Rookies

I saw two kids faint and two kids turn pale in the school gymnasium last week. (It took a team of four teachers to delicately carry one kid out of the gym!) Sadly, I’m getting used to this scene in our school’s dilapidated gym. I mean, our walls are paper thin, barely shielding us from the April chill. Moreover, the students had to sit rigidly in their wooden seats -- face forward, knees locked at a 90-degree angle, with the boys forming tight fists with their hands. They sat there for more than an hour, listening to city officials and other ViPs congratulate kids for making it into the 7th-grade.

Oh, to be back in school! The new academic term in Japan starts in April for all junior highs. Sometimes, I can’t believe that I’m watching my second round of opening exercises…

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The little ones came to school on a Tuesday, dressed in their brand-new uniforms and yellow running shoes. It was the first day of school for junior high school students across Japan. At my base school, the incoming first-year kiddos happen to be the recent elementary schools graduates from my two visit schools! So, I’ve helped teach these kids English since they were in Grade 5.

The senior students congregated in the gym early this morning, practicing the loudness of their singing and applause. They were also briefly introduced to the three new staff at our school – the new principal, school nurse and English teacher. After they were excused from the gym, the incoming first-years were soon invited inside to the gym.

At the morning practice, the homeroom teachers coached the rookies on how to properly march into the gym two-by-two. Next, the kids had to learn how to properly take their seats. (The homeroom teacher stands at the front, and gives them a deep bow. Only then can those students sit down. They didn’t get it at first). Also, a bunch of kids kept bowing when they first entered the gym. In Japanese, the adults explained: “Only the teachers bow then! OK?! Only the teachers!”

Their fumbles made me smile. Soon, they’ll get the hang of it. Their footing will follow a certain rhythm. Their spacing will be just right. Their bowing will be bodacious. The girls will learn to wear knee-high white socks, not just ankle length ones. I give it a couple more weeks. Then, they’ll be experts.