A Good Day

Funny how days that start off ordinary, or even bad, can wind up being good days. After 4th period, I thought I was going to die of repetition. I've read the same letter and the same English phrases in class about 800 times. I was still exhausted after lunch (where I accidentally squirted a small quantity of milk 3 feet in the air, which nearly landed on the student next to me).

Then I went to math class! Yay algebra! The math teacher, Tsuminaga sensei, is very nice (he greeted me in English at the start of class, then asked my permission to continue the rest of the class in Japanese. Dozo.). He's also willing to practice his English with me, which is a plus. And he's generally math-teacher-esque: soft-spoken, slight build, with a vague air of nerdiness (I've definitely seen some red pen blotches on his shirt pocket). He's very Japanese in his excessive politeness (he apologizes for walking past my desk in the office. It's on the way to the printer! There's no need!). The students got a kick out of his grading my algebra worksheet (he asked for permission to do this). Some things never change: good speed, dumb mistakes.

So Tsuminaga sensei is now one of my best friends in the office! I get along well with the English teachers, too, which is good. Nakamura sensei is always busy, so I have to carefully time anything I have to say to her. But we laugh a lot together in class, or in the 2 minute conversations we've had. She's a great teacher, and a sweet person. Yanase sensei was pulled out of retirement after the previous English teacher gave birth, which happens sometimes. So she's a little older, and while she's energetic and bouncy in her efforts to speak and teach English, she's very insecure about teaching. Besides me, she's the newest member of the teaching staff, has fewer responsibilities than the other teachers, and she's usually the one who is able and available to explain things to me, which she herself doesn't always understand. Thursdays, for example, run on a different schedule. That was not explained to me until my 3rd Thursday... She often asks my advice for teaching or doing things, and I just don't feel like it's my place to make certain decisions. Weren't you teaching English for your whole career before you got here? Ah well. There are all kinds of people in the world, and Yanase sensei compares herself to others a bit too much, I think.

The next youngest person in the office is Shibue sensei. He's the 24-year-old, baby-faced, aloof computer teacher (I'm not sure in what sense).  He doesn't speak a word of English. I don't think. Honestly, I don't know, because he's aloof. So before today, we never talked to each other since there wasn't really a reason to. But today he had a giant map on the floor in the middle of the hallway, so I made the effort to ask in Japanese what it was. I didn't undertand anything he said other than 'Nishihara map'. Then half an hour later, when I had nothing to do, I asked if I could help him with preparing student folders. I literally learned how to say 'May I help you?' in Japanese 5 minutes earlier. I carefully wielded my new-found phrase, to the delight and applause of the teachers who had helped me learn it, the confusion (at the applause) and surprise (at the Japanese) of Shibue sensei, and the enjoyment of the rest of the office. Then I put stickers in folders. It was a good day. Maybe now I'll go for a run, since the weather's nice.