Spring has finally come

Spring has finally come to Tanabe, the cherry blossoms will open soon and the new year will begin. Unlike the US, Japan has a trimester system beginning in April. We are in the final week of the winter semester, teachers and students alike are anxiously finishing up work for this year, and preparing for the next. Offices as well seem to follow the same schedule, all though the New Year begins in January, the instituional new year seems to fall at the end of March. It is a stressful and uncertain time for both students and employees.

Students, particuarlly those graduating from middle school or high school must focus very hard to study for entrance exams. Far more important than their grades, the entrance exams will determine the high schools and colleges they attend. Even after graduation, the students are exhausted, and justifably so. The prestige of the school they attend will be of the utmost importance in finding a job when they finish school. These entrance exams will way heavily on their future.

It is a stressfull time for teachers and other government employees as well. Not only are they rushing to complete work by the April deadline, they must also prepare themselves for a new job the following year. Any public school teacher could be switched to any school in the district. As employees of the city, rather than the school itself, they are not rooted at one school, and a change every few years is inevitable. Come April they could start from scratch at any school, but the real kicker, is that they will not know until March 21st. Some of my teachers are quite certain they will be switched after spending a few years at one school, and I have already had to say good bye to one of my favorite teachers. Government employees as well must prepare to change jobs, even sections. They might even have to learn a whole new job.


Goodbye flowers and a card from my 9th grade students after their graduation. The ceremony itself wa pretty boring, LOTS of bowing, and I was not especially close to any of the students at this school. But it is was nice of them to include me!