Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Mullets and Milestones

Do you remember the mulleted bad boys mentioned in the blog post about Cultural Notes (sorry, I would've included a link, but apparently my grandfather and I share more than similar genetic code. ...By which I mean I can't figure out the goddamn internet)? Of course you do! If you don't, you can always just go back to February and click on it, and refresh yourself.

Well, the hilarious-looking mischief-makers have revived an old school tradition; pranking the school by pulling the fire alarm. Don't worry. I won't even attempt to bore you with a "boy who cried wolf" analogy. I've heard many stories from Nigel (again, you remember Nigel, don't you? He's a very British gentlemen, who likes to tell me all about the rules of and positions on the cricket field) about what the Jr. High was like five years ago, when he first arrived. Apparently, it was one of the worst Jr. Highs in the whole of my prefecture, with police visiting almost every day to attempt to intimidate unruly kids into better behavior. The arrival of police was, as many things tend to be in Japan, purely symbolic. There are no punitive measures that can be taken, either by the school administration or the police for mild mischief-making.

In any case, after a few classes graduated, the school cleaned up quite a bit, and this last year I didn't see any remnants of the rebellious behavior. ...That is, until around graduation time. Apparently, some of the alumni from previous years have been using their sempai (social superior) influence on the younger mullet-heads, to incite them to cause as much trouble as they did, back in their glory days (ie; pulling the fire alarm three times a day).

So, I've had to deal with ear-piercing sirens for twenty minutes a day, over the last week or so. Good job, you rebellious little scamps. At least you're, you know, standing for something. Like minor inconveniences and loud noises. Behold, America; I present the face of the coming Japanese revolution, and it looks a little like Whitney Houston from the 80's.


Moving on ... today, there was another meeting about my job, regarding the elementary school visits (which are increasingly becoming less like "visits" and more like the meat and potatoes of my job). And surprise, surprise, neither Nigel nor I was invited. I am becoming increasingly frustrated with my "supervisor" in Japan. Basically, there is no communication between our Board of Education, where he works, and the ALTs. I can't imagine what my life would be like without S-Lan or Nigel helping me out, all the time, because the people who's job it is to help me through the transition to a new culture haven't attempted to make me feel at home, or check in on me since October.

The work at the elementary school is fine, but I just wish that they would be a little more appreciative of the fact that I can't really communicate well with anyone, and their cultural standards are literally foreign to me. All the other ALTs I know have a much more helpful and cooperative BOE, with some actually forming bonds with their employers by going out to dinner, or having a monthly meeting about their position, or what-have-you. And I'm not saying that they have to make me teach only one class a day, but they should at least remember that I'm not just a "worker," but I'm also something of a cultural ambassador. As such, I need a little more slack than the average school employee.

It seems to me that what these people want is someone (preferably white!) who is fluent in Japanese and English, knows all about (and complies with) Japanese social customs, with an actual license to teach (they insist that I am a teacher, but I've never had any training, and signed a contract listing me as an "Assistant Teacher"), who works for half of what the other teachers make, and cheerfully takes on more classes than any other teacher, while traveling all over town by bicycle to do so. Which...basically means a real try-hard Japanese person, who's willing to serve as an over-achieving intern indefinitely. ...Which isn't what an international ALT is for. At all.

Well, the worst development from the incompetents running the show was revealed to me today, while in conversation with Nigel. The kindly S-Lan (the insanely wonderful polar-opposite to the dreaded L-San) has been my single life-line in all matters Japanese, despite the fact that it is in no way her job or responsibility. While she was having a conversation with her friend, who works in close contact with the BOE, the subject of my and Nigel's departure came up between them. When S-Lan asked what the BOE was planning to do with the two fresh foreign faces, with presumably no Japanese ability or long-term ALT to show them around, the woman just said "Well, you'll take care of them," as if it were a stupid question for S-Lan to ask.

And that pisses me off so much. The fact that the grand-plan of my employer, to greet and settle and communicate with my replacement (who will likely receive the same poor treatment that I did), is to assume that our personal friend will volunteer to do their job for them is just ... utterly nonsensical. I just can't understand where these people come from, that they think they can just exact so much from everyone around them, without any of the basic human decencies, such as ...oh, I don't know, asking (in S-Lan's case), or communicating with their employees (which I would be appreciative of).

I just can't believe the incompetence. I really can't.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

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