One of my middle school students, with no provocation, announced so much to me and the rest of the class just a few minutes ago. I was totally unready to be suddenly reduced to a hate object, and it cut deep.

It seemed like everybody could see how naked I felt, and the mood of the class turned somber. The co-teacher would not send the problem student out of the class, and instead told him to apologize. The kid offered a rude, meaningless apology, and still shaken I asked the co-teacher to take over for a while.

Here in Nagoya, not everybody is like this kid, of course. Still, don't believe demagogues like Khatzumoto (or whatever his real name is), when they prevaricate and say Japan is just culturally insensitive. There's plenty of racism in Japan and it can hurt.

He is just a little kid. Still in middle school. Things like that still happen in the US in schools towards foreign teachers. Sure they would get sent straight to the principal here or detention but same thing. Sometimes they say it to be funny, sometimes they really are ignorant or racist.

I have had much worse happen to me, mostly involving the finger and up the butt game they like to play. (i hate that stuff). But then again, they are kids. You are an adult.

By having your co teacher take over for a while you showed the kid you let it get to you. What I would have done is brought the kid to the front of the class and have him be teachers helper. After he made that comment I would have been like ''what did you say? You want to help? Great! Come on down!"

So don't let that stuff get to you. Just like in America we have some uneducated in the deep south who are flat out still racists against blacks, they still have their racists. Except theirs usually don't burn flags at rallys at wear white cloaks. In other words, completely harmless, like the rest of Japan, and one of the things I like soo much about the country. Now back to sleep to try and normalize my sleep schedule.

Yup, I got my fair share of it too... best advice is to ignore it. Don't try to make an example out of them, as you're just the Assistant teacher...it'll cause more problems with your school than it's worth, really. Just let that stuff slide off.

I think I grew some pretty thick callouses... my first year here in Japan, I spent a lot of time in one of the few bars my tiny town (10,000 people fishing town) had.. mostly just frequented by fisherman and mikan farmers. You get a LOT of racist stuff said to you by drunk fisherman. At the same time, a lot of them are crazy fun...

I believe he might be the main teacher. If you work in an elementary school you are assistant, but middle schools and junior highs they usually make you main English teacher. The Japanese "co-teacher" is your assistant.

My school loved me and I was a pretty big bastard to kids that acted up (I never yelled at them but more fun demeaning stuff). I had a kid that was out of control. He would jump on my back in class, echo everything i said out loud trying to make fun of me. He was basically the class clown that I was when I used to be in junior high.

So I had him take his desk and bring it to the front of the class. he was facing the whole class for basically the whole time. I would have him help me with stuff and when class was over no one could leave until he wiped the board down completely.

Its basically like alpha male stuff with these guys. Pack mentality. The first time they try and challenge your authority you have to come down on them hard, or else they view you as the weak one of the pack. But once you bark back hard, and they cower in their little corner, they know whats up and never challenge your authority again.

So OP, are you a small guy? If so it makes it all the more important to come down hard when they mess around.

I am a big scary looking dude and I still had problems, so they do it to anyone.

Btw, before you start throwing around all this hard discipline stuff make sure your school is cool with it. See how other teachers deal with problem students. But I think it should be fine. I was super respected by the students at my school because I didn't take shit from anyone.

Heh. I've calmed down now. Thanks everyone for the encouragement.

I think the alpha student in a given class sets the tone more than the teachers do. Usually, that's the noisiest, worst behaved student. So if one is able to foster a productive attitude in that student or at least get him/her not to be a nuisance, it will make for a much more productive class.

The school I'm working for has one of the worst academic reputations in Nagoya, so sometimes teaching is more like babysitting than anything else--it's all we can do just to keep students in their seats. If not for for the wholehearted personal dedication of the senseis at my school, I think it would be total chaos. So, I'm not there to crack the whip. Instead, the aim is to stop kids from disrupting class, whereby students who really like to study English aren't too distracted to learn what we're trying to teach.

