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March 11th: The next day I open the newspaper expecting to read about
another stabbing. Instead the paper reports no less than four teen
stabbings all over Japan, all involving junior high and high school
classmates. One happened at school. A victim of ijime (bullying).
Another highschool student was stabbed by a classmate on the street. The
stabber had previously extorted money from his victim on numerous
occasions. Another junior high student "ordered" a classmate to come to
his home, berated him for not greeting him properly and then stabbed him
with a kitchen knife. As you can see, (aisatsu) greetings are very
important in Japanese culture.
None of the four incidents were fatal.
Graduation came and went. Police in some areas monitored school
grounds watching for high spirits, but Japan has quieted down. Except for
news about two high school girls who beat a 67 year-old man to death for
his wallet and a kid who stabbed an 83 year-old man to death at a automatic
bank teller, both incidents far to the north, all's quiet. One teacher has
filed charges though about 2 incidents of violence directed towards her
after she confiscated pocket phones, but the incidents occured last month.
The Kobe Killer who spiked the mentally-handicapped kid's head on the school
gate last year has reported that he no longer is possessed by the evil
entity and was allowed to graduate from his junior high. His principal
however was suspended from work after a tabloid reported that he was seen
at a strip bar the evening of the graduation. Big fuckin' deal.
A second grader, who I don't remember seeing before has returned from a
reform school. He has
been here for two weeks now and has come to school with his hair dyed red
four times. And everytime his homeroom teacher takes him to a room and
dyes his hair black again with a special can of black spray kept on the
premises for just such occasions. He came to school the day of the
graduation
ceremony with his hair dyed red. I thought that was pretty funny--the teachers
all running around trying to get everything organized and then they have to
stop everything to dye this kids hair for the fourth time--until I had to
teach his class. He sits on the back of his chair (sacrilige over here) or
practically lays in his desk with his legs sprawled across the floor, talks
in a loud voice throughout the class, even during our team-teaching
demonstration, gets up two or three times and leaves the room to wander the
halls (just to prove he can it seems), abuses the other students, etc. etc.
Name's Miyamoto.
I asked why he had been sent to a reformitory and was told that he'd been
caught riding a motorcyle with no license (too young anyway) and that he'd
thrown stones into a crowd of people he didn't even know. Ah well, them's
just high spirits, right? He also did some other "bad things." Hmmmm...
So they sent him off to a reform school way up in the mountains. Actually
he wanted to go because his family is so screwed up. His father was
Yakuza, but died several years ago from a herion overdose. His stepfather
was also Yakuza and also died of a drug overdose at the time. His mother
is "kind of crazy." But he didn't last long. He was diciplined somehow
for smoking cigarettes and escaped during the night. He walked twenty or
thirty kilometers in the rain. I'm ready to take some kind of action--what
I don't know--if he acts up again in my next encounter with that class, but
happily I do not see him again. He only comes to school once in a while.
March 12th. I walk into class 1-3 with P-sensei and the kid on the
middle row, two seats back, Kamiyama, right off the bat is "doing a
piss-take" I am not in the mood to have another class ruined by a
twelve-year old,
and from experience I know P-sensei would rather eat maggots
than do something. Mocking up everything I say like "Good Morning Class"
etc. etc. I give him a hard stare. He doesn't seem to get the picture,
returns a arrogant grin of defiance. We're going through a sample dialogue
about telling time, but most of the students are somewhat distracted
because paper wads are flying through the air occasionally and a couple of
students repeatedly leave their seats to pass on some news that presumably
just can't wait. As in most similar cases, I can pretty easily trace the
source of the problem. After a few minutes the class settles down, except
for him. The class has potential to be pretty good one, but P-sensei is
even trying. I'm not in the mood today, and thinking about poor P-sensei,
through her own incompetance (or whatever it is) must suffer through this
every day all year has me really put off. I tell her, "Either you do
something about this kid (pointing at him) or I will. P-sensei walks back
to examine the work of a girl on the back row, and he laughs at me saying
something I don't understand to the student next to him. I tell him in
Japanese that he'd better stop, but he doesn't pick up on it. Students all
are doing their writing assignments, even the rowdy ones, except for him.
