So I see you be teachin's

So I hear y'all wanna know about my school and teaching. Fine then.


First of all, school is run quite differently than what we're used to at home. Elementary school is a little different from middle and high school (which are fairly similar to each other), so I'll mention it later when I actually start work there.


Anyway, Japan has the same number of school grades, but arranged differently. Typically at home, it's 5 years elementary, 3 in middle school, and 4 in high school. 5-3-4. But here, it's always 6-3-3. And for each year, they are called first years, second years, etc. Never "7th grade" or something. Our 7th grade is "Middle school, 1st year". Our 9th grade is middle school, 3rd year. 10th grade is high school, 1st year, etc.


The day typically goes something like this. In the morning, (at my school its just Mondays, but some schools do this everyday), there is a teacher's meeting. 


First, I should mention something. Teachers don't really own classrooms, so to speak. Not even in elementary school. Teacher's desks and their work is all done in the teacher's room. This is always connected to the principals room, which tends to be next to or near the secretary's area and visitors window (like check in).


Every teacher's desk is a part of a group. The head teachers and principal, vice principal, etc., have a line at the front of the room. The other desks, have three big groups. For 1st year, 2nd year, and 3rd year. Teachers aren't always strictly a certain year teacher, but they do have their particular coworkers. 


For the meeting, there are usually the same teachers standing up from their desk to talk, but different people will say something sometimes. 


Also, the students have their set classrooms and classmates which means they all share the same schedule. They don't leave the room, it's the teachers who do that. Most classes have about 30-35 kids. This differs between schools. Some have fewer, some have as many as 40.


Today, I've spent most of the day "prepping". I put that in quotations because I didn't do any prep at all. Now before you get on my case for that, let me ask- how do you prep for nothing? Soon as you give me any lesson details, I'll prep, and I prep good. But for now, I await my completed schedule so I can see what topics and themes I'll be working on.


Today I looked through some of my old notes from training and previous little lessons that I made. Very short, mostly activity based thus far. For 4th hour (there 6 in total, lunch is between 4 and 5, each period is 50 mins.), I went with the teacher who sits next to me, Kawakami, to a 3rd year class of hers. Mostly, I introduced myself, in both languages (this tends to make them like me a little more), read out some dialogue for pronunciation. When they had that, I did it more, this time, in stupid voices. Also, someone pointed out a sticker on my pants. I don't know how it got there, but I went ahead and put it on my face. I knew they'd like that. xD That was pretty much it in there.


For lunch, unless a teacher brings their own (which I have yet to see), everyone eats the exact same meal. It's generally like this:


-rice or noodles (for soup) or bread


-thin soup, containing a little bit of veggies, different each day, sometimes potatoes, sometimes a little meat.


-a cold salad of some type


-a main dish, usually centering on meat or fish


- a bottle of milk (we'd call it about 4-5% I think)


-Sometimes there is fruit of some sort or yogurt as well, called dessert


The students eat in their classroom. Cafeterias are nonexistent. They group their desks together, and set their dishes on clothes they bring. Each day, different students head to the room where the food is prepared, and they bring back their classes' portion.


For teachers, a few will eat together at a table in the teachers room. But most of them are either homeroom teachers (for example, one of the English teachers runs a second year's class so he is their main teacher), or they are otherwise occupied with a class and are eating there.


Each class is called something different. For example, the first years and the second years both have 5 classes of students and third year has 4. For example, there is second year, class three. That' shown like this: 2-3. So you'll see thing like 1-2, 3-4, 2-2, etc. If the students need to come to the teachers room, they have to say "excuse me, this is (name), of (class)." and then state their purpose. Upon  leaving, they bow slightly, and say "pardon the intrusion".


Real quick, middle schools and high schools have their students wear uniforms. They've got the same school bags as well. Same shoes, only differing by colors of the stripe- which indicates their year. If you don't know, in Japan, when you go to someone's house, or a lot of places really, you remove your shoes, and wear indoor shoes or slippers. Same at school, we've got indoor shoes.


For today's lunch, I've started eating in a classroom. This week, I'll be with 3-4. I haven't actually taught them yet, and as I thought, they were not all that interested the way younger kids are. Still, the small group I sat with did ask me things. One boy was standing by today's dessert (a strange fruit cocktail-jelly combination) asking if I wanted any of the extra in Japanese. I decided to play dumb, and the other's were like "In English, dummy!" He tried, and almost had it right, but they all realized his mistake "Do you give dessert?" and he sorta gave up, laughing with everyone. He tried in again in Japanese, so answered in Japanese. xD From there, they did rock-paper-scissors for the rest among each other. Myself, I sat with two girls, two boys, and a male teacher who was eating there today. I don't know if he's there everyday or what, but he was across from me today. Actually, I had met him before, at the new teachers welcoming party a few weeks ago.


The menu today was milk, soup with carrot, lettuce, pork and mushroom, with udon noodles (thick noodles) to put in it, fried mashed potatoes in ball form (not deep friend though, just lightly), and a dessert of that fruit-jelly thing. Honestly, I always at least like the lunch pretty much everyday.


The kids at my table (no english this time. are they 3rd graders, or not? xD), asked my hobbies, favorites sport and things like that. But then, they asked my age. The teacher who sat across from me is also a new teacher and also my age. Though he clearly has the hang of this more than me. I'd say it's because he's Japanese and was one of these kids some years ago. xD


But yeah, he's my age. The boy next to me immediately alluded to something about the teacher and myself. I knew what he meant, but decided to play dumb- they were already trying to embarrass him, so why make it worse? I made confused gestures, and the teacher said not to worry about it. xD
It didn't end there, though. A girl ask if I had a boyfriend. Upon hearing "no", the same boy from before told the teacher that this means he could make an "attack". I really couldn't play dumb here, so we both just sorta did the "no no no". xD I did expect questions like this at some point, but not today....oh, kids.


Now after this, there was the two class periods. After 6th hour, is when it is my time to leave. This is at about 3:30. Another thing, there aren't janitors here. Everyday, there is this designated time for 20 minutes to clean. Everyone rolls up their sleeves, and puts a bandanna over their heads for cleaning time. Cloths, brooms, sponges, mops all are put to work. On the grounds as well. After this, some students go home, and many other stick around until 6 at the latest for a club activity. My school does have some buses provided. I don't believe every school does though.


That's what I got for now, ok? Tomorrow I'm prepping more but it would seem that I'll get the rest of my month schedule on Wednesday, and elementary school will likely start next week. Slightly terrified, but here we go. In other news, I've finally found a at clinic which there is some English. I'll be going to tomorrow and I'm hoping I'll me able to get my meds.