I have 24 hours before I can jump on a train to Fukuoka and meet Fran. I have been outrageously busy with work these past couple of weeks, climaxing in a two-hour presentation given to all the English teachers in Hikari yesterday. Now that everything has suddenly stopped I am desperately trying to find ways to keep myself entertained at work, as the hours are dragging like never before.

 Yesterday’s presentation was amazingly well received, and it’s made me realise how far I have come in one year, and that within one year alone and ALT can still feel satisfied that they’ve done their job well. Having to speak at meetings like yesterday’s are very much the exception rather than the rule for most ALTs. It’s thanks to me working alongside one of the more dedicated ALTs that we had to push to get an invite, let alone a slot to speak. We originally asked for 15 minutes, and never anticipated getting two hours. After feeling initially flattered we realised we had probably gotten another teacher out of the thankless task of giving a different perfunctory two-hour performance  (last year one teacher spoke about Smartboards, at the only school in Hikari that can actually afford one).

So we weren’t sure what to expect. ALTs are the lowest of the low in the staffroom, but are the darlings of some English teachers and the bane of others’ lives. Jess was also keen for us to be relatively direct which, despite the endless tweaking and softening of critical blows that only a Brit or a Japanese would know how to temper, caused me more than a little anxiety. Yet the level of attentiveness among some of the most unexpected culprits was fantastic, and it felt like the thanks we got afterwards were sincere. We had worked damn hard on it, and it was wonderful to get such a reception in a country where neither criticism or praise are so highly sought after or received.

 We’ve dug an almighty hole, however, and I’m now especially glad to be toodle-pipping. One of the many prongs of our speech was that ALTs want to have more classes, spend more time with students and be more a part of whichever school(s) they work in. So I ended up having a very awkward lunch with Year 7 today, as we promulgated the kencho catechism of lunching with the students, even though neither Jessica nor I particularly enjoy it, and I doubt the students do much either. I have also been invited to a work’s party tonight, the invitation being impossible to refuse to a teacher I work with who has mastered the cute, hopeful and expectant look to resolve-shattering precision.  Work’s parties are….well, I don’t think I need to explain. Work’s parties around the world have a certain cringeworthiness about them. But it will kill some more time.

 My successor will have her work cut out for her if our teachers are as enthusiastic about our ideas as they seemed. It was nice to have a voice for once, and has put me in gear for more pontificating in the UK.

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