As teachers, we shouldn't have favourites, right?! But I do. This year, I've gotta hand it over to the second-graders. When we first met, they were tiny tots. That is, they were sixth-graders in elementary school. I was their first ALT - maybe even the first foreigner they've developed some sort of friendship.
I distinctly remember meeting Keizou-kun when he was a mere eleven-year-old, who appeared to be a mature and responsible kiddo. When a little girl got some dust on her pants during cleaning time, he carefully brushed it away with his hand. But then he got to junior high school, and he became one of the loudest and most hilarious kids ever. No longer strapped down to the notion that he had to be "mature and responsible,"he turned into a big goofball when he entered 2chu last year. I think that's fine, because kids need to be kids. They can't always be serious, right?
Anyways, K-kun is just one of the kids who I like joking around with. And it's pretty funny to see him grow up. Last year, his pencil case was decorated with the reward stickers I would hand out during class. He racked up quite a few, and always asked me to save him the Mickey stickers in jewel tones. This year, I noticed he got rid of it and now uses a tin case to store his mechanical pencils. On the inner flap, he has carefully placed a sticker of an AKB48 member.
Who's AKB48? I don't even know how to describe the group in a nutshell. You could say they are the latest Japanese teen girl pop sensation. There are 48 girls, in their teens and early twenties, who make up this super group. They sing catchy tunes with lyrics that don't make any sense. At first, I thought they were harmless. I tried singing "ポニーテールとシュシュ" with one of J's 12-year-old students at a local karaoke bar. And at my school festival, the school orchestra played "Akb48 Aitakatta" to the delight of the entire school population. The head boy even mimicked the popular music video, and strutted around in a school girl uniform.
But despite their catchy tunes, the girls are completely dressed age-inappropriately. Their image is totally slaggy (as the Brits say). I finally got around to watching their music videos, and I've realized they are terrible role models. They wear skimpy clothes, and most definitely prance around like they're older than their true ages. Yuck.
And yet, I still find myself reaching a common ground when I talk about "AKB48" with my kids. I really shouldn't encourage my students to admire this trashy group, but they're just so catchy. Kind of like my generation's love-hate relationship with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. (Dang, I feel old).
As I was saying, I teased my poor student, saying: "Hey, K-kun! Your girlfriend?" He looked at me, and then smirked. The pencil tin was firmly shut. HA!
But I think the funniest AKB48 moment happened yesterday. I was playing an ESL game of "Criss Cross," asking the students some assorted questions. I threw out the topic "AKB48." The rest of the class pressured me to make Ryota-kun answer the question. He blushed, but eventually declared in perfect English: "I think that AKB48 is... cute!" Everyone let out a loud "WOOOOOOOOOOO!"
As did I.
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