Conquests

A lot of things have been happening recently. I am finally on the path to obtaining my Japanese driver`s license (although I still have to pass the exam), I ran my last race of the season and I secured my flight back to America for June. I also made many more observations about Japan I feel the need to record before I forget them.

Concerning the license - the test is on May 27th and I hope I pass the first time so I do not have to deal with the drama anymore. I will be going with B on the 24th and 25th to a one hour driving practice with a teacher who will show us exactly what we need to pass the exam. At 50 bucks a class it will hopefully be money well spent to save me the time and future money of taking the test again.　I will keep you posted.

Ran a 10k race in Bungotakada with K and E (my marathon buddies) and another JET last weekend and really ran an excellent race. E placed first, K, 5th and 13th for myself. Our other friend came in 7th and all of us with well better than personal bests. Congrats! 48:30 for myself!

About America. It has become necessary for me to return home in the middle of June for a bit of a family emergency. I will not be adding details about this. But for you future and current JETs out there, I feel like this is a bit of information important for you all. We are allowed time off for these kinds of issues. If the reason is important enough and there is no other way, you can take up to 30 days of leave, outside of your paid holiday, so long as it gets approved through the prefectural and national offices. I chose not to follow through on this route and am simply using my remaining paid holiday for the year. Should you need more than 30 days, or for some reason if you are rejected for special leave, you can negotiate to take unpaid leave for any length of time through your employer directly (be it a city BOE or prefectural BOE). Using paid leave (nenkyuu) is the least annoying of these routes but if your employee is anything like mine (a human being) then they will support you and find a way to make things happen. Actually in the end it was me who made the decision which kind of leave to use, after weighing all the options provided by my employers (who dug through the JET contract and explained all the possibilities). School principals and supervisors have ABSOLUTELY no say in whether and when you can use leave in this circumstance. It goes directly from your supervisor to the BOE head.

This brings up another thing I have been meaning to talk about and something which has become a very big deal lately. I am nearing my last visit of the trimester at my elementary schools (each one gets about 3-4 visits a trimester) and a lot of teachers are cornering me, concerned about if it will be the last time they have seen me or not.
**What I am about to address is purely my own opinion and is not meant to offend anyone in the least. If you are of a different opinion from me and would like to express it, I welcome your comments and feedback in the box at the bottom of the page. **
The past two JETs in my position left after one year. This is a decision JET gives us to make. But,  I honestly feel like some JETs (I do not personally know anyone like this) get here knowing they only have a year on the docket and use that year to party it up and make fools of themselves because they know anything they do will be forgotten when the leave again coming August. It is my opinion the program should be made into a two year minimum to reduce the instance of these kinds of JETs. But not just for this reason! I have been here almost ten  months and I am finally beginning to adjust to my lessons and school structure. I thought toward the end of December I had it down because I had finally adjusted to life in Japan and was no longer looking at maps to get places.  But it was only recently that I realized I finally understand the students in each of my class - and how best to teach them to match their personalities and keep their interest. When the teachers changed in April it was me they asked when they were unsure of the personality of their classes - particularly the incoming 1st graders in middle school. I felt so excited when I could tell them, and even more excited when I
was able to predict how best to teach the most recent lesson to each of the different groups. Same lesson but I had to use completely different techniques every time.

This is a type of experience I feel like only comes with time. My predecessor did a great job explaining what type of students were in each class and their attitude towards English. But I was not able to accurately use that information until recently because I did not fully understand the students. K mentioned it the other day too. Some of her teachers are still in teacher training and haven`t passed their exams to be real teachers yet and they were having trouble recently understanding why the students weren`t responding the way they wanted during class. K said `well, it is because you are asking them to say something embarrassing ` and understood immediately why the students were hesitant. She understands the kids in a way I am beginning to understand (she is in her 5th year now so I do not think I will ever be to this point but I can try).

What all of this ranting comes down to is that June is fast approaching and people are preparing for the passing of the torch and my teachers were not sure whether to expect a new JET or not in my position. I feel their pain because getting a brand new English aid every year - in the middle of the school year - is a serious drawback to the kid`s education and the teacher`s time. I did not understand the Japanese system, the students or my work environment to the point where I feel comfortable in the classroom until recently and luckily for me - and those around me - I am not changing. I can build on this experience to help make next year even better.

My predecessors made their decisions to leave (well in some cases the decision was made for them because of family situations) and I understand that. I may be in the same boat leaving if my situation worsens. But, I do not think that us as individuals should affect the program as a whole. JET started out as a great concept and it is a very popular and sought after program because of the benefits for all parties. It is a great program but like everything else, and as the monbushou (Japanese education council) would agree,  it needs improvement.

** It is still your choice to decide if you agree to stay for more than your minimum contracted leave and this is not meant IN ANY WAY to affect that decision. I know everyone has different situations and individual needs but I wanted to express my opinion on this subject because it has been rubbing at me. If you are staying one year and it pleases you - props to you!:-)

Love!