He's doing everything he can to continue pissing all over the preparation
that went into the class. P-sensei steps up to the front of the class and
says, "Alright, class. Are you finished? Let's go on now-" I cut in here
and say, "First, P-sesei, I'd like to say something. I'd like to thank the
class for doing their work. I've looked at everyone's paper and the work
is very good. All except for this student's work." I pick up his paper
and show it to the class. "Jitsu wa, ano hito no namae (In fact, that
person's [refering to someone as "that person" in their presence is pretty
insulting] name) kaita-nai desu (isn't even written on the page)."
Switching back to English. "All you've done since I walked in here is
insult me and P-sensei, and sit there with that smart-ass grin on your face
[which is now gone]. JUBUN! (ENOUGH). So, you don't need this." Calmly
and slowly, I tear the paper into six strips and then into about 36
squares, then cast them contemptuously over Kamiyama, whose staring at the
floor now. The rest of the class is dead quiet, staring wide-eyed with "Oh
shit..." expressions on their faces. They've never seen me like this. I
step back and say, "Sorry about that P-sensei." P-sensei looks at the
class and says "Do you understand?" and begins to harangue the whole class,
which I think is a little misdirected. "Do you want the class to apologize
to you?" This puts me even more off. "No, I don't want anyone apologizing
for something they didn't do. Most of them are just suffering along with
you and I on account of two or three students. I just want to teach
English. I think I made my point can we just go on now?"
After class, J-sensei, hears about it and asks me a few questions. Yes I
tell him a few students were acting up in class, but I took care of it.
Which students were they, he wants to know. I don't know their names, of
course, why don't you ask P-sensei-- it's her class. But he shows me some
photos, like I'm at a police station looking at mug shots to identify some
criminals and I point out a couple of other troublemakers' faces imagining
that he'll have their homeroom teacher yell at them. J-sensei comes back
thirty minutes later and informs me that those three kids are being yanked
out of their sixth period classes to have a special conference with me,
P-sensei, himself, the students' home-room teacher, a couple of other
teachers who aren't busy that hour and want to get in on the action. "
Listen," tell him, "I think you should bring down that one kid, Kamiyama,
right? But I don't want those other two to have to come down here." "But
you said they were being bad in the class." "Well, yes they were, but they
weren't being THAT bad. I mean if you're going to bring them down here,
then you'd have to punish about twenty percent of the students at this
school who've been like that at one time or another. They weren't a
problem before. But Kamiyama has been like that every class. I think it's
a mistake to .... and it distorts the whole point I was .... and blah blah
blah," this all going over their heads or through their heads or around or
under.
But of course, either because the teachers would lose face to rescind the
order or because they don't want Kamiyama to get lonely, all three are
brought down, and I sit through a browbeating conference, feeling like
someone's fucking father, not understanding most of what's being said and
feeling pretty sure that my words are not being too accurately translated.
P-sensei is choking up, almost teary-eyed. The two other kids are thinking
"Why am I here?" and I'd like to tell them I don't know either, but just
try getting that one past the censors. Kamiyama is sitting sullenly with
an expression that roughly translates into English as "I hate each and
every last one of you motherfuckers and one day--probably eighth or ninth
grade at the latest-- I shall gather my powers and put you down like the
shit-eating dogs that you are." I'm halfway sorry that I won't be around
to see that.
After an hour of this they're allowed to leave. I shake their hands hoping
to make some peace and de-stigmatize the other two, and they walk out
relieved it's all over. The teachers seem relieved too. Then we hear the
thundering voice of KOCHO-SENSEI, and the heat is turned on again. We
teachers are practically hiding in the conference room. Kocho-sensei yells
for a full three-minutes (a long time to be yelled at by anyone. After
they leave we walk out, thinking it's finally over. But Kocho-sensei then
chastises P-sensei for allowing the whole thing to happen. He turns to me
and apologizes for the whole affair. "There is big problem my school
sometimes." After he leaves I tell her I'm sorry he took her to task, that
it wasn't her fault (though it is a little). "That's okay," she says
looking like a whipped dog with her tail between her legs. I consider
pointing out to her and J-sensei that I think the whole thing would have
been handled more quietly between the homeroom teacher and the one student,
but it's 4:15. I should have been out of here fifteen minutes ago. I
throw my books in my bag and get the hell out of there, wondering why do
they do it to themselves.
