There seem to be a lot of special events these days at school – or at least, times that would just pass by as regularity in England but are marked out as special in Japan. The way they are marked out – it seems to me – is by having special more expensive bentos (lunchboxes delivered to the school) that are nicer than usual. Most of the teachers order them and I did too – they are really good.
So on graduation day inside the bento was o`sekihan – rice with red azuki beans that I just LOVE. This rice is always cooked for a celebration. (And when a girl starts her periods incidently). I could understand having a special meal for graduation.
But then it was special bento time on tueday aswell. Tuesday was entrance exam day for the junior high school students who wanted to get into Taga in April. So we had a special bento again! That day I (we) ate tonkatsu (deep fried pork – really nice). Tonkatsu is traditionally eaten on days like exam days because it means good luck and hard work. I love the fact that certain Japanese foods are associated with meaning.
Then on Wednesday, another special bento – because it was marking day! Everything is made into such an occasion in Japan. In England I imagine, marking the school entrance exam would happen with each teacher in their own room trying to get it done at the end of the day according to the mark scheme. But in Japan it was an occasion. We all left the teachers room at 9 o`clock in the morning and went downstairs to the special conference room. Us English teachers all around a table working together other subjects sat together around other nice tables – the vice principal and principal at the head of the room just there to show their presence I imagine – can`t imagine they were doing anything. Just being THERE FOR THE TEAM.
All teachers were involved of course – a true group effort. So even the P.E. teachers (of which there are several at Taga) were present and distributed around to mark the exams of other subjects. It was fun, and at times like that I can see why the Japanese love their community spirit. It was nice working together. We were all consulting each other, some teachers (unsurprisingly the school nurse, and home economics teacher) came and served us tea. Then after an hour or so every teacher was presented with a big bag of snacks to keep us going through the hard work. I`ve often commented that the Japanese don`t tend to eat much when they work. But sometimes they surprise me – on this occasion they were just eating and eating continuously. Nearly finishing their huge bag of snacks. The Japanese have this funny ability to sometimes eat nothing for ages and then not eat much for dinner, and other times eat loads and loads. It confuses me! Of course we had a special bento that day too. But there`s no special food for marking I was informed by my supervisor – so my rice and tempura and lots of other nice little bits of this and that had no special meaning then.
Today is another special day. The Very Important Meeting in which all teachers are present to decide which students will enter Taga next year. Like the graduation ceremony and marking day, all schools in Ibaraki do this on this day. I am not in this meeting because it will be solely in Japanese. The meeting can go on for several hours as teachers debate which students should be selected. For those whose exam marks are at the borderline for getting into Taga all the teachers discuss the club activities the students have been involved in at their school, and the recommendation letters from the junior high school. Many teachers won`t contribute at all in this meeting but I was initially surprised to learn that the P.E. teachers have a lot to say. This is because Taga is a school in which the sports club activities are very important. Therefore, the ways in which students can contribute to this aspect of school life is VERY significant in the selection process of the school.
A 10 minute break just occurred and the teachers just came back to the room. Yuji told me that ultimately, despite it seeming very egalitarian (that`s what I was thinking as I was writing this – having all teachers involved in the meeting/ in the decision) only the principal has the final decision. He said that the unlike the structure of a company which is like a pyramid, the structure in Japanese schools is like a pen-top – (all the teachers on the same level of importance, including the vice-principal) and then just 1, the principal at the head, at the top of the whole organization who has the ultimate power over everything. (He has this supreme influence even though he is retiring this year by the way).
I wish I could be a fly on the wall of this meeting. I want to find out who has influence/ I want to find out if the women talk at all! But I`m confined to the teachers room because of my lack of Japanese – hey ho.
Monday, 9 March 2009
End-of-Year ENKAI
The whole celebration and special events marking the end of the school year are as much for the 3rd grade homeroom teachers as for the graduating students. On the graduation day teacher`s morning meeting these teachers stood up and everybody else applauded them very warmly. It`s a big achievement GETTING YOUR STUDENTS TO THE FINISHING LINE! here in Japanese schools. During the ceremony they stood up and were applauded again by all.
