quick update on the situation at work. . .

kagamino junior high school, the large school in tosayamada, wanted me to work there next year as the main/only ALT, but. . .

1) that would mean teaching only junior high school. . . since i am still bitter about losing my preschool kids, there is no way i am about to give up my elementary kids as well. . . they are so adorable!

2) that would also mean that i would never even begin to know my students. . . the junior high has well over 400 students. . . i already have trouble remembering my students’ names in my small schools. . . at a large school, i couldn’t even remember all their faces!

3) finally, my (now former) JTE (japanese teacher of english) asked me to push the board of education to let me stay in kahoku to help train in the new JTE. . . side story: my JTE had been at kahoku junior high for five years, which meant that her time had come to transfer. . . teachers in japan rotate schools every five years on average (which i think is why they find it so easy to continuously change the ALT positions as well). . . anyway. . .

i apparently got what i wanted, which was to stay at my schools in kahoku (elementary and junior high school) and to gain two smaller schools in odochi (again elementary and junior high school). . .now i just hope the other two alts are satisfied with their new positions. . .

also relating to changes at work. . . tsuyoshi was transferred again this year. . . he will now be an elementary school teacher at a teeny-tiny school (18 students grades 1-6) in the middle of the mountains near the dam he likes to fish at. . . the picture is actually of him fishing on his lunch break in a suit (don't worry, the students are still on spring break). . . should be a much more peaceful year for him!