It's Tuesday, November 19, 1991.
Yesterday I was at my school from Hell - Kaneda Kita Chu Gakko... where first-year boy students (12-year-olds) were trying to stick their fingers between the crack of my ass.
Hey! At least buy me dinner first!
They were caught by the OBOE (Ohtawara Board of Education) - my bosses - who were at the school for a 'routine' check-up. There was nothing routine about it.
Every week, I spend four days team-teaching English at one of the seven junior high schools in my city of Ohtawara-shi, Tochigi-ken, Japan. On the fifth day, I'm at the OBOE creating a brief report on the school, the students, the teachers, life in general - less all of sex and mayhem that actually goes on in my life when I'm not at school. So... anyway... the OBOE knows all about the problems of students running the asylum at Kaneda Kita Chu.
I know the teachers are trying, but it just never seems to stop. These kids are just being idiotic and don't care.
Look... here in Canada, when a kid acts out, the kid goes to the Principal's office and then maybe a note goes home to the parent(s). If it happens again, perhaps the principal asks to meet with the parents to try and resolve the issue. Parents are kept in the loop.
But in Japan... the teacher is in charge of the student - especially when said student is NOT home. I have seen kids wearing their school colors getting into trouble at a store... and since every shop owner knows the colors of the school, they call up the school... now I am unsure if they call the Principal or if the storekeeper calls the homeroom teacher - it depends on whether the kid is talking - but at no time are the parents called.
The homeroom teacher will go to the store... pick up the student, talk with the student - probably back at the school - yell at the student and perhaps hit the student with something, and then drop the student back home. Is the parent told at this time? Perhaps. I have no evidence to say yes or no (Mike Rogers/ Peter Able? Ryu Oni? Matthew Hall? Do you guys know?).
The point is that the teacher is more responsible for bringing up junior than the parents. It was why the teacher was help in such high esteem by Japanese society.
But... I think that by 1991, the feeling of high respect for the teacher was changing... and I can only assume it's worse by 2012.
So... I go back to this school. It was an annoying day, but I did get to leave early at 4:30PM.
The students reverted to their complete animalistic behavior! At lunch, I was made to sit beside one of the biggest idiots at this school (no it wasn't a mirror!). This big dumb bully of a kid will never make it to high school next year! Junior high school kids have to apply to get into high school, and depending on their school marks, they can get into a good high school, a not so-good high school, industrial high school or perhaps one specific to a trade like barber school or farming (all honorable professions, however!).
I do have some fun in Mrs Sagewa's classes which are all very well thought out and are fun for us - and the students! It was on gestures... and I will present a blog on this topic in a few hours time discussing the differences between cultures - or at least showing you some of the gestures the Japanese use.
I get home - Ashley, my ex-girlfriend comes over. We have a dinner or microwaved popcorn and fruits. Yes... for dinner. As we watch some Japanese television, I give her a back rub, which has her naked in no time. She seems to be enjoying herself immensely and is in a really frisky mood... but she's still on her period, and she doesn't seem to realize that there are other things we could do... and besides... I really don't feel like telling her.... I'm still kind of sore from Junko over the weekend, and the students yesterday...
By 10PM I ride with her back home on our bicycles to Nishinasuno Town where she lives 25 minutes away. She wants me to stay with her awhile, but I don't want to. I go back home, get dressed and head over to the 4C bar.
There are a couple of really cute women there who come over and chat with me in broken English and broken Japanese. I'm probably sure I could have taken them back to my apartment - both of them - the eye patch I am wearing really makes me look cool... or tough... or more like an exotic gaijin (foreigner)... but I finish off my vodka and grapefruit juice and head home alone.
I really must be tired.
I read my Books of Blood story by Clive Barker. I swear... I've read a lot of horror books, but I've never been horrified.
