Recently, my San nen sei (3rd year) students graduated from Junior high school. In Japan the school year actually begins at the start of April, so therefore the end of the school year is the end of March. The kids have about 2 weeks off for their spring vacation, which is chocked with homework and then its back to school. They do however have a long summer vacation in August.
Experiencing the lead up to and then the actual graduation was an interesting process in itself. All Junior High Schools around Ashikaga and I suspect around Japan were having their graduations on the same day. So I had heard varying degrees of how different schools were preparing for their graduation. Here's how my school prepared.
My final classes for the 3rd year students occurred about a week before the graduation. As it was my final classes with them, the students presented myself and the English teacher with some parents. Others ALT's had reported receiving flowers, little notes or nothing from many of their classes. My 3-1 class gave me a letter that was written by one of the girls in the class. Incidentally, it was one of the bad girls, who would never pay attention in class, constantly talk or look at herself in a mirror. Anyway, she started off my writing the letter to me with Dear Tung, however she quickly forgot the purpose of writing it to me and rather writing a letter about me, saying that she enjoyed my classes, sometimes seeing me at the local supermarket and how cool I looked initially. At least it was in English right!
My 3-2 class, who were my best class and seemed to be genuinely interested in learning English, put together a little story for me that they had hand made. It was the story of Momotarou, they drew the pictures themselves and included the story in hiragana, which I can read.
Here's the cover of Momotarou. I have no idea what the story is about but it seems to be about a small naked boy stuck in a giant peach and old people and a demon???
A little bit of their handy work. Pretty cool present I think and nice personal touch from them.
The week leading to graduation was full of rehearsals, mostly for the 3rd year students. The graduation was being conducted in the gym so they had to practice coming in and then going out of the gym properly. They had to practice bowing in unison, anyone that was slightly out ... forced everyone else to do it again and again til they got it right. They had to practice walking a pre-determined course to collect their graduation certificates and bow to the right people. They had to practice saying "Hai" in a loud voice when hearing their name called. They had to practice accepting their certificates with first their left hand, then followed by their right hand, bow ... turn to the left and then step off with the right foot first. They had to practice singing the national anthem, school anthem and another song. Just watching all of this left me exhausted.
While watching, I thought back to when I graduated high school as we don't have junior high school in Australia, and for the life of me could not remember graduation at all. All I could remember was that we did not have to go through endless practices of bowing and strict procedures of accepting our certificates. I could only remember my Uni graduation and even then we did not have rehearsals for anything. Just walk up the stage when you are called, try not to trip and fall, collect your certificate and then walk off.
The Tuesday afternoon before graduation, the 1st and 2nd graders put together games and a final performance for the 3rd graders to participate and enjoy. Games included a food tasting game, Shiritori (where they make up new words with a letter they choose), blindfolded drawing game and then some singing and dancing. It was yet another interesting cultural experience that I enjoyed and thought very different to our schools at home.
Finally, the day came, March 7th 2008. We were greeted to a day of bright sunshine and not a crowdy day as it had previously been. I was dressed by best in my suit and tie, one of the few occasions that I would be wearing a suit at school. The gym was set-up a week in advance, flowers were delivered. The school was spotlessly clean due to the copious amounts of cleaning that the students were doing the previous day.
This is the setup in the gym for Ichu's school graduation. Some other schools had their students collecting their certificates from the stage. My school took a unique approach and could do it this way because we had a smaller number of students. Our student, walked on the red carpet around to the middle table to collect their certificates.
The Japanese flag on the left, Ashikaga flag on the right and Ichu's flag on the stand.
Some of the flowers on display.
Flowers down the rows
Final preparation for the 1st and 2nd graders.
The graduation was scheduled to begin at 10am. So before that, all the 1st and 2nd graders were in the gym and sitting, the parents then came in followed by all the dignitaries including government officials, members of the board of education and parents teachers association members.
As 10am ticked by, the entrance music began and in came firstly, 3-1 class followed by 3-2 class.
3-1 class entered
Then 3-2 class enters. Their Homeroom teacher, Miss Kobayashi, dressed in a Kimono. Many mothers also dressed in Kimonos.
