Punctuality / Greetings / Ceremonies / School Lunch / Club Activities / Time Tabling / Students / JTE / Other Teachers / Making Yourself Useful
School life
Punctuality
In fact, for the morning meeting at school, be more than punctual - be early - at least 5 minutes. It may not seem important but in Japan, especially at school, it is vital. The only thing worse than being late is being late two days in a row.
Greetings
- Ohayo Gozaimasu - When you walk into the staff room first thing in the morning call out in a loud voice Ohayo gozaimasu! (Good morning!) Greet people during the day with Konnichiwa!. Your teachers will probably be shy at first, and maybe a bit hesitant in talking to you. Hit them with a hearty Ohayo gozaimasu! and watch them beam.
- Itte Kimasu - If during the school day you leave to go to the post office, bank etc. call out Itte kimasu (I'm going out but I'll be back).
- Osaki ni Shitsurei Shimasu - When you leave at the end of the day say Osaki ni shitsurei shimasu (sorry for leaving before you). The teachers still in the staff room will respond Otsukaresama deshita (thanks for all your hard work).
Ceremonies (Shiki)
Ceremonies tend to resemble a cross between a school excursion and a funeral - lots of uniformed school children and teachers dressed in black. Formality varies from school to school but the biggest, opening ceremony and graduation ceremony usually see men wearing black suits with white shirts and white ties and women in black suits. Make sure you know the dates of your school's ceremonies and wear your suit! If you don't have a white tie (and face it - who does?) you may be able to borrow one from a kindly teacher. Ask around.
School lunch (kyushoku)
At the Elementary and JHS you will probably eat with the students. At SHS you get to take your own lunch and miss the wonders of school lunch! Don't just dig in - wait until you hear the magic words "te o awasete" (put your hands together) and then just follow what the students do - they say the word itadakimasu ('dig in', or literally 'I receive'). At the end of lunch you will hear "te o awasete" again - this is the signal to say Gochisousama deshita (that was delicious).
Club Activities (Bukatsudo)
Club is a big commitment. Students do club everyday - including Sundays tho inaka schools are more likely to have weekend practice than city schools. And some sessions last for FOUR HOURS. If you 'join' a club you can expect a dramatic decrease in your free time, but the flip side is that club is a great way to get to know your kids, your teachers and maybe even learn some sporting skills!
With this in mind: Shop around - don't join the first club you visit. Remember that if you turn up regularly to one club the kids will expect you to keep turning up. It may pay dividends to visit the various clubs on a rotating basis, so that you get to interact with all the kids but no-one panics if you miss clubs for a day (or two, or three). Ask the teacher in charge before turning up to practice - some coaches love having the JET visit their club, but others make you feel about as welcome as a filet mignon at a vegetarian BBQ. Going to club is usually more welcome and more rewarding at the schools you visit only infrequently - it may be the only chance some of the kids get to mix with you. Don't feel obliged to go to club - go when you want to go. Even if you don't feel energetic enough to participate, turn up and just watch - even such a simple gesture as this will be appreciated. This can also be a good opportunity to befriend the teacher in charge.
Time Tabling at School
One major frustration of JETs is that they never seem to know what is going on at school and while everyone else does, no one bothers to tell the ALT. This is not so much a malicious act as negligent omission - the teachers often forget that you are the only person at the school who doesn't speak (or read) Japanese and they assume that everyone has seen the blackboard and knows what the state of affairs is. You can sit back and say "No one told me!" and feel sorry for yourself, or you can do something about it. Read the next section.
Getting Along with your Students
- Learn names. Not only will this help with class control (Hey, Kenji! Stop talking!) but the students will see that you are making an effort, and it facilitates a more personal, less distant teaching relationship. No one wants to be referred to as "you up the back". Get a class map, showing the seating arrangement with the students names written in. You can even ask the kids to draw this up for you. Get the kids to wear names tags in romaji during English class, or they can make name plates which sit on their desks. Ask for a copy of the class photographs the teachers make at the beginning of the school year (April). These consist of headshots of each kid in the class with his or her name written underneath. Teachers who are new to the school (having just been transferred) use these photos to learn the names of the kids in the classes they will teach. Get someone to write the names in romaji.
- Get the appellations right. For boys use the suffix kun, e.g. Takashi becomes Takashi-kun. Girls take the usual san, e.g. Megumi-san. Note that at elementary school very small children of either sex (but usually girls) are addressed using as chan, e.g. Ai-chan, or Ken-chan. Hang out with your students at every opportunity (within reason - I don't advocate following them into the toilets).
- Speak to your students, either in Japanese or English - but make an effort to speak with them. Don't be afraid to try your fledgling Japanese out on your students - they will appreciate your effort and probably feel more comfortable when it comes to trying to talk to you in English. If you speak Japanese you can let the students know that if they address you in Japanese you will reply in Japanese, but if they want to speak in English you will respond in English. This takes some pressure off the kids, and even the kids with minimal English ability will feel they have a chance to communicate with you. Smile!
