Friday, April 03, 2009
At Last
This Friday marks the end of Spring vacation. Finally, I can start working at work again!
I know that sounds wrong but hear me out. For two weeks I've been reporting to student-less schools and empty staff rooms and facing the same ordeal: none of the teachers are able to understand why I'm even there or willing to think about English classes because they're too busy wondering if they may be changing schools. This leaves me no choice but to spend all my time wondering what the hell I'm doing there myself. This job is always balancing itself between two ludicrous extremes. Sometimes I feel like an irreplaceable superhero who shows these sheltered kids that foreign countries are not weird or scary but simply different in certain ways. Other times I feel like a completely superfluous cog in a machine that resents my very presence. It is during these stretches of no classes that the second attitude rears its ugly head because I am literally wasting my time in an childless school day after day. No one cares to talk to me about anything nor do they even discuss matters that directly pertain to me.
For example, I mentioned last Friday that when I came to work as usual, there was an implausible yet somehow predictable level of confusion from everyone involved. The principal apologized for not telling me that I didn't need to be there and I was encouraged to go home early. Well, today I went back to that same school and...yeah, the exact same thing happened. Even though we went through this routine just one week earlier, the principal still acted as if he had no idea I was going to show up. What's worse is, his reason was that he heard that I would be going to a different school, but no one considered calling me and asking. Certainly when I last saw them, I said "see you next Friday" before I left. I make it a point to do that in the hopes that the staff will get used to my presence and associate me with a certain day of the week. A year and a half into this job, it seems my efforts are not producing very promising results. So as much as I enjoy spending my time writing for my blog or reading about the sleeping habits of babies, I am very eager to finally get back to work so I can be reminded of the good times: the times when there are children and adults who actually care whether I show up for work or not.
If there is a bright spot to this week, it has been the arrival of two friends from Tokyo. I first met them through Richard and we have sung together and explored Yoyogi Park together. Now they've decided to return to States to pursue new things, but before they leave they're visiting the Kansai area. Last night I met them in Namba and we spent the evening together. At first we roamed around Den Den Town for a look at the endless supplies of curiosities for sale there, then we sat down for a delicious array of yakitori. Full of chicken and a modest amount of liquor (for a weekday anyway) we walked over to the bright lights of Dotonbori and then toured the less-than-bright streets of Amerika-mura. While they said they had been to Osaka before, it had been quite some time and they didn't really remember much. I felt glad that I was able to give them a better glimpse of "my town," especially since they had tried to humanize Tokyo for me whenever I visited "their town."
In the meantime, I'm here at work, staring at the clock and waiting for my weekend to start. With the cherry blossoms nearly on full display, my hope is to meet up with my former Tokyo friends again tomorrow for some picnickin' and flower viewin' in Osaka Castle Park. That is, if it doesn't rain all weekend and wash away the pink. Guess there's always karaoke...
I know that sounds wrong but hear me out. For two weeks I've been reporting to student-less schools and empty staff rooms and facing the same ordeal: none of the teachers are able to understand why I'm even there or willing to think about English classes because they're too busy wondering if they may be changing schools. This leaves me no choice but to spend all my time wondering what the hell I'm doing there myself. This job is always balancing itself between two ludicrous extremes. Sometimes I feel like an irreplaceable superhero who shows these sheltered kids that foreign countries are not weird or scary but simply different in certain ways. Other times I feel like a completely superfluous cog in a machine that resents my very presence. It is during these stretches of no classes that the second attitude rears its ugly head because I am literally wasting my time in an childless school day after day. No one cares to talk to me about anything nor do they even discuss matters that directly pertain to me.
For example, I mentioned last Friday that when I came to work as usual, there was an implausible yet somehow predictable level of confusion from everyone involved. The principal apologized for not telling me that I didn't need to be there and I was encouraged to go home early. Well, today I went back to that same school and...yeah, the exact same thing happened. Even though we went through this routine just one week earlier, the principal still acted as if he had no idea I was going to show up. What's worse is, his reason was that he heard that I would be going to a different school, but no one considered calling me and asking. Certainly when I last saw them, I said "see you next Friday" before I left. I make it a point to do that in the hopes that the staff will get used to my presence and associate me with a certain day of the week. A year and a half into this job, it seems my efforts are not producing very promising results. So as much as I enjoy spending my time writing for my blog or reading about the sleeping habits of babies, I am very eager to finally get back to work so I can be reminded of the good times: the times when there are children and adults who actually care whether I show up for work or not.
If there is a bright spot to this week, it has been the arrival of two friends from Tokyo. I first met them through Richard and we have sung together and explored Yoyogi Park together. Now they've decided to return to States to pursue new things, but before they leave they're visiting the Kansai area. Last night I met them in Namba and we spent the evening together. At first we roamed around Den Den Town for a look at the endless supplies of curiosities for sale there, then we sat down for a delicious array of yakitori. Full of chicken and a modest amount of liquor (for a weekday anyway) we walked over to the bright lights of Dotonbori and then toured the less-than-bright streets of Amerika-mura. While they said they had been to Osaka before, it had been quite some time and they didn't really remember much. I felt glad that I was able to give them a better glimpse of "my town," especially since they had tried to humanize Tokyo for me whenever I visited "their town."
In the meantime, I'm here at work, staring at the clock and waiting for my weekend to start. With the cherry blossoms nearly on full display, my hope is to meet up with my former Tokyo friends again tomorrow for some picnickin' and flower viewin' in Osaka Castle Park. That is, if it doesn't rain all weekend and wash away the pink. Guess there's always karaoke...
Labels: friends, frustration, Japan, JET
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Hey Dan!
Sorry I was so mopey yesterday. Just getting to Osaka was so exhausting that I hadn't fully recovered and was walking around like a 1st trimester pregnant woman (which I'm not)! I hope we can do the castle together tomorrow!
Night night,
~Robin
Sorry I was so mopey yesterday. Just getting to Osaka was so exhausting that I hadn't fully recovered and was walking around like a 1st trimester pregnant woman (which I'm not)! I hope we can do the castle together tomorrow!
Night night,
~Robin
If the principal is telling you to leave and the BOE is cool with it, why are you there? If the BOE says you have to be there then bring a laptop or whatever and find a deserted room (counseling or computer room is good) and snatch the key from the shokuinshitsu.
Just make sure you know the schedule for those rooms before you yoink the key. And from time to time pop in the shokuinshitsu to show your face. If I had absolutley nothing to do and the principal was telling me to leave I'd make like 8-man son.
Just don't loiter in the teachers' room... it builds resentment to see you messing around while other teachers grind away. Out of sight, out of mind. Trust me here.
SDM
Just make sure you know the schedule for those rooms before you yoink the key. And from time to time pop in the shokuinshitsu to show your face. If I had absolutley nothing to do and the principal was telling me to leave I'd make like 8-man son.
Just don't loiter in the teachers' room... it builds resentment to see you messing around while other teachers grind away. Out of sight, out of mind. Trust me here.
SDM
Robin: It's looking like rain today so maybe tomorrow will be better?
Scott: I do leave early on these days, sometimes VERY early. I just can't believe we went through identical song-and-dance routines at the same school two straight weeks. And whenever possible I do retreat to the English room to stay out of sight.
コメントがあるちゃう？ Type something, please. It's less work for me.Scott: I do leave early on these days, sometimes VERY early. I just can't believe we went through identical song-and-dance routines at the same school two straight weeks. And whenever possible I do retreat to the English room to stay out of sight.
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