I had to post on February 29 cause it only comes around once every four years :)Wednesday's sky was gorgeous enough to stop on my bike ride home & take a picture.
Monday is my school's graduation so today we had rehearsal for the 206 seniors. Last year I taught them all in writing class & about 50 of them a college-prep class this year. Some of my absolute favorite people at school are in this graduating class. I'm going to miss them a ton! Overall, the class is known for their school spirit, commitment, kindness, leadership, and gentleness.
Here are some of my wonderful students and friends who I will say goodbye & congratulations to on Monday morning;
Kohei & Ando-kun: really good guys who love English but are often too shy to approach me for more than small talk. We got to know each other during hours of practice for university entrance interviews. Kohei loves soccer & has a little crush on Ando-kun's sister who's a sophomore ;) Ando wants to join Formula One racing when he 'grows up.' Both are dedicated hard-workers who love to help people, have fun, & laugh!
Tori-san, Chiho, & Akiko: aka "The crazy girls" These girls were in the same college-prep class of mine & they kept me laughing. They'd come visit me in the teachers' room & draw so much attention as they'd chat in code about the teachers & each other. They taught me Japanese vocabulary (random stuff like "nest" -- because one of the male teacher's hair looks like a nest, according to this trio), and middle-age slang that they use as a joke.
Teppei: a guy who tries really hard to speak English in complete sentences. We often met on our bikes about 10 minutes from school in the mornings & rode the rest of the way together, chatting about his occasional weekend skiing, his friend living in the USA, our progress learning the other's language. He confides in me about girls, his band, and things that fascinate him about culture.
This afternoon, as I was gathering my stuff to leave, Teppei came to chat & pick up some photos I'd printed for him & others as a graduation gift. He made himself comfortable at the empty desk next to mine & we talked for nearly an hour. When he glanced at the time & knew my working hours had ended long before, he apologized and added regrettably, "This may be our final chat."
When I asked him how he felt about graduating in a few days he said, "sad!" He told me he'd cry at the ceremony & I assured him I'd bring tissues for us all :) In my opinion, Japanese people keep their emotions completely hidden about 362 days of the year. But last year I learned at my school's graduation that the tears flow from students, teachers, and ALTs who have invested in each other & are immensely proud of & excited for the incredible young men & women ending one chapter of their lives and embarking on an adventurous new one!
There's SO many more students & stories I want to write about, but this is all for now...tomorrow I travel to Mie-ken in southeastern Japan for a weekend with about 20 teachers celebrating our hard work this school year :)
1 comment:
awww great post Sarah! My graduation was today, and although I didn't cry I definitely felt out of sorts at the thought of losing all my fave students. But I put aside my shyness and decided to just go for it - walked all around the whole school, in and out of classrooms to chat and ended up taking lots of pics and singing yearbooks - the students (and I!!) were thrilled! I'm so glad I didn't chicken out and stay in the teacher's room out of fear of "disturbing" something. Doing that gave me some good closure, the chance to really show some love and attention to the students I've helped this past year (esp with interview practice etc) and it was really a good experience. Hope you had fun in Mie - and make sure you get out and sign some yearbooks! I know you'll miss your kids though - they sound amazing!
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