graduation
After a week of bowing, singing, standing and processioning (is that even a word? haha) practice, graduation day finally arrived on Monday. Japanese graduation ceremonies are much more formal than American ones. As students' names are called there is no cheering from the audience and they must complete a complex pattern of bowing at various points. Because I have known the students for longer than the ones who graduated last year and I have taught them on my own i feel a stronger attachment to this crop and was quite sad to see them go. As each one was called up to stage, in my mind I thought about funny little moments about them from the last year and a half. Because the results did not come out until the next day, half of the students graduating did not yet know what high school they would be starting in less than a month's time. I kept thinking how nerve racking that must be for them. The most important day of your academic career thus far and you are uncertain about your future.
THis year about seven students failed the second round of testing which means some of them will not go to high school (compulsory education ends at junior high school in japan) and some of them will have to go through another round of testing. Last year we didn't have any students fail the second round of testing so the teachers were quite shocked this year. Because teachers in Japan are like parents to their students they feel a strong responsibilty for the actions of their students so I could tell the 3rd year teachers felt they had failed because their students had failed.
For my birthday my mom gave me a book entitled "LEarning to Bow" which is about a guy who did the JET program about 15 years ago. He talks a lot about this responsibility and added pressure on teachers. I actually read this book before I came to Japan but it has been quite interesting reading it again now because I can relate to so much of what the author has experienced. I too feel like I am still learning to bow.
THis year about seven students failed the second round of testing which means some of them will not go to high school (compulsory education ends at junior high school in japan) and some of them will have to go through another round of testing. Last year we didn't have any students fail the second round of testing so the teachers were quite shocked this year. Because teachers in Japan are like parents to their students they feel a strong responsibilty for the actions of their students so I could tell the 3rd year teachers felt they had failed because their students had failed.
For my birthday my mom gave me a book entitled "LEarning to Bow" which is about a guy who did the JET program about 15 years ago. He talks a lot about this responsibility and added pressure on teachers. I actually read this book before I came to Japan but it has been quite interesting reading it again now because I can relate to so much of what the author has experienced. I too feel like I am still learning to bow.