Why being an ALT is the best job ever.

In the women's break room at Hirasawa elementary school, there is a couch. I've never seen anybody use it before and I never imagined myself using it considering it's well-worn and old appearance. Yesterday after my last class, I sat down on that couch for the first time and cried.

As I mentioned before, students run through and practice their graduation ceremonies hard well in advance of the real thing. Yesterday, my elementary school students had practice when I'm usually teaching my first 6th grade class. During the next hour when I'd normally be teaching the second 6th grade class, they had a combined class of both groups and instead of in the music room they had it up on the third floor in the combined space between their classrooms.

I thought I heard something about a 感謝会 (kanshakai- "Thank-You Meeting") last week so I thought maybe we'd have a class and then a few of the students would say something nice at the end.
But when one of the teachers asked me to wait by the entrance of the classroom and one student announced in front of the class, "We will now begin the Thank-you meeting for Tierra-sensei," I realized it was going to be a bit more than that. They all stood up in four rows facing each other and applauded as a student lead me through them and to a seat in front of the class.

First, we played a fun Rock, Paper, Scissors game (in English). Everybody found someone to do Rock, Paper, Scissors with and if they lost, they had to go behind the winner and place their hands on the winner's shoulders and subsequently follow them around. The leader of these chains of people went around doing Rock, Paper, Scissors with each other. As we played, the snake became longer and longer until there were two very long chains of people trying not to run into each other or themselves. The winner between the last two "snakes" won.

After our exciting little game, we all sat back down. A few students then lined up to give me hand-made cards and make a nice speech to me. The announcer then said they would now give me a present and joined the rest of the students. As I wondered what it could possibly be, they stood up straight and focused their attention on one of the 6th grade teachers who turned on a boom box and took her place in front of the class and raised her hands. At that moment I remembered that she is also the school's music teacher.

The first note from the mouths of over 65 students hit me like a tidal wave. It wasn't the sound of tired children fulfilling an obligation. It was the sound of students putting everything they have into something beautiful and full of meaning. As I gazed over them, they stood tall and didn't lose their focus. These students, some of whom barely uttered a word in class, sang with purpose and confidence.

Once the last note died away, the announcer said they would now hear a few words from me. Usually when prompted to say anything in Japanese on short notice I find it a bit difficult to come up with the right words and say what I mean. But in that moment, standing before those upturned, hopeful faces- faces that wanted nothing more than to hear what I have to say no matter how grammatically terrible it was, I found myself unafraid and unworried. There they were having sang with their hearts and souls to me and mine unashamedly exposed in turn being close to tears. In that moment, words didn't matter anymore. The communication was already done and it didn't matter which words I used to represent them.

So I expressed how I was so moved I didn't have words. I said even though I couldn't understand all the words, I think I understood the message. I told them that even though the year had been short,  I was glad I was able to teach English and play games with them. I said let's continue to enjoy English from now on and with one, loud, unified voice, they replied "Hai!" like the would to any Japanese teacher for whom they held respect and I said thank you.

The announcer then said they would be concluding the Thank-you Meeting. The students stood and formed the lines facing each other again, but this time they also raised their hands towards each other. The same student who guided me in lead me through them and to the classroom entrance.

After I reached the second floor, I went to the break room and let it out. I couldn't even look inside the cards in my hands yet. When I finally composed myself and sat down at my desk, I opened them.
One sentence that stuck out in my mind was, 「ぼくはこの外国語活動で感じたり気付いたりした事は日本人と外国人は言葉が通じなかったら、ジェスチャーで言いたい事を表現している事です。」
"One thing I felt and noticed through foreign language activities is if words between Japanese people and foreignors don't make sense, we express what we want to say with gestures." Having been able to convey something so important that can't be learned through tests and grades makes me feel like I've accomplished what I've been sent here to do. I feel like if I had to go back to the US tomorrow, coming here would have still been worth it with all I've accomplished so far.

