Bungalows in outer space, horrid slaps across the face
The first two weeks of teaching have been dedicated to my self introduction; delivering a speech approximately 15 minutes in length, interspersed with pictures of my family and friends, to the first grade in hopes of peaking their interest in the English language. I give my shpeel, then Shiwa-san translates the fundamental concepts back to the kids, cause honestly, they speak about 2 words of English combined among the 36 students. The problem is, Shiwa-san's English isn't that great either. Basic information I've thrown at the kids is being distorted like a juvenile game of telephone. A picture of my family in St. Croix has been translated into "my family owns a house in the Carribean, where we spend three weeks each year over Christmas." I was told to never contradict or correct the professional teacher in a classroom, so I let it slide. But these kids are getting such a distorted view of Americans...because in Japan, one American is the basis of criticism for the entire American race, if there truly is such a thing. If I play soccer, then every American plays soccer. If I have my nose pierced, then I hate to tell you this, but so do you, so get used to it. This is sheer insanity, but for your reading pleasure, I introduce to you a land where the grass is blue, the sky is purple, we're all expert trapeze artists, fluent in the art of juggling, and once a year our families bugalow in outer space...you've heard of us, we're Americans!
Wow, what is the world coming to?
On a slightly related note, you'll never guess what I saw yesterday..........................you ready?......................okay, a teacher hit a student. Yup, I couldn't believe it either. It gets better, the kid is a special education student, which is the equivalent of mentally handicapped, yet still coherent enough to attend regular classes. It was terrible, I can't believe I didn't break down and quit right on the spot. I'm not a huge fan of kids, especially when they're past the cute stage, but there is no justifying slapping a special needs student right across the face in plain view of anyone and everyone. Not that in private would be any better, but you understand. Technically such discipline is not permitted in the schools, but evidently it's accepted and no one seems to care. What? Excuse me, WHAT?!?!?! How can slapping a student not of a completley sound mind EVER be acceptable?
A) What the hell are you thinking?
B) He's handicapped.
C) What the hell are you thinking?
D) You're a P.E. teacher for fuck's sake. What'd he do? Drop the ball instead of "gently placing it in the bag?"
E) WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING???????
I don't get it. I just don't understand how anyone can sit back and not say anything to this shithead of a teacher in defense of the student. I'm a pretty passive person, unless you choose to have sex in my parents bed (and then I blow up,) but if I spoke Japanese, or he spoke English , I would have had a few choice words for this guy. So that's it....this officially starts my conversation strike with What'shisname-san, thus demanding the creation of a shit list.
Wow, what is the world coming to?
On a slightly related note, you'll never guess what I saw yesterday..........................you ready?......................okay, a teacher hit a student. Yup, I couldn't believe it either. It gets better, the kid is a special education student, which is the equivalent of mentally handicapped, yet still coherent enough to attend regular classes. It was terrible, I can't believe I didn't break down and quit right on the spot. I'm not a huge fan of kids, especially when they're past the cute stage, but there is no justifying slapping a special needs student right across the face in plain view of anyone and everyone. Not that in private would be any better, but you understand. Technically such discipline is not permitted in the schools, but evidently it's accepted and no one seems to care. What? Excuse me, WHAT?!?!?! How can slapping a student not of a completley sound mind EVER be acceptable?
A) What the hell are you thinking?
B) He's handicapped.
C) What the hell are you thinking?
D) You're a P.E. teacher for fuck's sake. What'd he do? Drop the ball instead of "gently placing it in the bag?"
E) WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING???????
I don't get it. I just don't understand how anyone can sit back and not say anything to this shithead of a teacher in defense of the student. I'm a pretty passive person, unless you choose to have sex in my parents bed (and then I blow up,) but if I spoke Japanese, or he spoke English , I would have had a few choice words for this guy. So that's it....this officially starts my conversation strike with What'shisname-san, thus demanding the creation of a shit list.
posted by Chishiki Lauren at 9:05 PM
2 Comments:
I agree lauren-what the fuck?!? Travis told me when his aunt was teaching at a university over there that they still discipline college students in a horrid manner if they say something that the professor disagrees with or think is unruly by calling them names and cussing at them. Oh well that is cultural differences for ya!!
PS-I found a ticket to Japan in January for $800 so I am still working on getting it down to real cheap but I need to start saving money due to the fact I will have a college degree in December but feel its necessary to take time off and travel but the parents def do not agree so no funding coming from them most likely!!!
My ex-girlfriend had almost the opposite problem: She was teaching a summer English class in America to a group of children visiting from Korea. They were really well-behaved until they figured out that she couldn't hit them.
But America's quite good in that regard. I mean, even here in England, parents' hitting their children in public is much more common. I've been here four years, and I still haven't gotten use to seeing it, nor do I really want to.
I've had to refrain myself from wanting to smack a few parents, though, especially mothers with a baby in one arm and a cigarette in the other. I've even seen pregnant women smoking here, which turns my stomach. Some things you can chalk up to cultural differences, but that's just plain ignorant.
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