Out of Steam
Three classes today. All of them went well. This one lesson I have basically has me flying through shapes and colors - it goes quickly and if I take too much time getting them to say the words, we run out of game time, so it is a GO GO GO GO lesson. Somehow, Masago-sensei, managed to FALL ASLEEP WHILE STANDING. At first I thought he was bored, because he sat in the back and he'd close his eyes sometimes, and then he'd yawn real wide, and I realized the man was barely keeping awake. I kind of felt bad because he's a nice guy and a good teacher, so he had to have been on his last legs.
But I feel his pain. My sleep medication ran out a few days ago. Which means...I get very little sleep. More and more I think it's a chemical imbalance that's caused my insomnia. Because I need whatever is in my medication (it's Ambien by the way - might have the hormone that causes sleep in it) to fall asleep. You don't want to know how I have forced myself to fall asleep these past few days. So I am tired...so very tired. Like I feel sick, tired.
Highlight of the day: participating in the "what to do if a dangerous person enters the school" drill. I was supposed to be one of the school defenders - they have giant sticks and metal poles made solely for beating off intruders (they're in the staff room) - but other teachers got the poles first so I just ran around after them. Seriously, we ran out of the staff room, to the first grade classrooms, stood in front of their doors and just...pretended to fight an intruder for all of 5 seconds, ran back to the staff room, put the "weapons" away, ran outside. So now the kids are "running away quietly." Well it wasn't quiet because every child has the need to go "AH! JESSICA SENSEI!" when they see me. So I had to make the quiet sign and pretend to run - for the most part they stayed quiet and took it as silent encouragement. And we all gathered on the playground, because this is the safest place in the whole school. Yeah. It was amusing at least, though I have to say, my indoor shoes are NOT made for running. Apparently, everyone was really nervous. And some kids were like, genuinely scared. Some of the first graders looked petrified huddling in the back of their classrooms.
See, in Japan, it's like this:
Dangerous person enters school
Someone in the staff room says the secret code word over the intercom for such situations.
They kill the lights everywhere.
Teachers get the kids to the back of the room, and take up a "protective" position.
Other teachers/principal/whoever is in the staff room, get the "weapons" and go to "defend the students."
When the dangerous person is...distracted/caught/gone/whatever, the kids silently flee to the playground.
And I think you call the police - they didn't mention this.
This works if your dangerous person just has a knife/bat/is a homeless drunk.
If they have a gun, you're fucked.
No, seriously. Because their doors do not lock. They slide right open. And there is nothing to hide behind in the back of the classroom. They also have HUGE WINDOWS for walls. Seriously. Sitting ducks. Which is why guns are like...strictly controlled/outlawed here. Yeah, I know, way to go Jess, thinking this up, but it's true. Japan is still very much so the land of the sword - I mean sliding doors everywhere. Easy to enter, but also easy to get out of. I kind of want to like have a little katana to swing at the bad guy. Because that's what it felt like - Edo period man. School defenders! We get you with our poles, you brute samurai filth! Really, I work in a period drama that's based at a school. Oh Japan. <3
So...so tired.
But I feel his pain. My sleep medication ran out a few days ago. Which means...I get very little sleep. More and more I think it's a chemical imbalance that's caused my insomnia. Because I need whatever is in my medication (it's Ambien by the way - might have the hormone that causes sleep in it) to fall asleep. You don't want to know how I have forced myself to fall asleep these past few days. So I am tired...so very tired. Like I feel sick, tired.
Highlight of the day: participating in the "what to do if a dangerous person enters the school" drill. I was supposed to be one of the school defenders - they have giant sticks and metal poles made solely for beating off intruders (they're in the staff room) - but other teachers got the poles first so I just ran around after them. Seriously, we ran out of the staff room, to the first grade classrooms, stood in front of their doors and just...pretended to fight an intruder for all of 5 seconds, ran back to the staff room, put the "weapons" away, ran outside. So now the kids are "running away quietly." Well it wasn't quiet because every child has the need to go "AH! JESSICA SENSEI!" when they see me. So I had to make the quiet sign and pretend to run - for the most part they stayed quiet and took it as silent encouragement. And we all gathered on the playground, because this is the safest place in the whole school. Yeah. It was amusing at least, though I have to say, my indoor shoes are NOT made for running. Apparently, everyone was really nervous. And some kids were like, genuinely scared. Some of the first graders looked petrified huddling in the back of their classrooms.
See, in Japan, it's like this:
Dangerous person enters school
Someone in the staff room says the secret code word over the intercom for such situations.
They kill the lights everywhere.
Teachers get the kids to the back of the room, and take up a "protective" position.
Other teachers/principal/whoever is in the staff room, get the "weapons" and go to "defend the students."
When the dangerous person is...distracted/caught/gone/whatever, the kids silently flee to the playground.
And I think you call the police - they didn't mention this.
This works if your dangerous person just has a knife/bat/is a homeless drunk.
If they have a gun, you're fucked.
No, seriously. Because their doors do not lock. They slide right open. And there is nothing to hide behind in the back of the classroom. They also have HUGE WINDOWS for walls. Seriously. Sitting ducks. Which is why guns are like...strictly controlled/outlawed here. Yeah, I know, way to go Jess, thinking this up, but it's true. Japan is still very much so the land of the sword - I mean sliding doors everywhere. Easy to enter, but also easy to get out of. I kind of want to like have a little katana to swing at the bad guy. Because that's what it felt like - Edo period man. School defenders! We get you with our poles, you brute samurai filth! Really, I work in a period drama that's based at a school. Oh Japan. <3
So...so tired.