Here in Nagoya public schools, it's like the high schools, where I am the "AET" and the sensei has the authority. Otherwise I would've sent the kid out to sit in the hall for a while. Hate-speech is not something I tolerate well.

jacf29 Wrote:He is just a little kid. Still in middle school. Things like that still happen in the US in schools towards foreign teachers. Sure they would get sent straight to the principal here or detention but same thing. Sometimes they say it to be funny, sometimes they really are ignorant or racist.

I have had much worse happen to me, mostly involving the finger and up the butt game they like to play. (i hate that stuff). But then again, they are kids. You are an adult.

By having your co teacher take over for a while you showed the kid you let it get to you. What I would have done is brought the kid to the front of the class and have him be teachers helper. After he made that comment I would have been like ''what did you say? You want to help? Great! Come on down!"

So don't let that stuff get to you. Just like in America we have some uneducated in the deep south who are flat out still racists against blacks, they still have their racists. Except theirs usually don't burn flags at rallys at wear white cloaks. In other words, completely harmless, like the rest of Japan, and one of the things I like soo much about the country. Now back to sleep to try and normalize my sleep schedule.

I fail to see how racism in Japan is 'completely harmless.' This was just a kid, but his opinion is obviously part of a bigger problem. It seems you were an English teacher in Japan, so I'm guessing you're middle class and you say you're from America. In other words, although you may have encountered verbal racism and not been allowed entry into two or three establishments, you've never actually experienced racism in Japan that was actually detrimental to your life in a real way.

Well, the bad news is that for lots of people in Japan in different situations it DOES effect their life in a real way. Consider any of the major minority groups in Japan, such as Zainichi Koreans. There's undoubtedly discrimination in housing, employment, and marriage. Not to mention various other mistreatment such as the suppression of ethnic schools, or the general opinion of Zainichi Koreans as "nothing but trouble."

There's certainly a ton of racism in America (I'm an American myself), but just because it manifests itself in less eye-catching ways (without the white hoods), doesn't mean that it's not there. There's certainly enough racism in Japan that many Asians from different backgrounds who've lived in Japan for a very long time hide their foreign identity with Japanese names. When something like that is happening, how exactly would racism be as visual as it is in America?

Whew, okay, main rant over. I hope I don't sound like one of those people who lives in Japan and bitches about it constantly. I love Japan. Racism is a problem in Japan, but it's just like in many other places. Racism in Japan doesn't mean I hate Japan, nor does it mean that it's not a problem that should be dealt with. After all, it still has to be dealt with in America.

As for the kid, note that a teacher will never throw a kid out of the classroom for any reason. It's just not a form of discipline in Japan, so don't feel like your co-teacher wasn't taking it seriously.

I'm not sure what to say about your reaction, but it might have been a good thing. Of course the kid isn't gonna act like it in class, but one day when he's not such a little shit he might realize (partly thanks to you being visually shaken), that he really did something bad. It's hard to tell what's best to do in that type of situation.

At any rate, I hope class goes better from now on, and I wish you the best.

Tzadeck Wrote:As for the kid, note that a teacher will never throw a kid out of the classroom for any reason. It's just not a form of discipline in Japan, so don't feel like your co-teacher wasn't taking it seriously.

In my year of teaching I've had it happen once- a teacher sent a kid to sit seiza in the hallway for reasons unknown to me. He also makes the kids sit seiza if they forget their homework. Guess which teacher's students almost always have their homework done?

He does give them a chance to sit back in their seat throughout class- like by answering questions or playing rock-paper-scissors with him. He's pretty different than any of my other teachers though- way cooler and laid back, but he always is the one that has to deal with the "trouble class." Every year he gets the most difficult class as his homeroom, because he's one of the few people who can deal with it.

Ahh I see. In that case damn that sucks. Can't do much as the assistant teacher. There are just parts of the job that sucks like that. Don't let it bother you.

I have never been denied entrance to an establishment before. If they do that there is legal recourse you can take.

