Endings and Beginnings: The Spring 2009 Version

The school-year has finished at S.I.T.  Final tests have been taken and last minute projects completed.  All the kids are now on Spring Break (which, on a block schedule, is like finishing for the summer vacation), taking with them a new status of being another grade older in their high school careers.

March brings with it a huge changing frenzy for high schools all over Japan.  Middle schoolers have to take crazy entrance exams to get into the high school that they want, an event not much unlike our SATs and ACTs that high schoolers back in the States take to determine which colleges they are eligible for.  In Japan, one does not go to the high school predetermined by his or her school district, but instead takes the coveted high school(s)'s entrance exam in hopes of making it in, resulting in many students boarding a few hours or more from their families and hometowns in order to be closer to their high school.

The posting day of the results are ceremonious within themselves.  Big-eyed middle-schoolers, parents, grandparents, and even homeroom teachers flock to the high schools to see who made it in, often with resulting hugs, tears, phone calls, and photos in front of the results and with friends!  Our high school posting day looked like this at exactly 10am, when results were put up in the window:

Another March event, or events I should say, are the mounds of farewell parties for teachers and administration leaving the schools.  A few teachers leave because of retirement (mandatory at age 60), but many of them get re-assigned to other schools and districts by the Board of Education in a shifting-ritual which I think is cruel and unfair (especially when you've allowed yourself to grow close to some of them)!  

My first farewell party was that of all the English teachers at S.I.T.  I absolutely adore everyone in this group as they are the people that I, naturally, speak and interact with the most on a day-to-day basis.  I've neglected posting many photos of the people I work with, but feel that they are all such an important part of my life here in Japan that leaving them out just wouldn't give a complete story up on this blog (however, to keep any of them from showing up on internet searches and the like, all names have been withheld or changed):

The biggest and second party promoting the dreaded goodbyes was the one with ALL of the teachers at school...yes, there are more than 100 of us, so it's usually quite the party!  I love these parties because I usually am sitting next to someone who I don't normally talk to and who doesn't speak English, therefore forcing Japanese-language practice AND (many times) newfound friendships!

Finally, one of the most bittersweet farewell parties, was that of our all girl's group, The Secret Society of the Mystic Cherry Blossom (which you can read more about here).  Due to retirement and reassignment, we are losing three prominent members (and fun friends) of our fabulous group!  One being Prez (pic below).  If you can believe it, she is at RETIREMENT age!!!  Yes, this woman is SIXTY:

Prez started the SSMCB 12 years ago when there were a lot fewer women working at S.I.T. (the ratio isn't much better...out of 100+ teachers, around only 17 of us are women)!  She is beautiful both inside and out (60!?!?  Really!?!) and really advocates for the importance of having a group of strong, fun women within the male-dominated profession of teaching (such a change from back home)!  Without her, this group would not exist.  Without her, I hope it continues to be just as amazing.

The last change of March is the total revamping of our teacher's office and shifting of teachers to new desk locations and teams.  Before all of that can happen, all of our desks have to be cleared off, our belongings stored in various other rooms, and ALL of the chairs and desks (like I said, 100+ of them) moved out of the office for cleaning.  It basically went from this...

To this...

That's our fabulous Kyoto Sensei (vice-principal) for ya...always working, desk be damned!  We did, however, hook him up with a temporary setting:

So this should be my schpel where I cleaverly put a twist on the "Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end" bit.  Instead, here's hoping for some amazing new beginnings to balance out these pesky old endings a bit.