There's about 5 weeks of the school year left, and I'm glad because the needle on my Japanese B.S.-Tolerance Gauge has been taking precarious dips in the red lately. Of course, I'm talking about JHS life.
So, in class yesterday, a third-year boy named Tetsuro said the word "nigger" to me, out of the blue. It actually sounded more like "nee gah," a mispronunciation byproduct of the effed-up speak known domestically as "Japanese English." Despite the mispronunciation, which sucked just about all of the impact out of the word, I picked up on it immediately. At the time, I was walking around the classroom preparing students to pair off to play a game. I'd just approached Tetsuro's desk, when he suddenly uttered the word, followed by a sheepish chuckle. The boy sitting across from him, Kauzuki instantly warned him to be quiet-- he knew better. In Japanese, I instantly asked "What did you say?" and "Who taught you that word?" Embarrassed, he clammed up, leaving Kazuki to answer in his stead "He doesn't know." I then calmly instructed him to not to say it again. He complied.
Now, for a split second, I was faced with the decision to get angry and blow the incident up into a major issue, which could have gotten ugly. But for some reason, I chose not to get upset, simply due to the fact that this 15-year old kid had no clue what world he was about to enter by trying to be funny, unmaliciously spouting some mangled word he heard from one of his wiseass friends, or probably read in some J-hip-hop magazine. The concept that he could he hospitalized just for saying that one word alone was miles over his head. That, and the fact that Tetsuro is one of the most unproductive kids in his grade and about as bright as a black hole actually made me feel sympathy for him. Obviously, a country-ass kid as dull as that couldn't come from parents too much brighter; afterall, he's not so much of a bad kid, he's just dumb as hell, so I couldn't really hold it against him, even though I wanted to smack him in the mouth. But, damn, hearing a racial epithet in an environment where I'm already virtually socially ostracized is like tossing a fat straw on a creaking camel's back. I really don't want to have to hurt any students, or teachers for that matter. I'm about 90% sure if it had been any J-person on the street, It would've gotten physical, joking or not.
These days I've been feeling like the brothas on the Brooklyn stoop of Spike Lee's "Do The Right Thing"--Step on my Nikes and catch a beat-down.
Feb 6, 2005
DAMN, IT'S COLD
Japanese folk need to come to Chicago because I think they like cold.
I actually got to Elementary a little early today, to my chagrin. I made it just in time for the big morning assembly, which was held inside for a change. It might has well have been outside, because I swear it was colder inside that gymnasium than it was outside. My breath was so cold, my breath looked I was smoking cigarettes. Ridiculous. The meeting was longer than usual, because the graduating 6th grader color team captains had to pass down their ranks to the 4th graders. This entailed a lot of excessive speaking and low-grade pomp and circumstance. As if everyone wasn't freezing to death, it seemed like they kept extending the duration of the meeting, finding more and more unnecessary b.s. to ammend to an already overdrawn assembly. They capped it off with the GAYEST school dance known in the Eastern hemisphere. Besides being ultra-campy, it lacked flavor, style and coordination. They need a choreographer. And don't look at me like I'm the token nigger dance-boy teaching Japanese folk how to dance and catch rhythm--to hell with that. The assistant principal came up to me and asked me to join in. I looked around and none of the other teachers are moving a muscle. I'm thinking to myself "Why the hell you want me to do this exceptionally GAY dance when not one other teacher is twitching a butt cheek? What I look like?" Then after a few seconds I start doing a few of the little moves, just trying to generate some heat. I dunno, but I'm feeling like this next school year might be last at this gig--I can already feel the seeds of disinterest settling in--and there's not much worse in life than being bored.
On another note, I don't have class until 3rd period, so until then I'm monitoring the online play-by-play of Super Bowl 39, even though it's Monday morning, Feb 7th. I haven't been a pro football fan in some time, but I'm quietly rooting for McNabb to get this ring. It's past due time to add another Black QB to the championship cadre. Doug is lonely. Go Eagles!
I actually got to Elementary a little early today, to my chagrin. I made it just in time for the big morning assembly, which was held inside for a change. It might has well have been outside, because I swear it was colder inside that gymnasium than it was outside. My breath was so cold, my breath looked I was smoking cigarettes. Ridiculous. The meeting was longer than usual, because the graduating 6th grader color team captains had to pass down their ranks to the 4th graders. This entailed a lot of excessive speaking and low-grade pomp and circumstance. As if everyone wasn't freezing to death, it seemed like they kept extending the duration of the meeting, finding more and more unnecessary b.s. to ammend to an already overdrawn assembly. They capped it off with the GAYEST school dance known in the Eastern hemisphere. Besides being ultra-campy, it lacked flavor, style and coordination. They need a choreographer. And don't look at me like I'm the token nigger dance-boy teaching Japanese folk how to dance and catch rhythm--to hell with that. The assistant principal came up to me and asked me to join in. I looked around and none of the other teachers are moving a muscle. I'm thinking to myself "Why the hell you want me to do this exceptionally GAY dance when not one other teacher is twitching a butt cheek? What I look like?" Then after a few seconds I start doing a few of the little moves, just trying to generate some heat. I dunno, but I'm feeling like this next school year might be last at this gig--I can already feel the seeds of disinterest settling in--and there's not much worse in life than being bored.