They say that Japanese people don't express their innermost thoughts and emotions to people very often. Because of this, many foreignors and ALTs often feel left out or underappreciated. Sometimes it can even lead to frustration. Us Westerners are raised in a culture that requires constant validation and praise. We say "I love you" at the end of every parting and phone call to those we love and to not do so means that something must be wrong with the relationship. To not be praised for doing something well must mean you did it wrong or they don't appreciate the work you did.

To ALTs and indeed other foreignors in any workplace in Japan, I want to say that just because they don't say anything doesn't mean they don't appreciate you. If you pay attention, you can see it in other small ways. The way your JTEs smile and say thank you when you turn in that pile of tests you graded or they ask you a random question about you during class when the students are working or when they come to you for advice or help on an English problem. The fact that they came to you at all means you are fulfilling an important role. Don't worry, every once in a while, you'll get a special moment and believe me, when Japanese people do choose to express their true feelings, they do it sincerely and with the same level of care and thought they put into everything else.

So whenever you get that cog-in-the-machine feeling, don't focus on the fact that you are one (let's face it, most salaried people are), but the special and important role you fulfill to that machine. It doesn't need you to function, but it would be a certain amount of worse off without you. Think about the cards you got from your students or the song they sang to you or even the last time you saw a "Eureka!" moment on a students face when you helped them with a problem. Maybe a laugh, however small, you shared with a student or co-worker. If you hit a dry spell between these moments, reach into your pool of memories make them live again and remember they won't be the last.

Our time here is limited, but the impact you have on the community and the legacy you leave behind for the next lucky person to sit at that desk will be timeless. One of my friends from Tokyo is in the middle of her undergraduate studies and said she remembers her ALT from grade-school. The teachers and other citizens here recall my predecessors fondly and remember things like their favorite restaurant or what sports they did. I have found materials written by predecessors from several years back.

We are all appreciated and we will be remembered.

卒業、そして未来へ

The end of the academic year is drawing to a close here at Nicchu**. Teachers are tying up loose ends in their lessons, students are studying hard for the proficiency tests this week, and final preparations for the graduation ceremony on Friday is underway.

For those wondering why middle school graduation is such a big deal, Japan's mandatory education only extends through middle school. After that, they can either enter the work force or advance to high school. Moreover, anyone wishing to entire a high school must pass the entrance exam for that particular school so those applying to multiple schools must take multiple tests. For more prestigious schools, there may even be an interview involved. The stress and exam fees can really pile up. And once they graduate high school, the cycle starts over as they either enter the workforce or start taking exams for universities they want to get into. At either academic level, hopefuls that fail the exams become a "ronin" (literally a samurai without a master) for the year and try again the following year.

But all the stress and brain-hurt is done with and now my third-years can sit back and look forward to Friday morning. Well, besides practicing for the ceremony up to two hours a day. Starting last Thursday, all students and teachers with homerooms donned their jackets and congregated in the freezing gym to practice for the graduation ceremony during the last two hours of the day. One hour is spent on entering/leaving, sitting/standing, and bowing. They even make the first and second-year students applaude as the third-years and their teachers leave (which can take a loooong time and they do it more than once). The second hour is spent practicing the school song with the music teacher. They practice and sing it for the opening and closing ceremonies each semester.

Today, the head of the English department and I had our last lesson with our graduating third-year students. Last week, he asked me to write down two of my favorite songs so he could type up the lyrics for the students and he provided his favorite song. After we played those during class we ended playing a couple others and what we ended up with was a kind of graduation soundtrack for them.
I thought it would be fun to share it here:

The Nikaho Graduation Class of 2014 Playlist

-We Are the World, various artists

 

-Time Stand Still, Rush

-Perfect, Pink **yeah, I hate censored versions, but it's middle school...

-Good Riddance (Time of Your Life), Green Day

-卒業、そして未来へ, MONKEYMAJIK **"Graduation, then on to the future"

And that concludes our graduation playlist. We tried to find songs that had a good message for them and I feel we did a great job. They may not of understood all of it (especially Rush considering how old and abstract the song is), but I hope they got something out of it and will look into some of the lyrics later. I wasn't able to get to know them well, but a part of me is still a bit sad to see them go. At least, from what I can tell from the happy and looks on their faces that they're off to a good future no matter where it takes them.