As the graduating class got to their seats, so began the first of many bows for the day. This first bow was done according to a key on the piano. Clang, bow down, clang, come up ... and yes they even practised this during the week. This was followed by the singing of the National Anthem, which sounds pretty grim if you've ever heard it. Then the collecting of the certificates began.
3-1 class were first, remember first the left hand, then the right hand, bow, fold the certificate in half, turn to the left and step off the right foot first! I forgot to tell you previously but the way students look at school is taken very seriously. There can be no colouring in their hair, no gel, wax, mousse or hair products of any sorts and no make-up. If there is evidence of this, students are marched into the teachers room, any hair products or make-up is washed off. Coloured hair can be spray painted black and in serious situations, their hair can even be cut. So basically, students can sleep in class and be animals, but they can't have hair wax! Go figure!
This was the school captain accepting his graduation certificate. He was later to make a departing speech to his school, teachers and classmates where he became very emotional and touched his classmates and some of the audience.
An example of the bowing after accepting their certificate
After collecting their certificates, they placed them in a tray which would be given to the last person when they left.
While watching the students collect their certificates, a feeling came over me that only parents and teachers could have in regards to these students. It was a feeling of proudness and hope. Proud of the fact that I played a small part in shaping the futures of some of these kids, and I mean only a small part as I had only known them for about 6 months. The teachers must have felt 10 fold what I was feeling as in Japan, teachers basically take on the surrogate parent role to these students. The students spend so much time at school, that they get involved in their lives during school and sometimes out of school, kicking them out of video arcades on occasions. Also hope, that they may do sometime meaningful and something fulfilling in their futures and lives. I don't know if I will experience these feeling again until I actually become a parent.
After the certificates were all given out, the singing of the school anthem was belted out. Then some crazy long speeches from some important people. More bowing, more speeches and we finally came to the end. The 3rd graders had one final song to sing. At this point many of the students were crying after the school captains speech and the realisation that their Junior high school days were at an end and that they would be separated from some of their friends that they had known for 3 years or more.
Their final song to the audience.
After their song, the music was queued for the 3rd graders to leave the gym for the final time. With tears streaming down their faces, the students followed their homeroom teachers around the red carpet and then out the door. As the sound of clapping slowly dissipates, the graduation ceremony comes to an end.
The third 3rd graders disappeared into their classrooms for one final goodbye to their homeroom teachers.
3-2 class posing for last photos
3-1 class and me
All the 1st and 2nd graders and teachers then made two lines and farewelled the graduating class for the final time.
3-2 class lead by their homeroom teacher
Some final pictures with my boys. I really will miss some of them.
Myself and Kobayashi sensei. Incidentally, she is also the English elective class.
After the students left, the 1st and 2nd graders could also go home but were due back at school at about 3.30 to practice their club activities ... those poor kids. The teachers had a special lunch for the day. We all sat in the Principal's office and enjoyed our meals, reflecting back on the days events.
Reflecting myself on the day, even though there seemed to be a great deal of effort and fuss put into graduation, I thought that it is at least an occasion that many of these students will never forget. I mean, I couldn't even remember what happened on my high school graduation. This was especially evident when my teacher asked me whether graduation was the same in Australia. I had to tell her that I couldn't remember as it was a long time ago. Her response was, why not, as she could even remember her graduation, and she is in her 40's. Just goes to show that our graduations aren't very special or I just have a bad memory. Anyway, I have remembered my graduation dinner for PEGS but still can't remember how I got my certificate ... hmmm
The formalities didn't end there though. On the following Monday night I was to have an Enkai (party) with some of the 3rd year parents and the teachers. It was all very formal, and set up at the classiest hotel in Ashikaga (The New Miyako Hotel). Dinner was great and lots of Japanese that I didn't understand. We had an impromptu quiz and even a game of junken (hammers, scissors, paper). At certain points in the night, parents would walk around and speak with all the teachers and filling up their drinks. Many of them tried to talk to me. Even at the insistence that I only knew very little Japanese, they still forged ahead with speaking Japanese to me. The 3rd year teachers were given special attention with many thank-you's thrown at them. This dinner lasted about 2 hours, but was followed by an after party which I was dragged to. It was another long 2hrs at the after party of hardly understanding anything. Oh well, at least the food and booze was free.
The flowers I received from the graduation dinner.
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