Somewhere giving life the finger,
Andrew Joseph
Today's blog title is played by the Average White Band (but they have a White drummer?!):
Yesterday I was at my school from Hell - Kaneda Kita Chu Gakko... where first-year boy students (12-year-olds) were trying to stick their fingers between the crack of my ass.
Hey! At least buy me dinner first!
They were caught by the OBOE (Ohtawara Board of Education) - my bosses - who were at the school for a 'routine' check-up. There was nothing routine about it.
Every week, I spend four days team-teaching English at one of the seven junior high schools in my city of Ohtawara-shi, Tochigi-ken, Japan. On the fifth day, I'm at the OBOE creating a brief report on the school, the students, the teachers, life in general - less all of sex and mayhem that actually goes on in my life when I'm not at school. So... anyway... the OBOE knows all about the problems of students running the asylum at Kaneda Kita Chu.
I know the teachers are trying, but it just never seems to stop. These kids are just being idiotic and don't care.
Look... here in Canada, when a kid acts out, the kid goes to the Principal's office and then maybe a note goes home to the parent(s). If it happens again, perhaps the principal asks to meet with the parents to try and resolve the issue. Parents are kept in the loop.
But in Japan... the teacher is in charge of the student - especially when said student is NOT home. I have seen kids wearing their school colors getting into trouble at a store... and since every shop owner knows the colors of the school, they call up the school... now I am unsure if they call the Principal or if the storekeeper calls the homeroom teacher - it depends on whether the kid is talking - but at no time are the parents called.
The homeroom teacher will go to the store... pick up the student, talk with the student - probably back at the school - yell at the student and perhaps hit the student with something, and then drop the student back home. Is the parent told at this time? Perhaps. I have no evidence to say yes or no (Mike Rogers/ Peter Able? Ryu Oni? Matthew Hall? Do you guys know?).
The point is that the teacher is more responsible for bringing up junior than the parents. It was why the teacher was help in such high esteem by Japanese society.
But... I think that by 1991, the feeling of high respect for the teacher was changing... and I can only assume it's worse by 2012.
So... I go back to this school. It was an annoying day, but I did get to leave early at 4:30PM.
The students reverted to their complete animalistic behavior! At lunch, I was made to sit beside one of the biggest idiots at this school (no it wasn't a mirror!). This big dumb bully of a kid will never make it to high school next year! Junior high school kids have to apply to get into high school, and depending on their school marks, they can get into a good high school, a not so-good high school, industrial high school or perhaps one specific to a trade like barber school or farming (all honorable professions, however!).
I do have some fun in Mrs Sagewa's classes which are all very well thought out and are fun for us - and the students! It was on gestures... and I will present a blog on this topic in a few hours time discussing the differences between cultures - or at least showing you some of the gestures the Japanese use.
I get home - Ashley, my ex-girlfriend comes over. We have a dinner or microwaved popcorn and fruits. Yes... for dinner. As we watch some Japanese television, I give her a back rub, which has her naked in no time. She seems to be enjoying herself immensely and is in a really frisky mood... but she's still on her period, and she doesn't seem to realize that there are other things we could do... and besides... I really don't feel like telling her.... I'm still kind of sore from Junko over the weekend, and the students yesterday...
By 10PM I ride with her back home on our bicycles to Nishinasuno Town where she lives 25 minutes away. She wants me to stay with her awhile, but I don't want to. I go back home, get dressed and head over to the 4C bar.
There are a couple of really cute women there who come over and chat with me in broken English and broken Japanese. I'm probably sure I could have taken them back to my apartment - both of them - the eye patch I am wearing really makes me look cool... or tough... or more like an exotic gaijin (foreigner)... but I finish off my vodka and grapefruit juice and head home alone.
I really must be tired.
I read my Books of Blood story by Clive Barker. I swear... I've read a lot of horror books, but I've never been horrified.
Somewhere giving life the finger,
Andrew Joseph
Today's blog title is played by the Average White Band (but they have a White drummer?!):
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