**Japanese Mini-Lesson!
The words for elementary, middle, and high school are 小学校 (shogakko), 中学校 (chugakko), and 高校 (koko). As you can see, the kanji that differentiates between the three is the first one. 小 means "small", 中 means "middle", and 高 means "high" or "tall". The remaining kanji 学校 or just 校 simply mean "school". However, since 仁賀保中学校 (Nikaho Chugakko) is a bit of a mouthful, people generally like to abbreviate it down to 仁中 (Nicchu). Similarily, my elementary school, 平沢小学校 (Hirasawa Shogakko) is usually shortened down to 平沢小 (Hirasawasho).

Party Time! Excellent!

On a night usually spent enjoying the company of family in the warmth and hospitality of my grandparent's house, I was in Japan celebrating the end of the year with my co-workers at the annual "bounenkai" (忘年会). The Chinese characters in the word literally mean, in this order, "forget", "year", and "meeting". In other words, it's a party to forget the past year in order to ring in the new one. Since each school will have their own, assistant language teachers who teach at more than one school have a pretty busy (and expensive) couple of weeks ahead of them if they choose to go to all of them. Thankfully, I only had one for my middle school and one for my elementary school.

Popular venues for bounenkai's usually amount to large "ryokan" (旅館), or traditional Japanese

hotels. Since all schools in the immediate area hold their parties around the same time, the competition to reserve one of these places is pretty fierce. The fees per person can get pricey ranging from 5,000 - 6,000 yen and up (about 50-60 dollars). As traditional establishments, ladies dressed in kimonos greet you at the door to check your shoes (which you are required to take off) and guide you to your reserved meeting room. The room itself is a huge tatami (straw mats) room with low food trays and seat cushions lined up around the room.

There will usually be some traditional Japanese art behind the main row at the far end of the room where the higher-ups sit.

Your tray will already be loaded with food when you get there, but don't eat yet! After the bounenkai formally starts, there will be a few words from the principal. Everyone will then pour drinks for each other (never pour your own drink) for a "kampai"(乾杯), or toast. Then the eating begins.

During the 3+ hour duration of the party, kimono-clad ladies will continuously clear your dishes to make room for more and more food. It seems like a lot, but the portions tend to be small. If your drink gets low, don't worry- your neighbor will fill it up for you (and it's expected you will do the same for them).

The brown, ceramic-looking thing in the upper-right is actually a little pot set on top of a candle burner. At the start of things, the waitresses will come around and light your candle to start boiling
whatever's in the bowl on top.

Throughout the night, people will come sit in front of your tray to talk to you and fill up your glass and have their's filled in return. You'll probably hear the phrase, "What are you drinking?" about a hundred times before the night is over.

Next order of business is some sort of presentation of the year's top ten "big news" items. These can range from huge victories at competitions to recent marriages to snakes being found in the school entrance (unfortunately, I didn't get to see said snake...). A person related to each news item will make a short speech and recieve a small gift.

After another brief pause for socializing, a series of games begin. People are divided into teams depending on where you sit and either entire teams participate or select a member for each round.
Games can be just about anything, but here are the ones I got to play:

Hirasawa Elementary School Bounenkai:

Bingo- self-explanitory. Each bingo you got earned points for your team.

心の一つ (kokoro no hitotsu/ "one heart")　Each team recieves a laminated piece of paper and a marker. The MC will name something and end it with ～と言えば (...toh iebah/"Speaking of..."). For example, they might say, "speaking of mom's home cooking" or "speaking of sushi filling". Then each team member must write down an example of or something related to the theme without looking at each other's answers. When they've finished, the team will line up in a row facing the audience and reveal their answers at the same time. The team will then recieve points based on how many answers are the same. In other words, the team must become "one heart".


Nikaho Junior High School Bounenkai:


一流 (ichiryuu/"high-end" or "top rank") Each team selects a member to participate each round (we had four rounds). In each round, the participants are given two of the same food or beverage samples. However, one will be a generic brand and the other will be a fancy, high-end brand and each participant must guess which is which.


