swivel
@enbeeteaching.bsky.social
life as an inexperienced school teacher in japan
I affectionately but secretly call two of my former students who graduated “tits” (as you call those tiny birds), and I once talked about the name I gave them to a young colleague, and today was the date that the students happened to visit me at school.
June 13, 2025 at 10:21 AM
I affectionately but secretly call two of my former students who graduated “tits” (as you call those tiny birds), and I once talked about the name I gave them to a young colleague, and today was the date that the students happened to visit me at school.
Before showing “Hairspray Live!” in class, I distributed an article on Juneteenth, showed the library scene from “Hidden Figures,” and explained the students a brief history on segregation in the 1960s US. But I guess they haven’t figured out how they are connected to each other yet.
June 13, 2025 at 9:55 AM
Before showing “Hairspray Live!” in class, I distributed an article on Juneteenth, showed the library scene from “Hidden Figures,” and explained the students a brief history on segregation in the 1960s US. But I guess they haven’t figured out how they are connected to each other yet.
In Cebu. Over the last five days I’ve read 3-4 books about the Philippines and people from/in the country in Japanese. I wish I could share some of the insights with students, who are taking English lessons with Filipina/o teachers.
Turned out that the destination is the Philippines, specifically Cebu island, famous for a inexpensive short-term option for Japanese EFL students to study abroad. My knowledge of the place is mainly as occupied by the empire and there was a JP military-affiliated sex slavery facility tho.
Because of the weak yen, the international exchange program to send students to somewhere in the south was too costly so that it was called off and they’ve now changed the destination to somewhere in Asia in March. I might be going to be the teacher in charge to take the students out. Could be fun.
March 22, 2025 at 2:40 PM
In Cebu. Over the last five days I’ve read 3-4 books about the Philippines and people from/in the country in Japanese. I wish I could share some of the insights with students, who are taking English lessons with Filipina/o teachers.
There is a part time guy at work, who is supposed to help us with computer stuff, and he likes bragging about his EFL ability. So he sometimes comes to me (an EFL teacher) with an uninteresting news article just to try to convince me that he‘s good at reading English.
February 25, 2025 at 8:22 PM
There is a part time guy at work, who is supposed to help us with computer stuff, and he likes bragging about his EFL ability. So he sometimes comes to me (an EFL teacher) with an uninteresting news article just to try to convince me that he‘s good at reading English.
On Valentine’s day, it’s a custom for fellow female teachers to distribute chocolates to male colleagues. And I feel pressured to give such gifts though I don’t.
February 15, 2025 at 7:40 AM
On Valentine’s day, it’s a custom for fellow female teachers to distribute chocolates to male colleagues. And I feel pressured to give such gifts though I don’t.
Turned out that the destination is the Philippines, specifically Cebu island, famous for a inexpensive short-term option for Japanese EFL students to study abroad. My knowledge of the place is mainly as occupied by the empire and there was a JP military-affiliated sex slavery facility tho.
Because of the weak yen, the international exchange program to send students to somewhere in the south was too costly so that it was called off and they’ve now changed the destination to somewhere in Asia in March. I might be going to be the teacher in charge to take the students out. Could be fun.
December 7, 2024 at 3:02 PM
Turned out that the destination is the Philippines, specifically Cebu island, famous for a inexpensive short-term option for Japanese EFL students to study abroad. My knowledge of the place is mainly as occupied by the empire and there was a JP military-affiliated sex slavery facility tho.
When I called in, the head teacher was a bit surprised to hear me saying that I was about to take a day off. He sounded like, “isn’t it an hour off or something shorter?” because I usually take a last minute break as only for a fragment of the work day.
November 25, 2024 at 3:24 PM
When I called in, the head teacher was a bit surprised to hear me saying that I was about to take a day off. He sounded like, “isn’t it an hour off or something shorter?” because I usually take a last minute break as only for a fragment of the work day.
Opening this account for the first time in several months, I guess I should write on here more often.
November 14, 2024 at 12:54 PM
Opening this account for the first time in several months, I guess I should write on here more often.
Because of the weak yen, the international exchange program to send students to somewhere in the south was too costly so that it was called off and they’ve now changed the destination to somewhere in Asia in March. I might be going to be the teacher in charge to take the students out. Could be fun.
November 14, 2024 at 12:53 PM
Because of the weak yen, the international exchange program to send students to somewhere in the south was too costly so that it was called off and they’ve now changed the destination to somewhere in Asia in March. I might be going to be the teacher in charge to take the students out. Could be fun.
Bluesky now has over 10 million users, and I was #838,152!
September 17, 2024 at 8:22 PM
Bluesky now has over 10 million users, and I was #838,152!
This is the final week, which means I made several sets of exams and am now going to grade them. It’s always hectic to be a school teacher here but it’s even worse during the grading period. I am forced to learn how bad I’m at teaching.
September 6, 2024 at 7:06 PM
This is the final week, which means I made several sets of exams and am now going to grade them. It’s always hectic to be a school teacher here but it’s even worse during the grading period. I am forced to learn how bad I’m at teaching.
A colleague regularly wears the so-called national flags of Japan and the US as if they were hair accessories when they teach students. They don’t care about the imperialist legacies and symbolism. Scared in this authoritarian settings that I can’t even talk about it yet.
May 31, 2024 at 9:59 PM
A colleague regularly wears the so-called national flags of Japan and the US as if they were hair accessories when they teach students. They don’t care about the imperialist legacies and symbolism. Scared in this authoritarian settings that I can’t even talk about it yet.
