Problems in class
Some days I just wonder about students. Today, during second period, a student had the guts to raise his hand and ask Maemura Sensei to explain his homework for the next class. He did this while she was explaining what the key English sentence meant, the homework he was asking about was his Japanese homework. He had the nerve to ask the English teacher in the middle of English class to explain his Japanese homework. Maemura Sensei was not happy and proceeded to lecture him. Of course, this did no good as the rest of the students simply laughed when she lectured him. I hate it when students disrespect the teacher.
As I am writing this, there are three second year boys in the teacher’s room being lectured by the head teacher second year teacher and their Japanese teacher because they must have been acting up in class today. I really haven’t caught what they did yet, bad student behavior is not part of my limited Japanese vocabulary.
Don’t get me wrong, the majority of the students that I have at Takaku Chu are wonderful students. They listen, repeat, do their homework, and answer the questions they are asked to answer. However, at the same time I am amazed at what happens here. Most people think that Japanese students are wonderful and obedient. HA HA, that is funny. Students are students no matter where you are in the world.
Jana has mentioned she has problems with students throwing things, not listening, passing notes, and walking around the halls during class. Katie stated that she had a couple students who destroyed a door at her school (that is a bit extreme here). In my case, the students pass notes, talk during class (the entire class), sleep, read books, work on other homework, and in some cases simply leave the classroom because they don’t like class. These problems are mainly with the second year students and it isn’t just in English class, it is all of the classes.
In America, there are ways to deal with this, detention, in school suspension, out of school suspension, and a trip to the principle’s office. Here in Japan, it is a relatively new problem and there is nothing set up to deal with the student’s behavior. The teacher will stop class and lecture the student or have the head teacher for the grade do it. But other than that nothing. Students can act up and there is no punishment…well, if it a big enough problem a phone call home might happen, but for the most part, nothing happens and the same students keep acting up.
The school system in America isn’t perfect and I am aware the system in Japan isn’t perfect either but sometimes I sure do wish they were. No matter, where you are in the world students are going to act like students and act up. It is life and some things transcend culture and I think kids acting up in class is one of these things.