Yeah if you are Asian living in Japan particulary Korean, you are going to have a hard time with some real harsh racism. But as an American I fail to see how there is a serious issue of racism rather than the result of being an island nation for such a long time thus viewing outsiders in a different way than land locked countries.

Please tell me how you experienced real racism in Japan (I assume you are a white american). black americans take a lot of shit from what i hear.

Oh btw let me add that I was in a fraternity for a year. Although I hated it, that may have something to do with why I have such a hard shell.

vrtgo,

That must have been hard to take. Good on you for not freaking out.

However, I don't think that is racism. It is not racist to dislike foreigners and in this case I assume he means foreigners from English speaking countries. There are certain characteristics that foreigners in Japan have and it's hard to say someone is not being fair if they happen to not like these characteristics.

Of course, if he is saying he dislikes foreigners just for the fact that they are foreigners then sure it is racism. But I think more likely, he is saying the common characteristics he sees in foreigners he dislikes, but this doesn't implicitly apply to everyone not from Japan.

Now saying it to you is pretty horrible and no doubt done to impress his friends or goad you. I wouldn't be surprised if it is a lie. However, this doesn't change his right to his preferences if it is in fact true. My advice is just allow him to have his preferences as it will probably result in the least stress for you and for the class.

/my 2c

I've been called racially charged stuff by teenagers before (not in the context of an English class, but in my work as a public librarian). What it really means, most of the time, is "I'm frustrated with you and therefore I'll try to hurt your feelings," or "I think it would be hilarious to make you mad," or something else that has far less to do with any underlying hatred than with the kid's own wanting to manipulate the situation in some way. This is not to minimize at all what you're feeling, because it really does feel devastating, and the times that it's happened I've had to cry it out a little bit. But I think--if, instead of being foreign, you had a visible disability or something else that made you different, he probably would've focused in on that instead.

I am also at a school that may be very similar to yours. In my city it is in the poorest neighborhood, and has a history of fights, violence, and kids with a hard life.

I really feel for the kids that are really trying and probably also like your school that is 90 percent of the students. The other 10 percent as much as they make me upset I always remember that there is probably a reason they feel the need to act out so much and that is I think they have a crappy life outside of school. I have students who are the victims of violence, 1st year girls who are already sexually active, and kids who live in homes and don't know if Mom or Dad is even coming home.

It really sucks but two things always kinda keep my anger in check. One, the students who say that don't really know me. If they did they wouldn't say that cuz I am a pretty cool guy, and get along with nearly every student and all the teachers. And two I always remember how lucky I am, and how unlucky that kid is. I got to go to college, I got this pretty rad job that pays great with really good benefits and is easy, and when I go home that day I will feel secure. I am not so sure that this kid will even go to high school, may have to work backbreaking 13 hour day construction jobs, and who knows how his personal life will ever turn out. I think about that and wonder "who is really losing here? I know it's not me."

thermal Wrote:It is not racist to dislike foreigners

LOLWHUT?

Anyway you're right to say he did it to impress his friends, and that it was a lie or exagerration.

Fillanzea Wrote:What it really means, most of the time, is "I'm frustrated with you and therefore I'll try to hurt your feelings," or "I think it would be hilarious to make you mad," or something else that has far less to do with any underlying hatred than with the kid's own wanting to manipulate the situation in some way.

This.

skinnyneo Wrote:I got this pretty rad job that pays great with really good benefits

Man, you must've found a way better deal than the Nagoya AET/ALT people! Nagoya's BoE has cut the budget severely, reducing ALT contracts to 8 months/year. So if we want to renew contracts for another school-year, it means we'll be unemployed from February to May. Suxx. We're forever on a shoestring just barely scraping by.

Anyway, skinnyneo, we share the same attitude towards our students. It does sound like we have very similar schools. These students have lives, and many of them have grave things happening in their lives. So if we was up in their faces all the time saying "BE GENKI!" it wouldn't help too much. It'd just be insulting, really. The job is pretty rad (despite the meager pay). It gives you zillions of chances to offer kindness to people who might need a little, and you get to act as Ambassador of the Great Scary World Outside.

