Thanx for this report on Japan. I respect and congratulate you for the strength and courage. Your kids should be proud of you. Was there in 2019 a few times and for the first time ever and tried getting back there March 20th 2020 just to get out of NY and hopefully get stuck there and not in Elmhurst, Queens, the epicenter of the epicenter of the Rona madness, right next to Corona, Queens, one of 2 NY nabes wit the highest cases (ironic).
Not sure when I can watch the vid as I am never alone as my wife is still working from home. You are and I are much closer than I realized. I refuse to wear the mask and am so under employed that homelessness is an all too real possibility. Quite the fall as the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020 had me earning the most I ever had in my life. As these are the lean months for teaching, I was expecting even greater earnings once the full schedule started back up. Indeed, my schedule was chock full of classes every week day from February. Then covid policy pulled the rug out from under me. I teach…taught at universities, so I did not need to teach masked myself or to masked students, so I thought, as we were all online. Not good but at least not a risk to health.
Then the covid related problems started, or those that existed but were made worse with covid and I too left a job in the middle of the semester. This one was a great paying gig. But I had many more. Those too would unravel. Refusal to follow mask recommendations caused hostile work environments in each place of employment that I was still working for.
Once my one remaining med school started back on campus for the 2023 school year, I was glad. Though something like normal was finally returning. Nope. Masking was required. Masking is still required, 2024/02/11. To the best of my knowledge, I have received not a single compliant in my 18 years at this school. But I have this just finished school year and it was for not wearing a mask in the classroom. It has now been 4 full years since I have seen all faces of my students. I have seen a handful this past school year, but most remained masked. Many wore masks for zoom lessons. Most had their cameras turned off for Zoom lessons. Whatever we were doing, teaching English was not it. Whatever students were doing learning was not it.
This past year back in the classroom was a disaster. Social distancing was to be observed and there were not enough classrooms for the classes in this “open order formation” for you military history buffs, for the rest, every other seat must remain vacant. My class met in a laboratory and often had to straddle various apparatus set up for use or have last minute room changes. Had more cases of absenteeism the first semester than I have in all of my previous 22 years teaching in Japan combined. Had two student out of a class of 7 fail. Never had more than one out of four classes fail in a single year and that was rare. Well, for this school it is rare. Not rare for the senmon gakko.
I think you did right to quit the asylum. But I agree it does not feel heroic, especially as the saving are exhausted.
Thanx for this report on Japan. I respect and congratulate you for the strength and courage. Your kids should be proud of you. Was there in 2019 a few times and for the first time ever and tried getting back there March 20th 2020 just to get out of NY and hopefully get stuck there and not in Elmhurst, Queens, the epicenter of the epicenter of the Rona madness, right next to Corona, Queens, one of 2 NY nabes wit the highest cases (ironic).
Not sure when I can watch the vid as I am never alone as my wife is still working from home. You are and I are much closer than I realized. I refuse to wear the mask and am so under employed that homelessness is an all too real possibility. Quite the fall as the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020 had me earning the most I ever had in my life. As these are the lean months for teaching, I was expecting even greater earnings once the full schedule started back up. Indeed, my schedule was chock full of classes every week day from February. Then covid policy pulled the rug out from under me. I teach…taught at universities, so I did not need to teach masked myself or to masked students, so I thought, as we were all online. Not good but at least not a risk to health.
Then the covid related problems started, or those that existed but were made worse with covid and I too left a job in the middle of the semester. This one was a great paying gig. But I had many more. Those too would unravel. Refusal to follow mask recommendations caused hostile work environments in each place of employment that I was still working for.
Once my one remaining med school started back on campus for the 2023 school year, I was glad. Though something like normal was finally returning. Nope. Masking was required. Masking is still required, 2024/02/11. To the best of my knowledge, I have received not a single compliant in my 18 years at this school. But I have this just finished school year and it was for not wearing a mask in the classroom. It has now been 4 full years since I have seen all faces of my students. I have seen a handful this past school year, but most remained masked. Many wore masks for zoom lessons. Most had their cameras turned off for Zoom lessons. Whatever we were doing, teaching English was not it. Whatever students were doing learning was not it.
This past year back in the classroom was a disaster. Social distancing was to be observed and there were not enough classrooms for the classes in this “open order formation” for you military history buffs, for the rest, every other seat must remain vacant. My class met in a laboratory and often had to straddle various apparatus set up for use or have last minute room changes. Had more cases of absenteeism the first semester than I have in all of my previous 22 years teaching in Japan combined. Had two student out of a class of 7 fail. Never had more than one out of four classes fail in a single year and that was rare. Well, for this school it is rare. Not rare for the senmon gakko.
I think you did right to quit the asylum. But I agree it does not feel heroic, especially as the saving are exhausted.
Heh, yep, it's far from feeling like it's heroic. I'm still waiting for my bronze bust or medal or something, lol.
Thanks for the comment, Kitsune. It's always good to learn that, as Vernon Coleman, The Old Man in a Chair, says, "You are not alone."
It sure is.