Comparing Schools

In the spring, it's fairly likely that I'll be transferred out of at least one of my schools. If I were given a say in which school I'd like to trade, I'm really not sure which I would pick. It seems like it should be an obvious choice; TJHS is a small school with good students, and YJHS is a large school with a less than stellar reputation. But it isn't that clear to me.

At YJHS, the classes are large and very inattentive. Some of the first year classes are louder than anything I could've ever imagined. At North Junior High, even the worst students didn't shout over the top of the teacher. The third years are quieter, but they also don't seem to give a damn about much. Many of the students read novels during class, or put their heads on their desks and sleep. What's really frustrating are the ones who talk and distract the few students who might want to learn. From what I remember hearing from the other ALTs, it's not one of the better schools in Kochi. Of course, it's definitely not the worst. At the worst school in the city, the principal has to take a daily count of how many windows and doors have been broken.

TJHS stands in stark contrast to YJHS. It's a very small school; there are 22 students in all. A good number of the students are quite bright, and all of them are good-natured. Even the more disruptive ones are never really a problem. At this school, I can actually tell the students apart, and I know some of their names. Eventually I should be able to learn all of them, even seeing them for only 1 hour per week.

The thing that complicates any comparison of the schools is the teachers. At TJHS, there is one English teacher, and she's a bit frustrating to work with at times. She gives me vague instructions but has a specific result in mind, so I usually have to redo most of the materials I make for class. Though her English is fairly good, we have some trouble communicating. One of her instructions to me today: "Please second." I still don't know what she meant by that. If I could only understand more Japanese, life at this school would be a lot easier. I'd understand my instructions much better, and I could talk to other people in the staff room. There are two other teachers who speak a little English, and sometimes they talk with me briefly. I'm pretty sure Y-sensei told me one of them is a little crazy and could go off at any time, though. Reassuring.

At YJHS, I work with three English teachers. Two of them are fairly close to me in age. They each have different teaching styles and manage the classroom with varying levels of effectiveness. While I'm not very involved in planning lessons or activities at this school, it's much easier to understand instructions from these teachers. All of them are quite pleasant, and one of them is genuinely friendly to me. She speaks to me every time I'm there, even if I won't be in her class that day. The art teacher is also very welcoming, and we've had a lot of conversations.

All in all, I'm not sure which school I like better. I don't like the prospect of changing schools because I'm not likely to end up in a better situation than what I've got now. I think that if I went to another junior high, I would probably see that the annoyances I deal with now are quite minor. I'm hoping I'll learn to appreciate my schools more as I continue to get used to my job.