The end of year enkai that evening was a party basically in honour of those third grade teachers. We sat down (knelt on floor of course!) to the meal – the third grade teachers were all seated on one side of the room. Within 5 minutes of starting eating following the kampai most of the second and first grade teachers had jumped up, and moved around to near to third grade teachers, crouching behind them, to serve them drinks, to ensure their galss was never less than half full, to chat to them, to congratulate them profusely.
Given that I`ve been in Japan a long time now (over 6 months) I feel quite used to the Japanese way of eating and drinking when out. You should always serve others drinks, watch for their glass never becoming empty, and the food is not eaten like a western meal. In a Japanese drinking party enkai setting – the drinking goes on for the whole evening (same as England) – but unlike England the eating goes on for the whole evening too. Japanese food is very bitty – lots of different small, beautifully presented dishes are brought out by the waitresses through the course of the evening (same for everyone). When the food is in front of you it is not the style to eat it all at once just because it is there. The food will be eaten slowly throughout the 3 hour period, because Japanese people like to eat while they drink. So, it was not so surprising for me to see several delicious dishes being served – and most of the teachers eating a little, and then jumping up to talk to others sitting a little way from them or seeing how they could serve the 3rd grade teachers for 20 minutes or so. I think it takes a while for westerners to get used to this style of eating where food in front of us is usually eaten straight-away. When I think of the whole evening from an English perspective it is very very different.
One of my home friends emailed me to say my drunken enkai sounded much like a meal he went to for the leaving of one of the teachers at the school he works at. I can imagine going out for a meal in England. But this was so far removed from that. Essentially, it is the extreme formality and hierarchy so present in the enkai setting, combined with the extreme, rapid drunkenness that occurs.
Aside from the obvious differences of it being a Japanese establishment therefore – take off shoes – slippers on – own tatami room – karaoke machine in room – low down tables – kneeling required etc, the differences is in the behavior. People were marked in to check they were all there. The enkai was moved to start at 5 o`clock because everyone had school the next day, but to allow for the fact people had to get drunk at an enkai (as that is what is done) and to allow for the second enkai (the after-party) it was decided that 6 would be too late for all this to happen so it was moved.
The speeches – so many speeches by everyone. Several at the start – by the principal, the vice principal, the heard of the 3rd grade as I expected. But then, in the middle of the enkai later on each homeroom teacher stood up and gave their own little speech and then another by the head of the 3rd grade and principal and vice. It just showed me how important their students are too them. One teacher talked about the girl in her class who had been suffering from anorexia. Another teacher read out an emotional letter she had received from a student that day. Teachers love to talk about students who have had difficulties in the past who have overcome them now – through the hard work and care collectively from the parents, teachers and he student working together to overcome the problem as the child grows up in the school. That`s what gives them so much pride and involvement I think.
Another difference which I almost take as normal these days is the hierarchical nature of many aspects of Japanese society. At the enkai it was a little bit more obvious than usual. All the teachers sat on 2 lines of group tables at the sides of the room. However, the principal, vice, head of the third grade and the older women who works in the office had their own individual tables at the head of the room. At the end of the meal when vast plates of soba noodles were brought in to share for the ordinary teachers on the group tables these 4 important people were given their own plates of soba. Just to make it obvious that they were more important. Although, seniority might be obvious in an English workplace by the head having a nice big office, with a nice view, I certainly doubt that such a separation would occur in a work drinks/ meal. But in Japan, I couldn`t really imagine it any other way. I would feel awkward with the principal next to me certainly (but perhaps that`s because I`m young).
The enkai ended with everyone in a circle hugging, drunkenly singing the school song – many men red faced from the alcohol, one male teacher crying from the emotion and alcohol. One teacher in the centre conducting us all. Everyone was in high spirits. And typical to Japanese form and order at the end the enkai ended. Exactly as specified - at 8 o`clock, exactly 3 hours after it had started. So names were taken of who was attending the second enkai at the karaoke bar and everyone else went off on their way.
