Friday, June 30, 2006
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Shougakkou! The musical
Step aside, singing cats, cussing puppets, bohemian drug users, and knights of the round table: there's a new show in town, and it's premiering at my school. It features over one thousand Japanese children bursting into song and dance, all for the viewing pleasure of...middle-aged men in suits. School observation season is upon us, and with it comes all sorts of creative attempts to project a positive image of our school. One year ago, I found the efforts somewhat pointless and irritating; this year, I find myself caring about whether my desk is clean and my suit properly buttoned just as much the other teachers. But there is one thing I hope I will always find funny, and that is the literal "song-and-dance" routine we bring out when important people visit our school.
Now, this isn't just any routine. It's a fun routine...it's set to a jazzy mix of Japanese and English music, and it involves lots of turning around, clapping, and even a few elbow-to-knee touches. In my sister's words, it's basically a glorified Jazzercise routine (she got to witness it when she came to school with me). But we practice it with the intensity of boot camp training, the head PE teacher looking out over the masses and making us start over if he sees some kids who aren't in proper form (YOU try and get several hundred first graders to all connect their right elbows with their left knees, and then switch, while keeping time with the music...needless to say, we get in lots of practice). We usually do it several times a week, throughout the month of May, in preparation for our sports festival. Regular practice makes for a good workout, we do our thing at the festival, and then we shelve the dance until next year's sports festival. Or so I thought.
Cut to an "important people" visit sometime last fall. We have cleaned hallways, put out flower arrangements, and brought out the special teacups in preparation; as a school, we are putting our best foot forward in all of the usual ways. And then I notice that it's morning recess time, and the students and teachers are lining up outside, and someone is testing a microphone. None of the usual dodgeball or jump rope business. Suddenly, the speakers pop, squeal, and I hear... the sports festival dance music, which I hadn't heard in a good 6 months. I hurry outside, not knowing what's going on but being pretty sure that I'm supposed to be a part of it (now that I think about it, that's probably a succint summary of what it means to be an AET). Teachers, students, administrators, the nurses and sick kids in the nurse's room (yes, even the nurses and sick kids, it was hilarious)...all are dancing as if this is something we do every day during morning recess. I look up at the principal's room, assuming that on the other side of the window, the honored guests are gazing down and thinking "now here's a school that has it figured out. The school that dances together stays together."
At least I hope that's what they were thinking. I recently experienced another episode of sudden and dramatic dancing, but this time it took place in English class--with a class of fifth graders who are usually too cool or too hesistant to fully embrace the gestures that go with the perky English songs. This time, however, a newspaper reporter was watching class as part of an article she was writing on English education in elementary schools. As the music came on, I was stunned to see the students debut a whole new set of really creative choreography. They sang, they danced, they smiled...it was one heck of a performance, and I was proud of them. They conveyed that they loved and enjoyed English. Apparently, though, their performance didn't win over the reporter; I hear that her article was not exactly complimentary about English education in elementary schools (that's another blog post for another time). Oh well, you can't please all the critics. The next time some important folks come through to check on our school, I'm pretty sure we'll all be busting out our best jazz hands.
Now, this isn't just any routine. It's a fun routine...it's set to a jazzy mix of Japanese and English music, and it involves lots of turning around, clapping, and even a few elbow-to-knee touches. In my sister's words, it's basically a glorified Jazzercise routine (she got to witness it when she came to school with me). But we practice it with the intensity of boot camp training, the head PE teacher looking out over the masses and making us start over if he sees some kids who aren't in proper form (YOU try and get several hundred first graders to all connect their right elbows with their left knees, and then switch, while keeping time with the music...needless to say, we get in lots of practice). We usually do it several times a week, throughout the month of May, in preparation for our sports festival. Regular practice makes for a good workout, we do our thing at the festival, and then we shelve the dance until next year's sports festival. Or so I thought.
Cut to an "important people" visit sometime last fall. We have cleaned hallways, put out flower arrangements, and brought out the special teacups in preparation; as a school, we are putting our best foot forward in all of the usual ways. And then I notice that it's morning recess time, and the students and teachers are lining up outside, and someone is testing a microphone. None of the usual dodgeball or jump rope business. Suddenly, the speakers pop, squeal, and I hear... the sports festival dance music, which I hadn't heard in a good 6 months. I hurry outside, not knowing what's going on but being pretty sure that I'm supposed to be a part of it (now that I think about it, that's probably a succint summary of what it means to be an AET). Teachers, students, administrators, the nurses and sick kids in the nurse's room (yes, even the nurses and sick kids, it was hilarious)...all are dancing as if this is something we do every day during morning recess. I look up at the principal's room, assuming that on the other side of the window, the honored guests are gazing down and thinking "now here's a school that has it figured out. The school that dances together stays together."
At least I hope that's what they were thinking. I recently experienced another episode of sudden and dramatic dancing, but this time it took place in English class--with a class of fifth graders who are usually too cool or too hesistant to fully embrace the gestures that go with the perky English songs. This time, however, a newspaper reporter was watching class as part of an article she was writing on English education in elementary schools. As the music came on, I was stunned to see the students debut a whole new set of really creative choreography. They sang, they danced, they smiled...it was one heck of a performance, and I was proud of them. They conveyed that they loved and enjoyed English. Apparently, though, their performance didn't win over the reporter; I hear that her article was not exactly complimentary about English education in elementary schools (that's another blog post for another time). Oh well, you can't please all the critics. The next time some important folks come through to check on our school, I'm pretty sure we'll all be busting out our best jazz hands.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)