- Learn some Japanese Pop Culture [see the Instant Pop Culture Guide]
- Do print-club. Do lots of print-club. Stick your print-club where the students can see them. Award them as prizes during games.
- Learn how to play jan-ken-pon (rock, paper, scissors). When two Japanese kids (well, adults too, actually) have to decide a matter they decide by jan-ken-pon. A clenched fist represents a stone (gu), all fingers spread out is paper (pa) and extended index and middle fingers are scissors (choki). Stones break scissors, scissors cut paper and paper covers stone. You face your opponent and chant "saisho wa gu, jan, ken, PON!" On 'pon' you form one of the three shapes. If you are tied you chant "ai ko desho" and form a new shape on the sho' of desho.
- Learn how to play "Attchi Muite Hoi!" (Hey, Look Here!) This is a follow on from jan-ken-pon. The winner (A) of the janken round shouts "attchi muite hoi!" and at the cry 'hoi!" points her forefinger upward, downward or to the right or the left. At the same time the opponent (B) turns her face in one of the four directions. If B turns in the same direction as A is pointing then B loses. Not for those who can't deal with losing to pre-adolescents.
- Watch Japanese TV, especially dramas and commercials. Read the English language newspapers and keep up with who is starring in what TV show. Often your JTEs will not keep up with what the students are watching and if during class someone says "I like Kanako Enomoto" and you know who she is and what drama she is currently in (Shoshimin Kane as of 5/8/99), you will have gained big brownie points with both the students and the JTE.
- Do cleaning (soji) with your students. It is unlikely anyone will tell you to do cleaning, or tell you where to clean and you could probably sit out soji everyday at your desk without anyone saying a word, but that would be a waste of some really valuable "hanging out with your students" time. Pick a place to do soji and get the students to teach you what you have to do. Although generally talking during cleaning is a big no-no this is a rule more observed in the breach, and as long as you clean while you talk it will probably not be a problem.
- Lastly, always put yourself in their shoes - remember - they're still kids.
Getting Along with your JTE and Others
Before the term starts ask to have a meeting with your JTEs and ask them exactly what they expect of you over the coming year. Ask any questions you might have. Establish how many classes a day you are expected to teach, when you will do the planning for those classes and how your timetabling will be done. Even if you can speak Japanese, speak English with your JTE, especially in front of your students. Part of your job is to help your JTE perfect her or his English, and further, it will inspire the students to see their JTE chatting away in English to the ALT. If possible try to go out for a drink with your JTEs (of course for some ALTs the challenge is to NOT go drinking with the JTE. Don't correct your JTE in front of the class. Wait for a more appropriate moment.
Offer to do lots - e.g. mark work, make word cards, think up warm up games, suggest innovative approaches to teaching the dry and hard to digest textbook.
Getting Along with Other Teachers
Of course if you are at a school with 80 teachers this may be difficult, but at least make an effort. You don't have to use a teacher's name when you address her/him - you can just say "Sensei" - but know her or his name for when you refer to that teacher.
- Go to enkais (parties) with your teachers. It is after a few bottles of amber fluid that everyone's true nature begins to emerge and you may find the scary looking gym teacher smothering you in a bear-hug and saying, "I love you man!" Volunteer for stuff e.g. putting the chairs away after a ceremony. Be genki and willing to do stuff rather than form a strange sort of symbiotic relationship with your desk.
- Attend a few sporting fixtures and cheer on your school.
Making Yourself Useful
Some JETs complain that they get bored sitting at their desk for long periods of time. Instead of counting the hairs on the back of your hands, make the most of your hang-time:
- Join a computer class.
- Make sure you ask the teacher first!
- Learn your students' names.
- Study Japanese.
- Make a folder of warm up activities.
- Read ahead in the textbook and start thinking of lesson plans.
- Amass realia - coins, banknotes, magazines, photos - anything that you can use to bring a little realism to class.
- Join a cooking (kateika) class.
- Talk to the other teachers in the staff room (aim for someone reading the newspaper and smoking rather than someone furiously typing away on their laptop.)
- Surf the web for lesson plans.
- Design a webpage for your school.
- Join a PE class.
- Write letters. Make a video about your school.
- Read up on teaching methods.
- Make a compost heap (I team-built one with my Kocho Sensei)
- Make an English notice board with newspaper clipping, posters, photos etc.
- Ask one of JTE's if you can mark some student papers.
- Take your laptop to school and read/write email.It may not be work, but it looks more professional than reclining in your chair with a copy of "Dave Barry Does Japan" (though the presence of the word 'Japan' in the title will probably convince most people you are studying.)
- Learn how to use a Japanese computer.
- Learn the school song. Ask someone to write it out in romaji and then practice, practice, practice. Guaranteed to make a big impression at school ceremonies.
