Back at work, and I'm starting to worry about Odd Sensei. She's been getting her schedules mixed up, and I think Princi-Pal is noticing. He's not one to take screw ups lightly. Actually, I think the heat is putting everyone on edge. I get happier in warm weather, but I've noticed that every year, the teachers and students seem agitated until cooler weather returns. So, maybe Princi-Pal is a little prickly right now.
The kids...well, some of them seem genuinely surprised that I expect them to follow certain rules. Ya know, stay in your seat, don't do other homework in class, don't talk while the teacher is talking, always bring the necessary materials to class, and always focus on the task at hand. So, I end up bring the bad guy. Reading novels in class? Come on, man, I shouldn't have to enforce a rule like that. But, I'm the only one who sees it.
Which brings me to another observation of mine. Japanese people don't see anything unless it's right in front of them. Trust me, if there's any easier group of people to sneak up on, I can't imagine them still being alive. I could be standing right next to a kid for a minute, and they won't notice me until they turn their head. And then they nearly jump out of their skin. This is why I make as much noise as I can when I move, especially around old people. I will knock down an entire aisle of soup cans just to make sure I don't give some little old lady a heart attack.
So when I'm the only person who can see that half the students are sleeping, and the other half are playing with their calculators, talking to the person behind them, drawing on their desks or reading some novel with a scantily clad anime girl on the cover...it doesn't surprise me anymore. I even tell the kids, "I'm tall. I can see EVERYTHING.". But...they still try to get away with it. In, like...the lamest ways possible, too. If you're gonna hide a comic book inside your textbook, don't hold your textbook up like you're trying to hide your face. And if you're gonna talk in class, learn to whisper. Or pass notes, or something. I think the blatant ineptitude is what frustrates me most! But it does make me wonder...was I just as obvious as a kid? Did the teachers know exactly what we were doing and just let it be? Maybe that's what I've gotta learn to do? Or is that just a sign of a teacher who has given up? Maybe I'm just trying too hard... But I'll tell you one thing: teachers here give up way too quickly, and it creates kids who think no one cares what they do. And I'm sorry, but I genuinely want these kids to learn how to focus. Study skills are never taught here, and it shows. Eh...whatever. I'll keep doing my thing.
Today's lunch was Japanese...but chock full of salt. We had shrimp dumplings, bean sprout salad, rice, milk, and a soy-sauce based soup with fried tofu, konnyaku, pork, carrots and cabbage in it. Take a look!
I never drink the broth, man. As a kid, I loved salt, but now I'm really nervous around the stuff. Even Princi-Pal was like, "What were they thinking? We're Japanese! We like mild flavors! Isn't that right, J?"
Darn right, sir. Darn right,
J
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