Daily Frustrations

The seventh grade class is currently working on making video letters, explaining various aspects of Japanese school, which they plan to send to their sister school in California.

Right now they’re still in the writing process. They’ve each picked topics, and they have to write English sentences, which they will later memorize and say in front of the video camera.

My job is basically to go around the room and correct mistakes or answer questions.

It is really amazing what these kids would rather do than study. The more rambunctious of them are of course throwing things and wrestling with each other all through class. But even the more quiet ones would often prefer to stare off into space for 50 minutes rather than do any work.

Near the end of class, I came across a student who had just written “SEX” all over his paper in large English letters. “What is this?” I asked. He and his friends started laughing.

“You’re supposed to be working on your video letter, and all you’ve done for the past 45 minutes is write sex on your paper?” There was more laughing. “What’s your topic?” I asked.

“Basketball club.”

“There’s no sex in basketball! This has absolutely nothing to do with your topic!” And at this point they really lost it. Howling laughter. Kids slapping their desks. One boy fell out of his chair and was laughing on the ground.

Well, I guess if I can’t motivate them to learn, at least I can keep them entertained. I shrugged my shoulders and frustration and started moving on to the next group, when one of the boys showed me his English workbook. Instead of answering any of the questions, he had simply written: “Sex very good nice” in its place.

I tried to focus on constructive criticism. “First of all, once again this has nothing to do with the questions in the workbook. Secondly there are no verbs in this sentence. In English you always need a verb for every sentence. [In Japanese you can omit the verb when it’s understood.] What verb do you think should go here?”

My attempt to turn this into a “teachable moment” failed horribly as there was just more obnoxious laughter and students slapping their desks.

The Japanese homeroom teacher came over to see what the commotion was. “What’s going on here?” he asked.

The students showed him the workbook with sex written all over it, and I struggled to explain what I was doing. “Um, there weren’t any verbs in this sentence, so I was just trying to correct the…”

“Just don’t encourage them,” the Japanese teacher said to me sharply. “Go work with some other group.”

I still have enjoyable days and good classes here in Japan, but there are also days when March just can’t seem to come soon enough.

Link(s) of the Day
The Japan times had an article on the effect of Depleted Uranium Weapons in Iraq. I know I link to a lot of junk on this blog, but this article is really worth checking out.

I've touched on the issue of Depleted Uranium on this blog before, but the Japan times article has more frightening information. To quote briefly:

"Whatever the strategic benefits of DU ammunition, critics -- including many in the scientific community -- claim that particles of it released upon impact are easily inhaled by humans, either then or much later, and remain in the body for years, possibly causing cancers and many other health problems. With local Iraqis in mind in particular, Matthew said: "We're hurting innocent civilians, and we don't need to do that."
The United Nations would seem to agree.
A 2002 working paper by the UN Commission on Human Rights itemized a long list of diseases and birth defects among Gulf War veterans, Iraqis and the offspring of both -- linking them strongly to the use of DU.
The same UN working paper concluded that use of DU in warfare contravenes the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; the Charter of the United Nations itself; and, "in certain situations of armed conflict," the Genocide Convention. The working paper, if read closely, also suggests violation of the Hague and Geneva Conventions."
Most pertinent to his audience at the FCCJ: Matthew worries that radiological contamination may be afflicting Japanese troops posted to Iraq -- not to mention local Iraqis.
"I came all the way to Japan to convey the message," said Matthew, who, with his wife Janise was the guest of Tokyo-based activist group Campaign for Abolition of Depleted Uranium Japan. In other words, he believes that Japanese troops should be warned: "They may be susceptible to it."

With the other reasons for the war in Iraq rapidly evaporating, I suppose it goes without saying that if we are claiming to help the Iraqi people, Depleted Uranium weapons are not helping.

And now, onto linking to the junk
The relationships between Western men and Japanese women has probably been written about to death already. (My personal favorite is the "Charisma man" comic). But for what it's worth, the Japan Times has another article.