Gesture Roulette- pretty self-explanitory except when a gesture is guessed correctly, the gesturing person goes to the back of the line and the person at the front does the next gesture. Try to guess as many gestures as a team in one minute. This can get pretty silly with alcohol consumption (which there was plenty).

J-Song (Japanese song) Each group selects a singer who will recieve a list of songs to sing the melodies to (lyrics not required). The group must guess as many songs as they can within a time limit.

For some reason I didn't pick up, one team got penalized and each member had to recite a Japanese tongue twister. My JTE (Japanese Teacher of English) got "Boku Bobu"- literally "I'm Bob."

After all games have been played, points are tallied up and groups come up to receive their prizes. Everyone gets a prize; the games just denote who gets first pick.

If the reserved time is up, then closing words are spoken and the party comes to an end. Usually there will be a 二次会 (nijikai/ literally a "second meeting"). These after-parties are optional and usually have karaoke involved. People take taxis there and back.

While expensive, I think it's well worth the food, hospitality, and activities. You'll also get to interact with your co-workers in ways you can't in the everyday workplace. Japan being Japan, teachers work insane hours and are busy people. It's no wonder why they take the time to drink and unwind from a busy year and celebrate their accomplishments. ALT's, don't miss this opportunity to participate in a part of Japanese culture rarely seen by anyone else.

The Office

The reason I applied to be a CIR (coordinator of international relations) instead of an ALT was because I wanted to get some office experience. What I failed to remember is that Japanese teachers work in an office  too. In the States every teacher has their own room and sometimes departments have their own small offices. In Japan, there is one huge office where all teachers have their own desk. At the beginning of the year (typically April), students are assigned a classroom where they stay the whole day for their non-elective classes. Teachers go to the classrooms when it's time to teach or direct club activities.

The atmosphere (at least during summer vacation) is very relaxed and low-key. Besides helping children with work and coaching clubs there's not much to do. Speaking of which, yeah, kids go to school during summer vacation. That is, the serious ones do. Which is a good deal of them. However, it's important to note that summer vacation for them is mid-school year. The first two days of this semesters consists of tests to make them study over the break.

At the beginning of each semester, there is an opening ceremony. As far as ceremonies go, it's pretty strict. Almost military strict. Don't get me wrong, the teachers are very open and friendly to their students and the kids come and go freely from the teacher's room. But when it comes to ceremony and tradition, they know when to show a lot of decorum. Teachers eat lunch with the students in the cafeteria which is fun since I can get to know everyone better.

One of the nice things about the office is that it's not a cubicle farm and one of the walls (the one directly behind me is the front wall of the building with wall-length window looking out onto the front lawn and parking lot. We do have fluorescent lighting, the the natural sunlight is a great boon. I have a feeling it'll help naturally warm up the office when the infamous frigid winter gets here.

Like most non-public buildings, there is a genkan to take off your shoes and put on indoor-wear. Because of the Fukushima accident, Japan has been promoting energy conservation. As a result, buildings are no longer as warmed or cooled as they used to be. To compensate for the decreased climate control, the government has instigated "cool biz"- that is, a slackening of the dress code to allow for cooler clothing such as button-down polos, lack of suit jackets, sandals, and short pants. Many teachers that coach sports clubs will even wear their track suits in the office.

The atmosphere in the office is very positive and surprisingly relaxed. Coworkers are extremely friendly to each other all the way up to the vice principal (the principal's nice too, but nobody ever really sees him). Like I said before, students walk in and out at will looking for help from teachers and they're never ignored. The structure of the school adds to this since the hallways are large and spacious and rooms are usually never closed (most are sliding doors) and are lit by natural sunlight. The feeling created is one of openness. Most teachers get to school extremely early and stay ridiculously late, but the overall atmosphere creates a sense of comradery and you don't feel the need to bolt out of there as soon as possible.

It's nice to finally work in a place where people seem to genuinely care and you can do your work at your own pace.