Reflections

Had a start seeing how long it had been since my last post - apologies to my remaining readers (hi Mum!) So...

We're winding down to the winter holidays at school. The Halloween party we had with the students was a great success, so there's great expectations for the Christmas version we're having this Thursday. Looking forward to it. Other than that, reflecting a little on almost 9 months in the job: as I'd suspected back in March, not an easy position, but in different ways to how I'd expected: I'd imagined, with massive naivety, that a class of teenage girls would be a relative pushover given that this is a private school, it's Tokyo and the English level's higher than in my previous jobs. Totally wrong:　discipline and class enthusiasm have been by far the biggest challenges here to date. Problem classes have, by and large, remained problem classes although the worst events of the year (near-mutiny in one class, written criticism in the yearbook after another, stealing of teaching materials) haven't been repeated recently. Before this starts sounding too negative, most classes aren't problem classes and with the vast majority of students there's no particular problem. Slowly, I'm starting to remember something of what it was like to be their age and to realise what a massive gulf there is between then and me now - their assessment of anyone over 25 as a million years old makes sense in this context... All part of the learning process.

A couple of year-end parties coming up: they call them 'Forget-the-year parties', although that's in the sense of forgetting the bad parts, and that's what I'll do my best to do. Really, any complaints are minor, because it's been a great year: getting a job in Tokyo from Iwate when many said it was nigh-impossible, moving into a nice apartment a stone's throw from the new school, living in Tokyo (!, still), having supportive colleagues and a majority of nice students, and of course first and foremost claiming a wonderful girlfriend from a two-year-old memory. 2011 was an extraordinary year, but with the shadow of a tragedy looming large over it; 2012 has been equally so, but with the dark exchanged for light. I hope everyone's 2013 proves as joyous as 2012 was for me. In the meantime, a very merry Christmas to you all and best wishes for a relaxed and well-earned holiday. Take care, Adam.