On another note, I don't have class until 3rd period, so until then I'm monitoring the online play-by-play of Super Bowl 39, even though it's Monday morning, Feb 7th. I haven't been a pro football fan in some time, but I'm quietly rooting for McNabb to get this ring. It's past due time to add another Black QB to the championship cadre. Doug is lonely. Go Eagles!
Feb 2, 2005
COLD AS HOKKAIDO
Yesterday we got snow. It was the first time I've seen snow in the almost 3 years I've been in this country. It was real snow, too, not that rooty-poot flurry BS-- at least 2 or 3 inches of it, enough to make me bust out my old leather Timbs. I was impressed. I was happy as well, because snowfall meant the trains were going to be running slow, which would make me late for work. The Nagoya area is totally unbuilt for snow, and public transportation and highways virtually shut down even when it rains hard. When I got to the station, the times weren't even being displayed on the marquee; they were just blank. It was like you catch one when you catch one. That was cool with me. I was more than happy to have an excuse to be late for work; I'm at JHS this week.
The trains were ridiculous. More folks were riding because the roads were jammed and too crappy to navigate, so the cars were packed. People were cramming and squishing each other onto those trains in a silly fashion. I had to grab the first seat I saw, because I was afraid somebody was gonna shove me too hard which would provoke me to elbow them in the face. Unfortunately, the trains weren't as late as I was hoping, so I only ended up about 20 minutes late for school. But I was early compared to most of the homeroom teachers. Some of them came straggling in over an hour late. In 2 years I've never seen a teacher arrive late to school, but yesterday I saw about 10. The principal jokingly cursed some of the younger teachers aloud who'd called in saying they might not be able to make it. He kept saying "Baka yaroo," which is about the equivalent of calling someone a "dumbass" in English, and won a few chuckles from the other teachers. He's a funny dude.
I'd love to call one of these teachers baka yaroo, some of the kids too for that matter. The needle on my Japanese B.S.-Tolerance Gauge has been dipping in the red lately. I stopped caring about trying to be friendly with any of the teachers at JHS. My empathy for them has been deactivated for quite some time now, and I could give a damn less about most of them, honestly. This school can pretty much kiss my Black, foreign ass. My feelings are lighter towards the students, but recently I've been wanting to go upside some of their heads, too. Maybe its because I've been under higher levels of stress recently, but it seems like I'm not getting the respect I deserve as a teacher and a adult from some of these junior high kids, particularly some of the girls. Most of the kids are pretty respectful, and if they get out of line, usually one of my "do I look like I'm playing with you?" stares mellows them out real quick, but some of those girls just speak in a very rude manner, in ways I know they wouldn't talk to their Japanese teachers. I've become familiar with the language well enough to know what proper and impolite speech sounds like, so I'm not having it.
Sometimes I wish I could turn back the Japan clock about 10-15 years, back when teachers were still punching kids in the mouth. Nowadays, Japan is so PC, not only can't teachers hit students, but students can get physical with teachers with no serious repercussions. I know this, because I've witnessed it. I once had to pull a skinny 14 year-old boy off the science teacher--and didn't even get an "Arigatoo" from the sissy afterwards. I should've let him slam him against the wall again.
Anyway, let me focus on less violent things. I only have one month left before the school year ends and I get transferred to a different school. I'll try not to choke anybody before graduation.
The trains were ridiculous. More folks were riding because the roads were jammed and too crappy to navigate, so the cars were packed. People were cramming and squishing each other onto those trains in a silly fashion. I had to grab the first seat I saw, because I was afraid somebody was gonna shove me too hard which would provoke me to elbow them in the face. Unfortunately, the trains weren't as late as I was hoping, so I only ended up about 20 minutes late for school. But I was early compared to most of the homeroom teachers. Some of them came straggling in over an hour late. In 2 years I've never seen a teacher arrive late to school, but yesterday I saw about 10. The principal jokingly cursed some of the younger teachers aloud who'd called in saying they might not be able to make it. He kept saying "Baka yaroo," which is about the equivalent of calling someone a "dumbass" in English, and won a few chuckles from the other teachers. He's a funny dude.
I'd love to call one of these teachers baka yaroo, some of the kids too for that matter. The needle on my Japanese B.S.-Tolerance Gauge has been dipping in the red lately. I stopped caring about trying to be friendly with any of the teachers at JHS. My empathy for them has been deactivated for quite some time now, and I could give a damn less about most of them, honestly. This school can pretty much kiss my Black, foreign ass. My feelings are lighter towards the students, but recently I've been wanting to go upside some of their heads, too. Maybe its because I've been under higher levels of stress recently, but it seems like I'm not getting the respect I deserve as a teacher and a adult from some of these junior high kids, particularly some of the girls. Most of the kids are pretty respectful, and if they get out of line, usually one of my "do I look like I'm playing with you?" stares mellows them out real quick, but some of those girls just speak in a very rude manner, in ways I know they wouldn't talk to their Japanese teachers. I've become familiar with the language well enough to know what proper and impolite speech sounds like, so I'm not having it.
Sometimes I wish I could turn back the Japan clock about 10-15 years, back when teachers were still punching kids in the mouth. Nowadays, Japan is so PC, not only can't teachers hit students, but students can get physical with teachers with no serious repercussions. I know this, because I've witnessed it. I once had to pull a skinny 14 year-old boy off the science teacher--and didn't even get an "Arigatoo" from the sissy afterwards. I should've let him slam him against the wall again.
Anyway, let me focus on less violent things. I only have one month left before the school year ends and I get transferred to a different school. I'll try not to choke anybody before graduation.
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