much better in the American equivalents.
Labels:
amusement park,
Himeji,
pictures
Tai-wha?
After graduation we had a couple awkward weeks before the term ended properly--the 9th graders had already graduated, meaning 1/3 of the school was missing, and the remaining 7th and 8th graders had copious tests (the 9th graders of course had their equivalents shortly before graduation, including the all-important entrance examination, which determines what high school(s) they can attend). I found myself with a LOT of down time at work, even compared to usual.
Enter Ludi, my sister from another mister (sorry). My spring break came a little later than most in America, and she happened to be on break and visiting family in Hong Kong--taking a brief trip through Taiwan in the middle. Given that I'm already in East Asia I took off a few days to join her and had a swell time, seeing the sights in Taipei, along with her brother an uncle, and making an awesome bike trek though the Taiwanese (Democratic Chinese?) countryside for a couple days.
If you're interested in photos, you can either check the highlights on facebook or the full dump on Picasa.
Enter Ludi, my sister from another mister (sorry). My spring break came a little later than most in America, and she happened to be on break and visiting family in Hong Kong--taking a brief trip through Taiwan in the middle. Given that I'm already in East Asia I took off a few days to join her and had a swell time, seeing the sights in Taipei, along with her brother an uncle, and making an awesome bike trek though the Taiwanese (Democratic Chinese?) countryside for a couple days.
If you're interested in photos, you can either check the highlights on facebook or the full dump on Picasa.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Graduation
Students bow to the principal as they receive their diplomas.I go to two middle schools; unfortunately, they operate on the same schedule, so I could only attend one graduation--also unfortunately, I wound up at the school where I felt less connected to my students. I found myself a little emotional too, in part because I empathized with all the emotion in the students (many of whom were crying themselves) and the parents, but also in part because I realized that I couldn't see the students I had really connected with and then felt guilty because I realized I hadn't been doing well enough by the students at this school.
At any rate, the day was theirs, not mine, but I appreciated being able to be a part of it all, however small.
Later, I got yearbooks from both schools--and my other school had gone so far as to produce a DVD of the proceedings, which I got a copy of. (I've yet to watch it). The best, though, was the copy of one of the graduating classes' memory book--filled with pages from the students themselves (CTY folk might see the similarity). It was from one of my favorite classes, and on one of the pages there were notes for me that really made my day:
"Dear Matt-sensei,
at first I was nervous but then I enjoyed talking to you. Since I met you, I like English more. Thank you.
-Shihori"
"Dear Matt-sensei,
I LOVE YOU
-Kota"
Labels:
graduation,
pictures,
school,
students
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Daisen Snow and Stay, or: Mackey turns 22 (plus an onsen aside)
Over my birthday weekend (that's Feb. 7th-8th for those of you keeping track at home) there was a large gathering of JETs at Mt. Daisen (the "Big Mountain" I hiked back in the fall) for a ski weekend. Daisen is the biggest mountain in Japan West of Mt. Fuji, and despite Japan being so mountainous there is not a ton of skiing to be had; Daisen is one of the better slopes out there. A group of maybe 20 of us (including some native Japanese friends) stayed at a ryokan on the mountainside on Saturday night (a ryokan is a Japanese-style inn: think a large, communal bath area*, tatami mat floors, and yukata--light cotton kimono. Wonderful after a day of skiing). Naturally, we had easy access to the hills first thing Sunday after skiing for most of Saturday.
I wish I could put Daisen in better context, but all I know is Dartmouth's ski mountain in New Hampshire--it's definitely a big ski area, with a few mountainsides contained in the "Daisen" ski resort. However, outside of some deep moguls at the very top of one of the mountains the area is generally a bunch of wide open ski fields, so the degree of difficulty was not terribly challenging. That said, most of us there were not terribly great skiiers (and snowboarders--the split was maybe 20-80 skis-snowboards, with myself in the 20), so the mountain suited us perfectly.
After half a day of icy slopes on Sunday I drove back to the Eastern side of the prefecture with some friends (about a 2 hour drive). Being my 22nd birthday, (and 22 being a pretty uneventful age after you've run the 16-18-21 significance gauntlet) I didn't have plans to do anything special but a friend insisted and we went out for some delicious dinner at an okonomyiaki place, and followed it up with some delectable cake from the inauspiciously-named Pandora's Box for a full weekend and a happy birthday.
*Easily one of my favorite facets of Japanese culture. In one's home you have a single bath which the whole family will use in a given night--you clean off before you get in, and then soak in the hot water to relax. It's blissful. Onsen--your bath houses or large hotel baths--are the same thing, but instead of a one-man bath it's a large open area.
Got to go to a really big one a couple weeks back--this one has the feature of being co-ed (bathing suits), and had a good dozen baths, including one outdoors, a small-sized pool complete with water slide (which was AWESOME!), sauna with a freezing bath to chill yourself right outside, and a massage bath with strategically placed jets you could use. America could do with some more bath time, I think.
I wish I could put Daisen in better context, but all I know is Dartmouth's ski mountain in New Hampshire--it's definitely a big ski area, with a few mountainsides contained in the "Daisen" ski resort. However, outside of some deep moguls at the very top of one of the mountains the area is generally a bunch of wide open ski fields, so the degree of difficulty was not terribly challenging. That said, most of us there were not terribly great skiiers (and snowboarders--the split was maybe 20-80 skis-snowboards, with myself in the 20), so the mountain suited us perfectly.