There’s the student who needs extra attention to focus on class activities, so I call their name as necessary to show my caring. And I didn’t find it particularly bothersome but it seems like having them engage in anything was unusual until now.
April 21, 2024 at 5:39 AM
There’s the student who needs extra attention to focus on class activities, so I call their name as necessary to show my caring. And I didn’t find it particularly bothersome but it seems like having them engage in anything was unusual until now.
While the university I graduated changed their hosing service from Gmail to Microsoft, it seems like I’ve lost all of my undergraduate writings except one of the thesis that I once submitted to the graduate admission. Umm. 🤨
March 10, 2024 at 5:15 PM
While the university I graduated changed their hosing service from Gmail to Microsoft, it seems like I’ve lost all of my undergraduate writings except one of the thesis that I once submitted to the graduate admission. Umm. 🤨
A colleague told me that she liked students in this school because they were “well disciplined.” I found the students explicitly authoritarian, nationalistic, and xenophobic. So I actually agreed with her that they were disciplined indeed as if they had been in the military. And I hate that.
March 2, 2024 at 8:06 PM
A colleague told me that she liked students in this school because they were “well disciplined.” I found the students explicitly authoritarian, nationalistic, and xenophobic. So I actually agreed with her that they were disciplined indeed as if they had been in the military. And I hate that.
I want to be a friend to this colleague who appears gay to me while passing as a straight man. The thing is I probably look cishet to him so that I don’t know how I could figure this out without disclosing myself too much in the workplace. I’m really hoping him being gay. Otherwise I’m so alone.
March 2, 2024 at 7:39 PM
I want to be a friend to this colleague who appears gay to me while passing as a straight man. The thing is I probably look cishet to him so that I don’t know how I could figure this out without disclosing myself too much in the workplace. I’m really hoping him being gay. Otherwise I’m so alone.
There was the commencement ceremony. So my colleague who is the homeroom teacher prepared flowers for the whole class, a pink bouquet for a girl a blue one for a boy, and I was asked to had them one by one. In return, students gave me flowers all in pink.
March 1, 2024 at 2:25 PM
There was the commencement ceremony. So my colleague who is the homeroom teacher prepared flowers for the whole class, a pink bouquet for a girl a blue one for a boy, and I was asked to had them one by one. In return, students gave me flowers all in pink.
For the first time in three years since I became a teacher in a Japanese school, I’m going to attend a full scale commencement after the covid. So once again they’ll force school staff to sing the anthem and pay the tribute to the national flag both of which are the symbols of the Imperial Japan.
February 26, 2024 at 1:36 PM
For the first time in three years since I became a teacher in a Japanese school, I’m going to attend a full scale commencement after the covid. So once again they’ll force school staff to sing the anthem and pay the tribute to the national flag both of which are the symbols of the Imperial Japan.
Wrote & submitted an article on issues about using automated analysis while teaching English as a foreign language (in Japanese). Discussed that platform companies of educational apps lack their accountability over “grading students’ work” without presenting the steps of algorithmic evaluation.
February 19, 2024 at 2:41 PM
Wrote & submitted an article on issues about using automated analysis while teaching English as a foreign language (in Japanese). Discussed that platform companies of educational apps lack their accountability over “grading students’ work” without presenting the steps of algorithmic evaluation.
Was an athletic meet, though more like a military exercise that I detest. Nice weather but a bit cold.
October 7, 2023 at 4:24 AM
Was an athletic meet, though more like a military exercise that I detest. Nice weather but a bit cold.
I wrote a play for the drama club of which I was one of their advisers last year, and I have visited them practicing it several times. Today I went to a hall where they rented as they had planned to show it for the first time, though the show was canceled because too many members got covid in the
September 30, 2023 at 9:30 AM
I wrote a play for the drama club of which I was one of their advisers last year, and I have visited them practicing it several times. Today I went to a hall where they rented as they had planned to show it for the first time, though the show was canceled because too many members got covid in the
I talked about differences between “Black,” “African-American,” etc. and their historical contexts in a class the other day, but realized that my knowledge lacked whole details that I should have mentioned. I really need to review the history and everything.
September 29, 2023 at 10:45 PM
I talked about differences between “Black,” “African-American,” etc. and their historical contexts in a class the other day, but realized that my knowledge lacked whole details that I should have mentioned. I really need to review the history and everything.
Besides regular classes, tutoring a student for their early entrance exam, whose difficulty is beyond their current capacity. The particular program offers multiple options to those who want to apply and this one is the most difficult in terms of the content of examination though majority of
September 29, 2023 at 9:55 PM
Besides regular classes, tutoring a student for their early entrance exam, whose difficulty is beyond their current capacity. The particular program offers multiple options to those who want to apply and this one is the most difficult in terms of the content of examination though majority of
I despise competitive debates for ESL, but I’m being assigned to supervise Japanese students for such an activity, though I’m taking a distance from the duty as a colleague is willing to take that responsibility by themself. Talked with that coworker the other day that when we teach students what
September 28, 2023 at 6:06 PM
I despise competitive debates for ESL, but I’m being assigned to supervise Japanese students for such an activity, though I’m taking a distance from the duty as a colleague is willing to take that responsibility by themself. Talked with that coworker the other day that when we teach students what
Students are not allowed to have their hair dyed in light brown or bleached while having it dyed black is ok. And one student was forced to have their hair dyed black because the color was perceived as “too light“ for other teachers, which looked totally fine to me.
September 28, 2023 at 2:38 AM
Students are not allowed to have their hair dyed in light brown or bleached while having it dyed black is ok. And one student was forced to have their hair dyed black because the color was perceived as “too light“ for other teachers, which looked totally fine to me.