My Students, Part 2

My high school is fairly typical of all Japanese high schools. There are three grades, because middle school has three grades (not two), and each grade has a set number of classes. We have 8 classes in each grade, called "kumi" 組 in Japanese. Each kumi usually has 40 students. However, this year I have several classes that include 41 students. So I teach about 325 kids this year, split over two weeks.

My classes have 20 students each. They are split in the middle, leading to an A group and a B group. In Japanese they are called "zenhan" 前半 and "kohan" 後半. Respectively these mean "forward half" and "latter half". My latter halves sometimes have 21 instead of 20, but that is still pretty rare. When my kids come to class I have them sit down in sequence, and it gives a pretty good seating pattern and keeps the noisy ones away from each other. It also releases them from having to show a preference or take action on their own, which my kids seem not to like. The group mentality does sometimes show itself even in small matters.

Each kumi has a homeroom teachers. These are the teachers that they meet with every morning, every afternoon, for every non-specific lesson, and a myriad of other times I cannot hope to tell about. The kumi is the crew and the Home Room teacher is the pilot. The Captain is the will of the group. The home room teacher's personality often has an effect on the personality of the class as a whole. The Japanese learn by example and the kids follow what is set for them at the beginning of each year. The home room teacher is so influential because in this society they act as more than just a teacher, they are guide and guardian and sometimes surrogate parents to the kids. It is interesting to look at Japanese relationships and I will get to them some other time.

Since I see the kids as half classes they interact with me a little differently than they would if I saw them as 40. I have nametags made for all of them (well, they make them on the fist day) and because I can call each of them by a name we have a more personal relationship. Since I have 325 it is not that personal with most, but it is good enough for me to get a feel for them during the time we have together. The A and B halves will sometimes have differing personalities. Sometimes the stronger people are in one half leaving the other with only the quieter students. Because of this I have a hard time answering when my teachers ask what I think of such-and-such kumi.

In all I like my kids. This year they seem more into English than they did last year. High school is still new to them so they aren't as apathetic as they get towards the end of the year. I have some new things in mind this year and I am minding my lessons from the past. I hope to make my last full year with my kids the best one yet.