The end of year enkai that evening was a party basically in honour of those third grade teachers. We sat down (knelt on floor of course!) to the meal – the third grade teachers were all seated on one side of the room. Within 5 minutes of starting eating following the kampai most of the second and first grade teachers had jumped up, and moved around to near to third grade teachers, crouching behind them, to serve them drinks, to ensure their galss was never less than half full, to chat to them, to congratulate them profusely.
Given that I`ve been in Japan a long time now (over 6 months) I feel quite used to the Japanese way of eating and drinking when out. You should always serve others drinks, watch for their glass never becoming empty, and the food is not eaten like a western meal. In a Japanese drinking party enkai setting – the drinking goes on for the whole evening (same as England) – but unlike England the eating goes on for the whole evening too. Japanese food is very bitty – lots of different small, beautifully presented dishes are brought out by the waitresses through the course of the evening (same for everyone). When the food is in front of you it is not the style to eat it all at once just because it is there. The food will be eaten slowly throughout the 3 hour period, because Japanese people like to eat while they drink. So, it was not so surprising for me to see several delicious dishes being served – and most of the teachers eating a little, and then jumping up to talk to others sitting a little way from them or seeing how they could serve the 3rd grade teachers for 20 minutes or so. I think it takes a while for westerners to get used to this style of eating where food in front of us is usually eaten straight-away. When I think of the whole evening from an English perspective it is very very different.
One of my home friends emailed me to say my drunken enkai sounded much like a meal he went to for the leaving of one of the teachers at the school he works at. I can imagine going out for a meal in England. But this was so far removed from that. Essentially, it is the extreme formality and hierarchy so present in the enkai setting, combined with the extreme, rapid drunkenness that occurs.
Aside from the obvious differences of it being a Japanese establishment therefore – take off shoes – slippers on – own tatami room – karaoke machine in room – low down tables – kneeling required etc, the differences is in the behavior. People were marked in to check they were all there. The enkai was moved to start at 5 o`clock because everyone had school the next day, but to allow for the fact people had to get drunk at an enkai (as that is what is done) and to allow for the second enkai (the after-party) it was decided that 6 would be too late for all this to happen so it was moved.
The speeches – so many speeches by everyone. Several at the start – by the principal, the vice principal, the heard of the 3rd grade as I expected. But then, in the middle of the enkai later on each homeroom teacher stood up and gave their own little speech and then another by the head of the 3rd grade and principal and vice. It just showed me how important their students are too them. One teacher talked about the girl in her class who had been suffering from anorexia. Another teacher read out an emotional letter she had received from a student that day. Teachers love to talk about students who have had difficulties in the past who have overcome them now – through the hard work and care collectively from the parents, teachers and he student working together to overcome the problem as the child grows up in the school. That`s what gives them so much pride and involvement I think.
Another difference which I almost take as normal these days is the hierarchical nature of many aspects of Japanese society. At the enkai it was a little bit more obvious than usual. All the teachers sat on 2 lines of group tables at the sides of the room. However, the principal, vice, head of the third grade and the older women who works in the office had their own individual tables at the head of the room. At the end of the meal when vast plates of soba noodles were brought in to share for the ordinary teachers on the group tables these 4 important people were given their own plates of soba. Just to make it obvious that they were more important. Although, seniority might be obvious in an English workplace by the head having a nice big office, with a nice view, I certainly doubt that such a separation would occur in a work drinks/ meal. But in Japan, I couldn`t really imagine it any other way. I would feel awkward with the principal next to me certainly (but perhaps that`s because I`m young).
The enkai ended with everyone in a circle hugging, drunkenly singing the school song – many men red faced from the alcohol, one male teacher crying from the emotion and alcohol. One teacher in the centre conducting us all. Everyone was in high spirits. And typical to Japanese form and order at the end the enkai ended. Exactly as specified - at 8 o`clock, exactly 3 hours after it had started. So names were taken of who was attending the second enkai at the karaoke bar and everyone else went off on their way.