March 16th. The test results came back. The students are celebrating
their success. Well most of them. Douchi is not among them.
Kobayashi and Negishi have surprised me. Kobayashi, who seemed repentant
has gotten much worse and quit his club activities, which over here is
pretty unusual and a bad sign. He's in the office for one thing or another
nearly every day--sometimes twice a day. Negishi, on the other hand, has
disassociated himself with Kobayashi, really gotten into his softball club,
and has even begun studying a little.
My last day at that school. B-sensei didn't get the transfer he's been
hoping for, but he said it could be worse. The PE teacher has been trying
to get transfered to a school in her own city (Maebashi--a 45 minute drive)
for the last twelve years; 1997-98 will be her 13th. The word came down:
"Eto...er...maybe it's impossible." Everybody seems very pleased about one
thing though. Kocho-sensei has been transfered to another school. The
reign of terror is over. At that school anyhow...
Kocho-sensei confided in me that it's very bad for him. He'd hoped to
retire in a year without the bother of having to change schools. I'd think
he'd be happy to be leaving before the whole shit-house goes up, but some
folks just can't see it coming.
June, I dropped in to get a book of Japanese lessons I'd left behind. I'm
informed that student put another in the hospital, a serious bad kick (or
kicks) in the privates. And the school is now finally in the papers as
B-sensei predicted.
July, my last gig at X-chu and in Isesaki, altogether. Negishi
continues to do good work. Kobayashi breaks a window. Kobayashi is caught
smoking in the bathroom, etc. etc. but he seems to know better than to mess
around in my classes, only sits sullenly.
That crazy Miyamoto kid is back again and far worse than ever. In
addition to his usual repetoire of sitting on the back of his chair
(sacrilige over here) or practically lays in his desk with his legs
sprawled across the floor, talking in a loud voice throughout the class,
leaving the classroom, abusing the other students, etc. etc. P-sensei
confiscates manga (comic book) from one student and while she's lecturing
Miyamoto retrieves it and returns it to the student at once defying her and
acting as the other students' friend (an old yakuza trick for gaining
friends and allies--remember the yakuza got aid to the victims of the Kobe
earthquake faster than the government). He pulls his chair up directly in
front of the lectern and stares at us with those disturbing wild eyes, and
when P-sensei steps around to try to get him to move back he quickly
counters by pushing forward another foot-and-a-half. Now the lectern is
jammed up against the blackboard. When P-sensei tries to pull him back he
jumps up yells something in a piercing high pitch (that usually signals
danger--get back--in Japan) and makes as if to swing at her, then breaks
out into a hysterical laugh pointing at her and saying something to the
effect of "Scared you didn't I?"
J-sensei is standing at the back of the class looking very nervous.
He has started coming to class just to protect P-sensei. I walk back to
where he's standing and tell him, "This is ridiculous. Why is that student
even here?"
"I know," he says. "I can't stand it!" But he stands for it, with
his hands at his side.
What am I doing? Like P-sensei, I'm waiting for him to cross that
black line, but otherwise I don't think it's my job to get physically
confrontational with my students. After all, I'm supposed to be showing
the students a positive nice image of foreignors and Americans, not of some
big scary gaijin that grabs kids for being bad. All the same, if he were
to actually strike her I'd have to drag him out of class (by the hair) and
down to the teachers room and that could get ugly. I figure that probably
won't happen, so I stand back just amazed that this nonsense is tolerated.
As far as I'm concerned, its more the P-sensei's fault and the school's
fault and the whole frickin' system's fault than his fault. After all,
he's a truly disturbed individual with good reason, considering his
background. But the teachers are reasonable adults who ought to know
better than to watch one student's problems spread throughout the class.
After class, back in the teachers' room, I tell P-sensei that I
want a conference with her and Miyamoto's homeroom teacher, after lunch.
six minutes later, two minutes before my next class, A-sensei walks in.
P-sensei says, "Here he is. Do you want to talk to him now?"
"I've got a class in next period."
"Is i something you can talk about it in just a minute or two," she
says, hoping that it is.
"I don't think so."
