Izumi Jr. High School

I thought yesterday was a great day, but that's only because today hadn't happened yet! I visited the Jr. High and hanging out with bunch of teenagers was better than I expected, I guess I really do love my job!

I felt like I had taken a leap back in time when we were escorted into the gym for today's assembly, but that's just because of the students' uniforms. They looked they attended a military academy with the boys in high collared jackets and the girls in sailors jumpers. These students too were impeccably well-behaved. We had just been introduced to such a warm, friendly, and enthusiastic staff that I couldn't believe my eyes as almost 500 7th, 8th and 9th graders stared at us.



I was assigned a Science class in a Lab room, which I was very excited about so I could share this with my team leader when I got home. There were 36 students in the room preparing to mix Fe and S with some HCl. Yes, I'm using abbreviations from the periodic table because I teach English, remember?



Anyway, they got started with the gathering of materials, then measuring, mixing, burning and, Eeeeww, the smell! We all had a good laugh at that! There was another part to the lab where they got to break their beekers and pull out a chunk to add some liquid to it, and again, the smell! The next thing I knew they were cleaning up and headed off to period 3, all in less than 40 minutes.

I followed them downstairs to their homeroom where they gathered their things for Music from out of their little cubby boxes. There aren't lockers here in Japan, just little slots to leave their things. When we got to music we waited about 7 minutes or so for the teacher to show up and begin. Just like at the elementary level, the students were quietly sitting in their seats talking, some were even practicing a song. I was absolutely amazed!



They sang a song in Italian for practice a few times and then they began their test. They sang one at a time, and it was really great to see them encouraging each other. I walked around to a few other rooms to observe Social Studies, Art, and a really cool Industrial Arts class. The students were making wooden attache cases! In year three, aka 9th grade, they make transistor radios! Wow!



While lunch was being set up I spoke with some of the girls from my classes. I shared my photo album with them, asked them some of the questions my students had written and they had many questions for me as well. They wanted to make sure I would eat lunch with them, which I happily did. I chatted pleasant with their PE and English teachers who sat with me as well. We got along very well as we shared our similarities and differences. We discussed my wedding, balancing school and coaching and relationships in general.

I decided this was definitely the class with which to exchange the letters my own students had written! Our translator passed the word on and after lunch I was invited by the Social Studies teacher to pass out the letters. I left feeling like it hadn't gone very well. There was such a language barrier, but I had done my best. I suddenly felt very bad that my students had written their letters in English and that we had assumed they would work to be able to read them. The teacher did his best to help but I resigned myself to thinking that it would be great if at least one student tried to write back.

I guess had read them wrong. Shortly thereafter the PE teacher that I had talked to over lunch came running in to find me to ask if I would teach her class. I was a little shocked and wondered what I would say. When she explained that she had gotten special permission for her students to skip 'Cleaning Time' I knew it was as big of a deal as it felt!
I invited a few teacher friends to come watch for support and to take some pictures. Then I waited and went over and over what I would say to them. Then I remembered the Hershey's kisses that were in my bag! I had a plan.




It was time to start and I was really nervous. Although, this time the English teacher was there to help, thank goodness! The students stood up and bowed to me when she introduced me. I began my introduction in Japanese and apologized for having written them in English. I was so nervous, and so honored that when I started to talk about my own students I began to cry, just a little. I had written that while they would be happy to have me back, I knew they would be happier to get a letter from Japan. That was it, I missed them and cried. But I recovered quickly with the encouragement of the PE teacher and by looking up at all their patient faces. I couldn't mess this up for my own students! I was able to explain the letters that I had passed out and read my own letter about where I came from. Then I passed out the Hershey's kisses. What a treat!

They listened intently and proudly showed off both their letters and their chocolates. The English teacher translated their questions back to me and they seemed even more excited. I thanked them profusely as much as I could and again, hoped they would write back. Then I returned to the library to have a discussion with the teachers from the building. We were interrupted by a knock and giggling at the door, afterwards I found out it was because the class had made a gift for me!



Even thinking about it now, I can't quite comprehend it. They were very happy to have shared their time with me, but it's me who feels honored. What an amazing opportunity this has been. Just to talk to students from almost a world away and know that I had been able to share a little bit of the lives of my students with them is overwhelming. I can't wait to try to explain the experience to my own students. Luckily I have it on video so they can see the students that they might get a Pen Pal letter from some day!



I'm also looking forward to getting a letter of my own and keeping in touch with the wonderful teachers who made this happen. I know this was long entry, but I can't finish without thanking Miyako Shiraishi for her generosity in sharing her class with me! What a great feeling to know that we have set the ground work for students sooo far away from each other to learn more from each other about what they really do have in common. This will be a memory that I cherish for the rest of my life. Thank you, Izumi Jr. High School students and staff, for one of the best days of my life!