End-of-Year GRADUATION
Lots of lessons have been cancelled because students (in all grades) are preparing for graduation. The 2nd and 1sts will help decorate the hall (red and white fabrics stripes all round the walls). Third graders will be taught how to bow/ how long to bow/ when to bow (during the ceremony there is a lot of bowing/ standing up sitting down, and everybody needs to be familiar with the process. There is a lot of bowing to the Japanese flag aswell, and the singing of the national anthem. This made the ceremony itself very formal. Like an English prize giving, but the bowing and to the flag was something different, that added to the formality.
3rd grade female homeroom teachers will wear their kimono for this special occassion. It used to be that mothers did as well, for the graduation ceremony of their child, but in the past 10 years Japan has changed. I saw no mother wearing kimono. In fact the parents were quite casually dressed. A definite change from 10 years ago my supervisor said.
Students seemed very surprised when I told them graduation does not happen in England. Graduation is the biggest and most serious assembly event in the school calendar. (Japanese schools don`t have weekly assemblies like English schools). Although, important, everybody hates it. It is 2 hours long and we all sit in the un-centrally heated (of course) gym hall. The 1st and 2nd graders must also endure this, sitting in rows at the back. Again, typical of Japan for a whole community to have to have this experience together even though this ceremony is totally irrelevant to them.
The end of the school year is a highly emotional time for the 3rd graders and their homeroom teachers who have been with them, so involved in their lives all the way through these past 3 years. The students will be leaving, diverting off, the close, safe community splitting up. So it`s a difficult adjustment to make I guess. Many students cry during the graduation ceremony. The school band play the school song over and over while the students precess in and out with their teachers – it was one of those emotion-inducing songs if you knew it`s significance of being played at every graduation. Some homeroom teachers cry too. The ceremony around this time of year is, in a way, as much for these 3rd grade homeroom teachers who`ve got their students to the end, as it is for the graduating students themselves. They were applauded in the staffroom, they applauded themselves in their separate room, the enkai later that afternoon was in honour of them. During the graduation ceremony itself they were clapped by all. You could just tell – they were elated from their achievement of reaching the end with their students – ready to let them fly off into the world, ready because of their hard and caring work over the 3 years.
3rd grade female homeroom teachers will wear their kimono for this special occassion. It used to be that mothers did as well, for the graduation ceremony of their child, but in the past 10 years Japan has changed. I saw no mother wearing kimono. In fact the parents were quite casually dressed. A definite change from 10 years ago my supervisor said.
Students seemed very surprised when I told them graduation does not happen in England. Graduation is the biggest and most serious assembly event in the school calendar. (Japanese schools don`t have weekly assemblies like English schools). Although, important, everybody hates it. It is 2 hours long and we all sit in the un-centrally heated (of course) gym hall. The 1st and 2nd graders must also endure this, sitting in rows at the back. Again, typical of Japan for a whole community to have to have this experience together even though this ceremony is totally irrelevant to them.
The end of the school year is a highly emotional time for the 3rd graders and their homeroom teachers who have been with them, so involved in their lives all the way through these past 3 years. The students will be leaving, diverting off, the close, safe community splitting up. So it`s a difficult adjustment to make I guess. Many students cry during the graduation ceremony. The school band play the school song over and over while the students precess in and out with their teachers – it was one of those emotion-inducing songs if you knew it`s significance of being played at every graduation. Some homeroom teachers cry too. The ceremony around this time of year is, in a way, as much for these 3rd grade homeroom teachers who`ve got their students to the end, as it is for the graduating students themselves. They were applauded in the staffroom, they applauded themselves in their separate room, the enkai later that afternoon was in honour of them. During the graduation ceremony itself they were clapped by all. You could just tell – they were elated from their achievement of reaching the end with their students – ready to let them fly off into the world, ready because of their hard and caring work over the 3 years.
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