Jinji Ido: Why Japanese teachers change schools all the time

If you work in a public school, then you may have noticed that, come the end of the year, many teachers are transferred to other locations. In big schools, it is not uncommon for a good portion of the staff to pack up at the end of the school year and, if you are lucky, you might just be able to get rid of that one teacher you just can't stand.

This part of a time honored tradition known as jinji ido (人事異動), often translated as "personnel transfer." Let's take a closer look...

Japanese Textbook Characters: Part 2

Continuing last week's article, here's a look at the characters of the other three junior high English textbooks.

Total English
Art Style: The Most Generic Anime.
The ALT: Female. From Canada.

Click to enlarge!

Japanese Textbook Characters: Part 1

Next in our textbook bonanza, let's take a look at the characters appearing in the six new junior high English texts.

New Horizon
Art Style: Educational comic book.
The ALT: Female. From the US.

Click to enlarge!

Supplementing Junior High English Texts

The other week we learned about the six MEXT-approved textbooks for teaching English to junior high school students in Japan.

Ostensibly, MEXT leaves room for other textbooks that meet its curriculum guidelines. However, those six books are the official English text for 99.9% of junior high schools students in Japan, according to the annual 教科書レポート (kyokasho report, "textbook report") released by the Japanese Publishers Union.

I qualify the books as "official" texts because although every school in Japan must assign MEXT-approved texts to their pupils, some schools, especially private ones, may not actually use those books in class.

MEXT's 2011-2013 Curriculum Update

In last week's post, we mentioned MEXT's massive update to their 学習指導要領 (gakushuu shidou youryou, "curriculum guidelines"), already in place in elementary schools since April, 2011 and scheduled to roll out in junior high schools and high schools in April, 2012 and April, 2013, respectively.

These guidelines define what must be covered in textbooks, so let's take a look at the new changes before we delve into the new editions themselves. (And if you teach in Japan but don't know what these guidelines are, you probably should.) So here we go!

New Junior High School Textbooks in Japan

Heisei 17 books are so 7 years ago.

Last summer, we gave you a sneak peak at the upcoming edition of New Crown for the 2012 (平成24年度) school year. New Crown is actually only one of several texts approved by MEXT (the Monkasho) for use in junior high school classrooms in Japan.

As all major publishers update their content to stay in line with MEXT's curriculum guidelines, rolled out last April in elementary schools and scheduled to go into effect at junior highs from April, 2012, Japanese textbooks are getting major facelifts.

Today we kick off a miniseries by introducing the big players of junior high English. Here are the new editions of the six major textbooks used around the country:

Q&A: At Least ALTs Do Work in Korea

Typical 2channel ALT thread banter:

"JETs are a waste of tax money; they can even invite their spouses to live with them tax-free and then our tax money pays for medical care when the spouse gets sick...

Q&A: Are ALTs Really Necessary?

For two years an anonymous Japanese female kept meticulous blog reports of the ALT(s) living in the apartment above her. Most of them are inflammatory. But whether you think that the blogger's entries are just over-the-top rage explosions (and they are), or that the ALTs she writes about have just made poor choices of action (and they have), this blog is a prime example of the negative image ALTs and foreigners in Japan garner.

Without further ado:

Being an ALT #18: What to Keep in Your Desk

Over time teaching I've accumulated a lot of stuff in my desk. Most of it is papers, textbook samples, student grades, past exams, articles and publications about English, and Japanese learning resources. But there are a few odds and ends around me that I probably didn't expect I'd use with such regularity before I got into the job.

Here are a few of the things that maybe not everyone associates with teaching or lesson planning, but which I now find essential or which have helped me out in tight situations:

Being an ALT #17: What To Wear?

Do you need a suit? Can you wear sandals in the summer? Is it Okay to not wear a bra?

All this and more answered within.

Being an ALT #16: School Lunch

We've posted before about school lunch, several times. But to be more comprehensive we've decided to update our old entries and incorporate them into the Being an ALT series.

So, let's explore the wonders of school lunch time in Japan.

Being an ALT #15: Elementary Lesson Plan Example

One of our readers recently gave a very insightful comment about being a new JET and feeling overwhelmed by the elementary school lessons she's asked to teach as part of her position.

Elementary is definitely a different ball game from the (until recently) more common junior high school and high school ALT placements. Today we'll offer some brief opinions on what makes the elementary environment different and share an example lesson format that struggling new ALTs can try out.

Being an ALT #14: Brushing Your Teeth At School

Japanese people are in the tradition of brushing their teeth directly after meals (or at least lunch). This will happen in the workplace, too. After lunch at school, literally everyone will be at a sink brushing away; which is why they have so many long stainless steel sink areas.

Some Westerners, not being in the habit of doing this, have received less-than-polite comments from co-workers.

BUT, there is a general consensus amongst Western dentists that this practice is bad for the enamel of your teeth. Read on before making your own mind up.

Being an ALT #13: Demo Lessons

Most ALTs will be expected to perform demo classes during the year. Some will be just for in-school staff, some for the PTA, and sometimes you'll have to perform in front of a pretty large crowd of teachers from the area. Very occasionally, you'll find TV/radio crews, too.

Being An ALT #12: Is It Really This Easy?

One thing which will probably occur to you pretty quickly in this job is that not a lot is usually expected of you.

You can potentially change that, though I wouldn't guarantee it. This entry is about how you can use your free time at school.

Being an ALT #11: Getting Molested at School

If you have any experience with Japanese culture, you may well have come across kancho, which is just one example of the level of personal invasion which is widely practiced by school children (and many adults).

This week we'll talk about the top 3 ways you are likely to be sexually harassed by students in class.

Being an ALT #10: More School Hopping

In the last installment of our Being an ALT series, we discussed how some ALT jobs cover more than one school and how hopping between schools can affect your experience as a teacher in Japan. This time we'll continue that discussion and look particularly at how an ALT's time is split between multiple schools and the ways that can increase or decrease your workload.

Being an ALT #9: Hopping Between Schools

In some ALT positions, you will teach at not just one school, but instead rotate through a set of assigned schools. This is especially common among junior high school and elementary school ALTs, but even high school ALTs may find themselves covering a few small, rural high schools or trucking out to a special needs school once every couple weeks.

This game of musical workplaces can be good or bad, depending on your preferences. Over our next two Being an ALT posts, we'll discuss some of the pros and cons of this arrangement. First, we'll look at some of the interpersonal impacts of having more schools to visit, and next time we'll consider scheduling issues it might provoke. If you're considering a move to a multi-school job, we hope these posts will provide you some food for thought.

Being an ALT #8: Making Activites

Although some ALTs get by without making any, I am always asked to make worksheets, games and activities.

Sometimes it's a real headache coming up with original ideas, and although we covered some places you can find TEFL worksheets in part 4 you will sometimes find yourself totally on your own.

Remember these tips for those times.

Being an ALT #7: Physical Resources

This week we'll cover some of the objects you can use in your lessons.

The 100 yen store is your friend for this one, but some things are also best bought in bulk from the internet.

Read on.