Kodomo-tachi

Kids will be kids.

However, there seems to be something strange in the water.

Last week, during Sports Day practice, one of my 3 年生 at the Junior High through a pair of shoes at a teacher. He also swore (I don't know much Japanese, but I do know that) at the instructor, who calmly collected the shoes and walked away looking disgruntled, but otherwise non-reactive. I was a little astonished at the episode, but it was mild sauce compared to a friend's description of an out-and-out brawl between a student and a teacher (during sports day practice at her school). In that case, the student was definitely provoked, but over-stepped the bounds of appropriate responses.

Today, at elementary school, my 6 年生 class was out of control. Actually, only three kids were raving psychotics. The others were just fine, a little loud, but engaged and surprisingly responsive to what was going on in the lesson. And it was a dull lesson. I can assure you. I had a lesson planned, but the teacher had a different lesson planned, and though she agreed to change a few things, we did not change many. I still had a good time with the kids and thought it was fine, except for those three students. At the end of the lesson, the HRT insisted they all tell me good-by and see you again, which was nice, but a little unnecessary. I eat lunch with my 6th graders on the days I have class with them. One of the nuts-o kids ineptly yelled, Get await! (go away) By which, he meant, fuck oth - this being the more-or-less incorrectly pronounced English equivalent of whatever one would say in Japanese. There are no real swear words in Japanese, and the semi-obscenities are not as limber and versatile as English swears, so one is kind of stuck. I didn't think much of it, because it wasn't a really naughty comment, but the teachers were appalled and apologized right then to me.

Later.

I was walking back from the post office when the BOE Elementary School Liaison-fellow pulled up in front of me at the office. He got out and had the same kid by the elbow and was speaking to him very encouragingly and very seriously. The boy turned to me and apologized twice for being so rude in English class. The CIR with me exhorted him to pay attention in class and do better and I said thank you for your apology. The kid also executed an extremely deep bow.

In Japan, it is all about the apology. When we went to an enkai for an office colleague, a couple of kids ran around like wild things, to nobody's apparent annoyance, until one of them, quite accidentally, kicked an adult. This was the last straw and his mother quickly remonstrated him and told him to apologize. It was a big deal. It was the only time in the night when the kids were quiet and settled for any amount of time. My 6th year looked quite shocked as he listened to the Liaison-fellow talk to him and he looked incredibly shell-shocked as he bowed and apologized to me. I hope it lasts. I hate it when a couple of noisy rats interrupt everyone else's good time.

And the rest of the 6th years really are nice kids. They participate, they're smart, quite a few of them are quicker than the teacher gives them credit for (at English anyway), and the ones who don't want to participate are mostly quiet about it (excepting those few flats). And my 5th years are fantastic.

In the office, the same grown-up gentleman apologized twice more and I tried to play it down. Don't worry. Kids are kids. I feel confident saying this, because I know that we are all aware that kids don't have to be feral beasts. These kids need a wake-up call, before they mess it up for their hard-working compliant peers.