As for not sending the kid out of the room, the teachers are not allowed to do that -- the constitutional right to an education has been interpreted in Japan to mean that teachers may not send the students out of the room during class.

vrtgo Wrote:

thermal Wrote:It is not racist to dislike foreigners

LOLWHUT?

"Xenophobia", linked to but not synonymous with "racism".

~J

Racism is prejudice towards a people. That person is a foreigner so they must be X, Y and Z. All foreigners are X, Y and Z. You can't trust any foreigner.

I experienced it in Japan twice I feel.

1. I went to a capsule hotel in Tokyo after a long day of walking around. The staff said in Japanese "Piiyuuuuu! He stinks" and the other one said "well he is a foreigner after all". All foreigners stink.

2. I had dinner with a friend and her boss. At the end my boss called her over to him and whispered in her ear. She then came to me and said "he will pay, but you have to thank him". Foreigners are ungrateful.

1 more so than 2, but you can see the prejudice. It isn't racist to have preferences that run against certain cultures/races. There is a race in my home town of Melbourne that I have had almost nothing but bad experiences with them. I feel their culture's values are almost the opposite of what I value as a person. I won't hold it against someone or treat them badly, and I work with one and live with one, both who I like. However, I know that on the whole I get on less well with them than other races in my city.

I also generally dislike (English speaking) foreigners in Japan. There are many people who just want to ***** many Japanese people. Nothing wrong with this as long as they don't lead people on, but I personally don't like such people.

Racism is making blanket statements or holding blanket beliefs about a group of people. It is not racist to recognise when one's own preferences run against the majority of a group of people.

And the guy asking him to thank him for paying? I would have just peeled off a 10,000 yen note and said, "I'm a big boy. I can pay for my own meals." I hate being patronized. I'd rather walk home than owe someone like that a favor.

jacf29 Wrote:So I had him take his desk and bring it to the front of the class. he was facing the whole class for basically the whole time. I would have him help me with stuff and when class was over no one could leave until he wiped the board down completely.

This is brilliant! He'd feel so exposed sitting out the front there like that! I believe this method should be used more often =)

Quote:

skinnyneo Wrote:I got this pretty rad job that pays great with really good benefits

Quote:Man, you must've found a way better deal than the Nagoya AET/ALT people! Nagoya's BoE has cut the budget severely, reducing ALT contracts to 8 months/year. So if we want to renew contracts for another school-year, it means we'll be unemployed from February to May. Suxx. We're forever on a shoestring just barely scraping by.

Anyway, skinnyneo, we share the same attitude towards our students. It does sound like we have very similar schools. These students have lives, and many of them have grave things happening in their lives. So if we was up in their faces all the time saying "BE GENKI!" it wouldn't help too much. It'd just be insulting, really. The job is pretty rad (despite the meager pay). It gives you zillions of chances to offer kindness to people who might need a little, and you get to act as Ambassador of the Great Scary World Outside.

Wow! Really? That really sucks man. I am on JET so maybe that is the difference. I will assume that you are privately hired, or contracted via a company? I recently read an article called "The McJob of Asia." It talked about how JET is on the way out because of the costs, the inability to replace a teacher if they leave, etc. and how all the private companies are supposed to be filling the gap and should be doing a better Job than JET (kinda the whole the private sector should be able to do things more efficiently than government). According to the author however they are actually ruining it and to a large extent the ALT image in Japan. I wont go too far into it but by reducing pay, cutting bene's, and basically making the ALT's here feel like they are not secure, respected, and cared for they have a high turn over. But the company can immediately replace the leaving teacher. This in turn can have a negative effect on the schools in that students never get to become good friends with foreigner that may help to curve the image of foreigners in Japan, and perhaps the experiences that we are all sharing in this thread. One student they talked to said they had 7 ALT's in one year. That kinda blew my mind!

