My Students, Part 1

My students are too complicated a subject to talk about in only one sitting. I think it is that way with everyone who teaches. When you are responsible for someone's education, or at least what they learn for a year, you realize how important interpersonal relationships actually are. Things like student-teacher interaction, motivational techniques, and classroom size cease to be buzz words from an overly politicized society. They become something real, and something primal. They can make or break your classroom atmosphere and they can make or break you as an instructor. Thus they become something primal and earthy and important.

Although, I guess most people may not think of them that way. Most people are pretty chill about the whole JET gig. But some people (like me) have no middle gear: we can be only serious or apathetic. I perform better in serios mode.

However, I have not addressed the actual kids themselves. My school is a part of the Confusion heirarchy of the Japanese school system. Even though there is no official and recognized ranking of the schools they are still rated by CW and ambitious parents. My school is roughly in the middle, and some years we average middle middle, and some (as in recent times) we are closer to bottom middle. Our students are generally known as being extremely fun and laid back, but not always the most interested in studying. I have found that to be true. There are only a few students in the school I have disliked and for the most part everyone is friendly and sweet. They are all vivacious and have a clear idea of what they want out of their high school career. At least that is the way it seems on this side of the language barrier.

My students this year are a few cuts above the ones I had last year. Already I am enjoying the year more and I have only just started the second lesson. Every class has been divided in half so I only teach 20 students at a time. It is much more managable than the 40 I had the first year (although academically they were much better than the ones I had last year, and probably better than this year's group too). Both the A and B half of the class have the same kind of attitude. Some classes are very rambunctious and willing to speak, and there are others that are quiet and shy. A lot of it depends on their homeroom teacher's personality, and I will get to that some other time.