Turn that frown upside-down: A graduation afterthought

A 15-year-old boy made me cry last Friday morning.

It was our graduation ceremony at Nichu for the 3年生. Every March, junior high school students across Japan graduate on the same day. Like all things in Japan, this year’s ceremony strictly adhered to the same format that I saw last year. The procession started at precisely 10 a.m. The kids got their diplomas one-by-one, involving continuous bowing. (If you'd like to learn more about the norms of graduation ceremonies in Japan, check out my old blog post here.)

During one part of the ceremony, all of the younger students sing a special song to say farewell to their senpai. This year, the first- and second-years sang something like “Taisetsu na mono.” In return, the third-year students face the audience and sing a song to convey their gratitude to all teachers, parents and kohais. NHK, Japan’s national public broadcaster, chose a popular pop song called “YELL.” (It is performed by Ikimonogari. You can view it here.)

The grads were in the midst of performing their good-bye song, singing it beautifully as they usually do. Nichu is a pretty small school, and most of these kids have grown up together since nursery school. So, I was expecting more tears, because this would be the last song the kids would be singing together.

It was Ejiri-kun, one of the baseball boys, who lost it. I watched him as he wiped away the tears streaming down his face with his blazer’s sleeve. This was the outgoing class clown of the group. The one who left me a good-bye message saying, “English is very fan!! I love you!” (Spelling errors included!) He’s one of the boys who I’ve let it slide when he drops the “-sensei” honorific, and just yells “GEMMA!!!!!” when he greets me in the hallways. He’s always just bursting with energy, that I’ve teased him by calling him “crazy!”

Seeing this kid cry, my eyes welled up with tears. Moreover, I remembered a story I heard only two or three days before. At one of my visit schools, one of the teachers said she had taught my graduating students when they were wee six-year-olds in the first grade. She told me funny stories about their youth: K.-kun had a big head (he still does); Taka-kun was a cutieface (he still is!); and Te-chan was a good boy with a naughty streak (he still is!)

What was Ejiri-kun’s story? He cried every day at school. (Growing up, I was a sensitive kid. That is, I think I cried a lot at school.) So, I was touched when Ejiri-kun was so emotional at this year’s graduation. Moreover, I looked over at his mother sitting in the audience; and she was also dabbing the tears away from her face.

I saw Ejiri-kun once again. Although the kids have graduated, they are still dropping by the staffroom to say thanks to the teachers and announce where they’ve been accepted. Since they’ve technically completed their time at Nichu, they are allowed to wear their uniforms but don’t wear their yellow shoes.

Good ol' crazy Ejiri-kun, who often bears a mischievous grin on his face, was wearing a pair of cute slippers emblazoned with Rilakkuma, an adorable cartoon bear.

While he made me shed a tear last week, he made me laugh today.