I think so too. Just saying "Be Genki!" doesn't put food in their stomach, or provide them a nice safe place to study. When I imagine a situation where a kid has no support then that of his friends who also might be in the same situation, English is probably not a high priority, and neither is being proper upstanding student. I think a lot of these kids have really bad images of adults, and they really want to rebel against them for what has happened to them. In the end the only thing I/We can really do is provide for them a different image of an adult.

For me I personally always feel sorry for those kids when they say "When are you going back to America?" or "Foreigners smell bad" (ie me!). Because I know that it's not me they are talking about.

Nii87 Wrote:

jacf29 Wrote:So I had him take his desk and bring it to the front of the class. he was facing the whole class for basically the whole time. I would have him help me with stuff and when class was over no one could leave until he wiped the board down completely.

This is brilliant! He'd feel so exposed sitting out the front there like that! I believe this method should be used more often =)

My teacher did this to me in elementary school. The first day it was weird, after that I just got used to it.

@Ice Cream

MARRY ME ☆＿☆

@OP

Don't know how I'd have responded in that situation. If it ever happens again you could try hitting him with "面白い" and a smile. Then continue as if he said nothing at all. He'd probably shout it out again though. So repeat.
Or you could also try making him write a 1000-10000 word paper "in English" on the subject of racism. If you can't kick him out the classroom but you can always give him work.

Brain pollution is endemic among western foreigners who live in Japan. We have to be careful not to perpetuate it. My advice is to talk about it with your Japanese friends in Japanese instead of other foreigners as much as possible. A lot of other feelings and frustrations get bound up in something that is eventually called racism. I've met several Japanese people who wonder why foreign people dislike Japan so much but continue living there.

Be careful what you say and what you listen to about this topic.

EDIT:

Not to say we shouldn't talk about this ever, but it's a landmine of pent-up frustration waiting to happen. We can all relate to it, we all have our own ways of dealing with it. But every time we read someone else's story we put ourselves in there shoes and get ourselves all hyped up just like we lived through it. Have one "racist" thing happen to you in a day - then go and talk with other foreigners about it and listen to their experiences and you'll feel as though 10 racist things happened to you that day. The bottom line is that we relive other peoples' stories as they are retold. Because it hits so close to home, we have to be really careful not to adopt them as our own experiences. For what it's worth, I would urge everyone to exercise extreme caution regarding these topics - too easy to get bent out of shape!

Deal with it in your own life situations, on your own terms, with good will and self-confidence, and you WILL be successful and happy here - that's the god-honest truth.

Get used to it. Get used to dealing with it constructively and without getting burnt up all the time. You can do it!!

thermal Wrote:2. I had dinner with a friend and her boss. At the end my boss called her over to him and whispered in her ear. She then came to me and said "he will pay, but you have to thank him". Foreigners are ungrateful.

I would have paid for my own meal and left immediately. I will not tolerate such insulting behavior.

When I was teaching in Japan I had a few situations like this. Comments like that can make you feel small, but you have to cope with them. No matter the country kids say hurtful things without realizing the consequences of their actions. I found that paying closer attention to the kids who disrupt class, or trying to connect with them on some level helped alleviate tension.

You're upset because a middle-school student told you this?

Middle-school kids are the scum of the Earth. They don't want to study, they think they know better than anyone else, and in Japan especially, they're coddled every step of the way in school just to make sure they complete their "required" education so that even the worst of them can one day till their parents' fields and/or work in a convenience store.

This kid just figured out something that grates your gears and called you on it. He's too young to truly be consumed by any sort of racial hatred, unless his parents are dicks, perpetrating that hatred. In either case, I would just ignore it and go on with your life knowing that his opinion doesn't matter to anyone, probably not even his peers. And, if he really hates you that much, push back by bothering him in class, forcing him to do his work, helping him when he "forgets" his materials, and generally make him feel like an ass by demonstrating kindness and, in fact, enthusiasm, when he decides to lash out.

thermal Wrote:Racism is prejudice towards a people. That person is a foreigner so they must be X, Y and Z. All foreigners are X, Y and Z. You can't trust any foreigner.

"Foreigner" is not a people.

~J