Shonan Desu Ka...

So I feel I should explain a few things about my job at Shonan. In Japan school years run from April to March, so in a couple of months there will be lots of change. As many of you know, my initial reaction to change is to fear it. Changes at Shonan in April I fear greatly.

Firstly, teachers will leave and new teachers will arrive. This process is entirely determined by "the powers that be", but teachers can request to either stay at or leave a certain school. However this doesn't guarantee anything. Additionally, Japanese teachers are very reluctant to talk about where and if they will be going in March/April. So I've had to squeeze it out of them. The bad news is that both Chisato-san (Hirota-sensei) and Ono-sensei will probably be leaving. These are my two favourite teachers, although I do really love all my fellow teachers equally, of course. A particular blow is Ono-sensei, as between us we run the English department. A new sensei could dramatically upset the symbiotic relationship we have established, and throw all my plans into disarray.

So today I proposed to Ono-sensei that instead of getting in a new Head of English, he appoint me Head of English. Sadly he said no. I have been given possibly my first significant responsibility however (luckily in Japan, so far, people don't realise the words Steve and responsibility should never be placed near to each other). I am writing this year's English Exam. As the last exam (me imitating David Beckham and South Africans, remember?) was so much fun to record I thought I'd try and get a few classics into this one too- maybe some Welsh people, some humous and an answer to "Why do you want to travel to ____ ?" that's along the lines of "To launch a pre-emptive strike against a dictatorial government".

As well as the sad departures of Ono-sensei and Chisato-san, Shonan will also be losing the servies of Kagawa-sensei, the turtle loving legend-that-is. The two other English teachers at Shonan- Manabe-sensei and Takemoto-sensei, and the one at Seishi- Sugihara-sensei, will be staying. I think. This is all unofficial, and I have been told not to talk about it. So I decided to put it on the internet. Hmmm.

As I will be staying another year, next year's "ichinensei" students will have me for the whole academic year. I'll have a whole year to mould their minds. This means that they will arrive as naive, nervy Junior High students, and finish the year strong, confident teenagers, who truly do believe Birmingham is the "City of Dreams". I feel I'm playing my role as a "cultural ambassador" well...