So I finally have free time to catch up on some writing. It's summer break, and I think it's a good time to reflect on 1st school term.
2nd year in Japan, I got the same schools as last year. Besides those who graduated, I saw and taught the same students again.
Here's one of my most memorable stories:
At one of my elementary schools, one of the 5th graders disappeared from school after summer break last year. Because I taught mainly small schools and classes, it's hard to miss absent kids. And when it's a combined 5th & 6th grade class with total students in the low single digits, even one absent kid becomes noticeable.
At first, I thought she was just sick; kids get sick all the time. Then, on my next visit a few weeks later, she was absent again. And next time, absent again. By then, I began to speculate. Did she move? Did she have some kind of long-term illness? Did she have an accident, or something worse? No one at the school bothered to tell me anything (they weren't really supposed to), nor did I bother to ask.
In the back of my mind, I thought that I might be the cause of her absence. It was my first year teaching. I was far from being a master of children's emotions (i.e. a few kids cried in my classes), nor was I good at explaining things across that ever-present language barrier. However, I just kept on teaching the other kids on my visits, and prepared materials to include her, in case she comes back.
Then another surprise: her little brother disappeared in the middle of 2nd term. He was in a lower grade, but I taught every grade in that school (and I still do). Maybe their family temporarily moved because of her parents' work? Family issues? But the more I thought about it, the only thing that made sense was that it was me. It bothered me, but thankfully not enough to affect my overall work performance.
By the end, no one told me what happened to those two kids, and I didn't ask. As a contractor, if I was supposed to know something, "they" will tell me. I just have to work off of whatever information I was given.
Fast-forward to this year. New school year. New teachers. New 1st graders. First time to visit that particular school. Besides the new youngsters, the siblings came back, now one grade higher than last year. After my classes, the vice principal told me that I was a hit with all the kids. He also revealed why the siblings were absent last year: they thought my Japanese counterpart last year was angry and scary, and refused to go to school until he's gone. By chance, he was transferred to another school, as part of a rotation that all Japanese teachers periodically experience throughout their careers. Hence, they returned.
I was relieved and encouraged. This incident reminded me why I decided to give up my engineering career to teach English abroad. It's a good way to start the year.
In the back of my mind, I thought that I might be the cause of her absence. It was my first year teaching. I was far from being a master of children's emotions (i.e. a few kids cried in my classes), nor was I good at explaining things across that ever-present language barrier. However, I just kept on teaching the other kids on my visits, and prepared materials to include her, in case she comes back.
Then another surprise: her little brother disappeared in the middle of 2nd term. He was in a lower grade, but I taught every grade in that school (and I still do). Maybe their family temporarily moved because of her parents' work? Family issues? But the more I thought about it, the only thing that made sense was that it was me. It bothered me, but thankfully not enough to affect my overall work performance.
By the end, no one told me what happened to those two kids, and I didn't ask. As a contractor, if I was supposed to know something, "they" will tell me. I just have to work off of whatever information I was given.
Fast-forward to this year. New school year. New teachers. New 1st graders. First time to visit that particular school. Besides the new youngsters, the siblings came back, now one grade higher than last year. After my classes, the vice principal told me that I was a hit with all the kids. He also revealed why the siblings were absent last year: they thought my Japanese counterpart last year was angry and scary, and refused to go to school until he's gone. By chance, he was transferred to another school, as part of a rotation that all Japanese teachers periodically experience throughout their careers. Hence, they returned.
I was relieved and encouraged. This incident reminded me why I decided to give up my engineering career to teach English abroad. It's a good way to start the year.
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