Notes on Personal Life, and Comments on the Nature of Japanese Rebllious Youth

Apologies. I can't believe I haven't updated in so long. But, I have excuses! Oh, so many excuses. For starters, I've been sick. Last week, I missed two days of work, in fact. I had a fever and all sorts of others troubles going on, and just didn't feel up to writing anything. Also...besides reading books in bed, nothing of interest happened to me. So, I'm sorry for the delay. On to the blog.

Friday of last week and Monday of this week, I'm teaching at the elementary school, to cover for Nigel. He helped me at the beginning of my elementary month by covering two days, so I'm returning the favor to help him through his hellish trials. But, tomorrow is the last day of elementary school that I have to worry about for a while. You see, I thought that after Nigel finished his set, there'd be a meeting, and I'd likely be shuttled right back into the elementary position. But, both Nigel and I will be sharing our desks at the Jr. High starting in early March until May. Which is great news! It means an opportunity to get back into asking him questions about Japanese, having an English conversation partner (it gets so lonely!), etc. All good things. So, tomorrow, prepare to see an exemplary performance by yours truly. I I can afford to give it 110 percent, because it's the last lap.

On to the Japanese youth. Some of the kids in my Jr. High classes are incredibly disruptive. I know that I, for one, had an impression of Japanese school kids as incredibly disciplined, and hard studiers. And it's true for a large part of the school system. Kids spend all day at school in class, then sports, then juku (cram school), then homework, then sleep for school in the morning. But, just like everywhere else, there are kids who don't want to listen to what everyone tells them they should do. I sympathize, wholeheartedly.

Er, that is....usually. Because, in Japan, "rebellion" means a totally different thing that in America. Because of manditory uniforms, the most Japanese students can do to alter their appearance is changing their hair. So, there's an entire group of students in one of my 2nd grade classes who:
1) Have mullets. Somehow, they don't realize that this is hilarious.
2) Dye their mullets blonde. Or rather, orange. Poor choice.
3) SHAVE THEIR EYEBROWS OFF. ...Even Iggy Pop realized this was a bad idea, after trying this at the Stooges first show. For starters, you get sweat in your eyes. For finishers? Oh, I don't know, you look insane?

So, there's a group of clowny-looking kids trying to command respect and fear from their classmates. The shocker? They totally get it.
To top it all off, the kids are just total jerks, too. They won't sit down, they throw things at the teacher, they steal things from other students, etc. And the teacher won't/can't do anything about it, because of Japanese law. In the Japanese constitution, students are garaunteed the right to education. Which means that, actions such as suspension and expulsion are absolutely illegal in Japan. Even touching a student (such as a guiding hand on a shoulder, or a push, or anything) can cause a teacher to lose their job, if the parents want to push it.
Personally, I can't help but think about these kids trying to look tough in an American city. I don't think anyone would hurt them, because they'd be too busy laughing. If a group of 8 blonde-mulleted guys with no eyebrows tried to hang out on a street corner in south Chicago, I'd bet money that they'd be run off in less than ten minutes. Anyway...

I personally prefer intellectual rebellion. There's one kid in school, that I call The Sleeper. In Jr. High, there are no grades. I'll repeat that, because it bears repeating: there are no grades. Students progress no matter whether they sleep every single day, or try their hardest on every scrap of homework. The entire system is geared towards studying for qualifying exams to get into your highschool of choice, so to reduce the pressure, there's no grading system.
So, The Sleeper is always getting woken up and told to do work. Only he doesn't have to. And he gave a classic reply to the teacher, that illustrates that he's not a mindless goon, at least.

Teacher: "Wake up"
The Sleeper: "No"
Teacher: "Come on. Try."
The Sleeper: "...There is a law that says I must come to school. ...There is no law that says I must study."

At least you have your facts straight, and a respectable haircut, young one.