Lunch-time rolls around and A-sensei has some free time, and I get
together with the two of them. Of course, J-sensei insinuates himself into
the conversation. P-sensei translates for A-sensei as I tell them both
what I saw going on in the class. ". . . what I saw in that classroom is
so outrageous that I will not visit them again unless Miyamoto is confined
to another room. If I see him anywhere near that classroom, I won't teach
them. Even then, it will still be difficult because his behavior has
spread to some of the other students. Some of those students I saw causing
problems today were some of my best, most active students last year. Now,
they're not active, they're just disruptive. And this is something I've
seen going on over the last year. That kid that sits on the back row,
about three rows from the left used to be one of my best students. Now,
he's one of my worst. And that fat sumo-sized kid never used to act like
he was today."
"We're very sorry" interjects J-sensei.
"Well, I'm sorry too, but it's just not good enough. Because, I've
got a class with about 35 kids, alot of whom seem to want to study English,
but can't because three other kids are allowed to destroy the work we've
put into the preparation of the class. And I'm watching them, and I think
I know what they're probably thinking--I know what I'd be thinking anyway.
I'd be thinking, 'Why doesn't someone do something to stop this from going
on, and why am I made to come sit in this room and endure this five days a
week...'" I'm on a roll-- the bile is spewing forth; the three of them are
ashen-faced and speechless and I continue. "But nobody does anything
because nobody wants to cause any problems. You don't take the action you
should be because then that would involve the principal and vice-principal
and news might even get out in the community about the problems that
everyone's trying to keep quiet. But in another year-and-a-half when those
good students have got poor scores on their high school entrance exams, who
are they going to have to blame but the people who sat on their hands and
did nothing while they watched these little creeps run over them. I just
think it's ridiculous and I don't want my time wasted by being scheduled
for 1-5 again.
"I think the students will be very dissappointed if you don't return."
"Well, then tell them why I won't return and schedule me for some
other class, or I can just sit here and study Japanese or do something
productive. There's nothing I can do there. It's too late. That class is
already ruined. I don't know if you could put it back together even if you
tried. It's just like the situation with your economy. The bureacrats
watched all the dishonesty and the corruption and did nothing. They talked
about the problem and made promises to do this or that until it was too
late. [Won't somebody please shut me up?] I think there's a basic
inability in the culture here to react quickly to situations. No one wants
to accept the responsibility for doing anything, but nobody will be blamed
for sitting back and watching the problems at this school get worse and
worse." [And ,of course, just because his two mafia fathers are dead don't
mean that disciplining him wouldn't result in a teacher waking up with a
horse-head in his or her bed. Basashi (horse meat sushi) anyone?
"Yes, we agree," says J-sensei, "but it's a very complicated
problem and we don't know what to do--
"It's not comlplicated at all. That's just something you tell
yourself, so you'll feel better about not doing anything. Listen, you have
special rooms where you put some students who are too handicapped to join
their classes. I honestly believe that Miyamoto is one of the most
socially handicapped persons I've ever seen. Why can't he be removed from
the class on those grounds?"
"Yes, but maybe it's very difficult," J-sensei says..
"Well, that's not good enough." P-sensei winces. "But if that's
the best the system can do then . . . it's not my problem, because I choose
not to suffer the abuse." I suggest P-sensei have the students vote for
who they'd rather have in the classroom, Miyamoto or myself. When I said
it, I was only joking, but she takes to the idea and I regret even
mentioning although it might show Miyamoto just where he stands.
We never find out ,though, if the students prefer him or me because
the next day Miyamoto, in a fit rage (or high spirits) throws a table
across the classroom, almost injuring another student. B-sensei tells him
to go home. He ends up not returning, opting to return to the reform
school.
Everyone breathes a sigh of relief because he shouldn't return for
the rest of the semester at least. It's like a reprieve for all the
teachers who have him in their class, and surely a lot of students will be
happy to see him gone. But after just five days there, he decides that the
rigors of reform school is not not a lifestyle for which he is suited.
He'll be back next week, but by that time I'll have already moved to my new
home in Maebashi and my new job, although I hear my new school, Kamakura
has a lot of high school drop-out bosozoku hoods hanging in the parking
lot, intimidating those junior high school boys they can't recruit and
enticing the junior high school girls with their rough talk and motorcycles
that sound like a fleet of juicers.
January to June 1998
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