Nishi Chu Graduation

Oh, break my heart.

I just endured my second (and last!) Japanese Junior High School graduation. Graduation in Japan is so different from what we are used to in America. The fact that a Junior High Schoool Graduation even exists is a big difference. In Japan, education is compulsory through Junior High School. Most students do go on to High School, but for those who don't, having that Junior High School Diploma is a must. This is an important ceremony and it's taken very seriously. The entire student body start practicing 2 weeks in advance. There's a series of songs and speeches but minus all the excitement, fanfare and airhorns (!) of American graduations. The ceremony is very formal and eerily quiet. It's held in the school hall and what surprised me most is that out of 170 kids, perhaps about a quarter of their parents attend. The hall is mainly filled with students, teachers and big wigs from the Board of Education.


Anyway, I chose to go to Nishi Chu's ceremony again this year (even though my base school is Higashi Chu this time around), because simply put, I like the students there so much better. This class of 3 nen seis has come so far since I met them 18 months ago. As 2 nen seis they were crazy; I had the worst classes with them - which, to be fair, was probably a combination of their puberty and my shaky legs as a new teacher. I dreaded their classes.

As time rolled on, however, we warmed up to each other. To the point where hearing them scream simple things like "Good Morning!" to me from the 3rd floor window every Monday and Tuesday could shake away all my early morning/new-week grouchiness. I got to know so many of them on a personal level through our classes together, and simple interactions during free time. This was a very tight-knit class - teachers, boys and girls alike had tears streaming down their faces for like an hour after the ceremony. I couldn't believe it!

Here, I'm going to do a little photo montage of some of my favorites from this class... more for my benefit than anyone else's, but yeah:

Miho and Asuka. These two girls would sit on the floor behind my desk whenever they had free time to chat. They'd tell me little secrets (like when they had a sleepover - this is against school rules!) and whisper fervently "SECRETO, SECRETO!!"

These three boys, Yuuki (he's crying!), Sho and Kazuma made an effort to compliment me every day using whatever hilarious English they could come up with. Some of my favorites were: Beautiful face; Beautiful body; Will you marry me?; I can never love another woman, etc etc. If they weren't so damn cute, it could be considered sexual harassment, ha.

These boys (Kazuki, Kenta, Naito and Hiroshi) were in the 3-1 class. I taught this class the most by far because the woman who teaches this class, Suzuki sensei, is pregnant and needed some downtime. That, and the kids in that class supposedly loved me and got angry with her when I wasn't there.

This is Ayumi, my English star. Her English is fantastic and she and her sister, Kana gave me homemade donuts on Valentine's Day. How can you not love her?

Chika and Haruka. Always interested in my love life and my weekends and nearly had heart attacks when they spotted me with Aaron in the supermarket one day.

The boy on the left is Ryohei. He was a captain of the baseball team and brilliant at English. If I were 15, I would love him.

The third year class president. This boy has to be the most perfect 15 year old on earth. He gave a moving speech at graduation (even I, with my horrible Nihongo could tell) that had everyone, including himself, in tears. His little brother is a second grader at one of my elementary schools and before he left today, he asked me to take care of his brother. Oh!



Leaving school for the last time, 　おめでとう！　さようなら！


And now I'm off to drink with the teachers...