Tuesday was the day I’ve been anticipating for awhile, ever since I watched the solemn goodbyes of leaving teachers, my first spring here at school.
I knew Speech Marathon Day was coming, so Monday I begged R-chan to help me translate my thoughts. I told her stories, and if she laughed, I had her tell it […]
Lay in a supply of red wine. Resolve not to ever think about school outside of school until having had wine. If start thinking about school, think to oneself, have I had my wine yet? If the answer is no get the bottle. If no bottle, no thinking about school. Brilliant!
As of today you can’t describe ambient noise or recount the ambience of your recent dinner date in my comments, because my blacklist will nail you as one of the annoying-as-fuck spammers that keeps trying to sell the prescription drug Amb*en 1000 times a day on my blog. Take that goddamn spammers! I need […]
The heat has officially been turned off at school and my kerosene heater ran out of fuel last night. While my lungs are grateful for the respite, I sure wish it would warm up already.
Had my first class of the year today and I think it got off to a good start. In my opinion, […]
So, today I found out why, when last year, my various team teachers had a meeting with each other (ten feet from where I was sitting) to discuss the plans for the class I taught with them, I was never asked to attend.
According to this year’s head of the English department, who often handily lets […]
Ball-sports day; played on the sensei volleyball team against the winning class of the student tournament. We lost. I’m sure I cost us a few points, having a) forgotten my contacts and b) no idea where the ‘out’ and other important lines were on a court full of incomprehensible scribblings.
Being yelled at and not […]
Ahh, it’s a beautiful day in the inaka. My worst class of the year is officially over, how can I not be happy?
One bit of sad news: the names of 4 or 5 leaving teachers were revealed, among them one of my favorites, a Japanese teacher of English and team-teacher who was always quiet, but […]
15:30
The air is thick. Everyone is waiting today, laughing and chatting like nothing is happening, but I can feel anticipation.
Today the principal went to the central BOE, and soon he will arrive back at school knowing which teachers will go and which will stay.
It’s the same every year, the whole prefecture of teachers plays musical […]
Came to school this bright lovely morning to find a parking lot full of bright baby junior high students, all ready for their entrance exams. Some of you will be mine, little kiddies, come to me!
Creepiness aside, I had a good eyebrow raising moment this morning when the vice principal made a special announcement during […]
Sat through the freezingness that is graduation today. The strange formality was just like last year, the kiritsu! rei! chakuseki! (stand! bow! sit!), the fact that students give their speeches at the podium facing the stage instead of the audience, the fact that we all willingly sat in just-above-zero temperatures for an hour and a […]