Do you know what it looks like when trees grow?
Have you ever seen it happen?
It's something like this:
June 2008: First visit to Nakada elementary
- It's the closest school to my house, but in nearly a year of living in Japan I hadn't been there yet. I taught 3rd grade. There were only 3 classes so I was done by lunch time. The kids I was eating with asked me what I was doing during 5th period & I said, "I dunno, what are you doing?" and they said, "We're going swimming!" and for whatever reason.....I said, "That sounds fun! I wanna go swimming too!" and they of course said, "Yeah!! Come with us!!" and pulled at my arms and legs and begged their teacher who thought they were coercing me against my will. When I finally convinced her I wanted to swim she looked even more harried. I didn't really care though & so we asked the vice principal & of course he looked at me like I had three heads (no, not two, all foreigners are looked at like they have two heads anyway...) but agreed to let me run home for my bathing suit. And so I became famous for swimming fast. I can, but to be fair, fast is a relative term when you're swimming with 8 year olds.
- After school I wasn't sure if I could leave early or not, since things were still in that delicate, "Do they know we don't follow any rules at all?" phase so I played outside with some of the kids. Well, more like I stood around talking to two boys who weren't the athletic type. It came out that I live near the school and one of them said he went home the same way. I figured I could use him as an excuse so when he said he was going I went inside & told the vice principal thank you very much and this kid wants me to walk home with him so can I go now? And he gave me that, "crazy foreigners with three heads" look again & said yes. On the way home the kid asked for my signature. They all do, I'm used to it. I didn't remember his name, but I'm used to that too.
September 2008: Second and Third visits
- I taught 2nd and 6th grades, respectively. In 2nd there was a kid who was born in New Jersey. Both his parents are Japanese citizens and were only there for a few years b/c of his dad's company. He told me he loved me after 10 minutes of class. Somebody needed to give that kid some attention. His teacher was trying, but the poor guy had at least 3 emotionally troubled kids (I mean the screaming, yelling, running out of the classroom and hitting people type) in the class too so he had a few things on his mind. On top of which, he turned out to be the (un)lucky teacher in charge of the English program for the school that year. He was nice though & we talked a lot about what I did at other schools and how I sometimes had days when no school needed me & I had to sit around the Board of Education doing nothing. He said it'd be nice for New Jersey kid to get a little more English (and the other kids too) so maybe he'd see about calling up to borrow me for one of those days.
- I have no memory of teaching the 6th graders, but that's normal. I'm not that fond of kids that age so they don't stick with me unless they're otaku. Both days that month I decided to drop in on the 3rd graders after lunch since I'd had such fun swimming with them. Unlike kids at schools across town who are surprised to hear I live in Japan, & have a hard time believing it since they have no concept of where the place I live is I'm like a real person to these kids. They know where I went that time when I ran home for my bathing suit. They'd seen me leave in the afternoon with the kid who wanted my signature. He asked for it again on my second visit. We walked home together my second day too & I made a point to remember what the other kids were calling him before hand. I noticed that time that he was about the politest 3rd grader I've ever met. He seemed really mature for his age. Like a little.........what I didn't know, but he didn't jabber on and on about his own stuff like most kids do. He asked me the kinds of questions Japanese adults do about the US.
- I couldn't walk home with my little boyfriend the third visit because I was sick. I left right after lunch, but I went & visited his class to let him know. And I made a point to look at what his actual name was on the front of his desk.
November 2008: Fourth (unexpected) visit
- True to his word the 2nd grade teacher called up the office and asked if they could have me for one of my free days. I couldn't have been happier. We studied numbers. It was raining that day so we played inside at recess. Some of the class leaders were trying to organize something like "Duck, Duck, Goose" but nobody would sit down b/c they all just wanted to climb on me.
- I walked home with my 3rd grade boyfriend and a girl I couldn't remember seeing before. She was a little more like a normal kid. Chattery. After her turnoff he asked me if I missed my family. I said no. Because it's true. But he didn't seem that shocked. He asked about the different people in my family & said he had a brother that was a lot younger than him the same as I do. When we got to his apartment he asked me to sign the back of his notebook again (in pink highlighter always) and write the dates next to the different ones that were already there. I told him I might not see him for a while since I had to go back to teaching jr high starting in January.
June 19, 2009: Fifth visit
- I taught 6th grade. It's a new school year so they're the 5th graders from the last time I was there, not the 6th graders I didn't care about. Good thing too, there's a ton of otaku kids in this year. Somehow I agreed to draw Dracule Mihawk for one of them, and Tsuna for another. I'd been looking forward to this visit for weeks, not because of the classes I'd teach, but because I could see my, now 4th grade, boyfriend. Before lunch I asked the kids who were walking me back to the reception room where the 4th grade classrooms were. They took me over and all the kids started jumping around and screaming, "Katy-sensei!" (Yeah, I like it......) Their poor teacher. I'm sure she remembers me a bit differently than they do. But they remember me pretty well. One girl even asked me if I'd dyed my hair. Which, of course, I had. I told them all they were getting taller, which, of course, they liked to hear. I asked my little boyfriend if it was still alright to call him by his nickname. Boys in the 4th grade change a bit sometimes. But before he could answer, all the girls said, "No, no. He'll always be ****chan!"
- Starting in 4th grade kids can join a once a month club at school. Yesterday was the first official meeting of Nakada's clubs. I could've gone home, but I walked around and visited a few. Cooking, drawing, softball, comedy, sewing, music. Of course he's in music. He loves it. I went there last so we could go home together. As I was packing up he asked me what I do on my days off. So I answered with the standard, "Draw.....read......go out with my friends.......um...what about you?" and he said he goes to music school on Saturdays & hangs out with his family Sundays. So cute. Then I remembered the little brother he'd mentioned before so I asked how old he was. He's 3. Turns out we have the same birthday.
- I told the vice principal I was going home. No more, "Um....can I do this? Is it ok?" I just go with my little boyfriend. They all know that's how it works. We walked home talking about the weather, the time, differences between the US and Japan. The usual adult stuff. When we got to his apartment he said, "Um, do you have a few minutes?" and I said, "Sure, I don't have anything important to do." I didn't. It was 4pm on a Friday. What working adult is lucky enough to be going home at that time? He said his little brother might be up from his nap & he wanted to bring him out to meet me. Turned out it wasn't just his brother, but his mother too. She said he talks about me all the time. I should've guessed. He's that kind of kid. He loves his family so he talks about them. And he talks to them. And it was obvious he was her son when I met her. She was so kind, so calm, so normal in a comforting way. Not bland, but homey. She said she didn't really know any foreigners, but not in the, "Do you all really have two heads??" kind of way. Her face was more like, "You seem just like a regular person. I figured you would be." We talked about the kids, she worries that the older brother can't play sports. All he cares about is piano. She worries that the younger one loves running and doesn't speak clearly at all even though he's 3. She asked me where I shop and if I cook for myself. But when I said I did she didn't seem too surprised. It's what adults do. They have to eat so they have to cook. Normal.
July 2009: Sixth visit
- I don't know what grade I'm teaching. Most likely it'll be 5th. But it's ok, the 4th graders are right down the hall.