After half a day of icy slopes on Sunday I drove back to the Eastern side of the prefecture with some friends (about a 2 hour drive). Being my 22nd birthday, (and 22 being a pretty uneventful age after you've run the 16-18-21 significance gauntlet) I didn't have plans to do anything special but a friend insisted and we went out for some delicious dinner at an okonomyiaki place, and followed it up with some delectable cake from the inauspiciously-named Pandora's Box for a full weekend and a happy birthday.
*Easily one of my favorite facets of Japanese culture. In one's home you have a single bath which the whole family will use in a given night--you clean off before you get in, and then soak in the hot water to relax. It's blissful. Onsen--your bath houses or large hotel baths--are the same thing, but instead of a one-man bath it's a large open area.
Got to go to a really big one a couple weeks back--this one has the feature of being co-ed (bathing suits), and had a good dozen baths, including one outdoors, a small-sized pool complete with water slide (which was AWESOME!), sauna with a freezing bath to chill yourself right outside, and a massage bath with strategically placed jets you could use. America could do with some more bath time, I think.
"My School Life"
Year end is swiftly approaching. I've all but finished seeing my 9th graders, who take their entrance exams next week (if they haven't already) and have their graduation ceremony the week after; things are similarly winding down with a lot of my other classes, but I'm at least bolstered by the knowledge that I'll get to keep working with them, if in a slightly different context.
At one of my schools the 9th graders wrapped up their year of English by writing about their experiences the past 3 years in junior high school, and ending with a message for their classmates as they all move on. There were some great ones, ranging from long narratives about experiences and feelings to the following:
"DESTINY
I joined the baseball club.
DESTINY!!
I became class leader.
DESTINY!!
Message is sausage."
Various other non sequiturs were had by some of the other jokesters with only so-so English, to hilarious end (another interspersed his memories with "oh, no, I dropped my cola"...bolded and at least 2x the size of the rest). Really been enjoying the time with my students, and I'm really gonna miss them when they move on!
At one of my schools the 9th graders wrapped up their year of English by writing about their experiences the past 3 years in junior high school, and ending with a message for their classmates as they all move on. There were some great ones, ranging from long narratives about experiences and feelings to the following:
"DESTINY
I joined the baseball club.
DESTINY!!
I became class leader.
DESTINY!!
Message is sausage."
Various other non sequiturs were had by some of the other jokesters with only so-so English, to hilarious end (another interspersed his memories with "oh, no, I dropped my cola"...bolded and at least 2x the size of the rest). Really been enjoying the time with my students, and I'm really gonna miss them when they move on!
In Sickness And In Health
Last week was reaaaally slow at one of my schools.
Flu season comes here as naturally as it does in America, with one big difference--you can tell it's flu season because people start showing up to school/work with face masks (think surgeon's mask, not hockey) to prevent the spread of airborne pathogens. It's always kind of a fun guessing game to figure out whether they're (a little) sick or trying to avoid becoming sick, but I think it's pretty great that the culture embraces such a thing.
Anyhow, last week, at one of my schools the 7th and 8th grade classes were apparently so decimated by the flu--maybe 1/5 of each grade, with potentially more to catch it--that, instead of having class and later having to play catchup with so many, classes were canceled. At least the 9th graders held on--another school in the area had school canceled entirely because for the same reason.
Flu season comes here as naturally as it does in America, with one big difference--you can tell it's flu season because people start showing up to school/work with face masks (think surgeon's mask, not hockey) to prevent the spread of airborne pathogens. It's always kind of a fun guessing game to figure out whether they're (a little) sick or trying to avoid becoming sick, but I think it's pretty great that the culture embraces such a thing.
Anyhow, last week, at one of my schools the 7th and 8th grade classes were apparently so decimated by the flu--maybe 1/5 of each grade, with potentially more to catch it--that, instead of having class and later having to play catchup with so many, classes were canceled. At least the 9th graders held on--another school in the area had school canceled entirely because for the same reason.
"What do you call this kind of music?" "Uhhh...classic rock."
One of my co-teachers is on a really big kick of using music in class lately--this week we spent some time introducing such contemporary artists as the Beatles and the Carpenters to the 7th and 9th graders, complete with videos ripped from youtube to provide some watching material. (Hm, old groups the kids had never heard of singing music in a language they didn't understand all that well? You'd be proud, Dorsey-sensei).
We're at that point in the year where we're running out of material that has to be covered, but there's still some time before the end of the year (remember, school year ends at the end of March here), so we can totally get away with this sort of thing--we'll do maybe one song that's listen-able with lyrics, followed by a few more for them to simply enjoy.
The last two songs we studied: "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong (kids got a BIG kick out of his facial expressions when he sings) and "I Just Called to Say I Love You" by Stevie Wonder (which, at the end, I was made to sing solo--this is what I get for trying to encourage the kids to come out of their shells by example).
We're at that point in the year where we're running out of material that has to be covered, but there's still some time before the end of the year (remember, school year ends at the end of March here), so we can totally get away with this sort of thing--we'll do maybe one song that's listen-able with lyrics, followed by a few more for them to simply enjoy.
The last two songs we studied: "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong (kids got a BIG kick out of his facial expressions when he sings) and "I Just Called to Say I Love You" by Stevie Wonder (which, at the end, I was made to sing solo--this is what I get for trying to encourage the kids to come out of their shells by example).
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