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Usually “good byes” take place in March as students graduate and teachers get shuffled around by the board of education. This week though, in the past few days, we’ve been saying “good bye” to students and an ALT who have in the past year, touched our hearts.
Yesterday my 2nd year students had a farewell party for the four students who will be heading off to foreign countries within the next month. Members of the class prepared a PowerPoint with pictures from their last year and a half together and personal notes to each student. There was a lot of tears. As excited as everyone is about them America, Italy and France to be exchange students for a year, everyone is really sad to see them go. Not only were they were four of the best students in the class they were fun to have around. I hope that I can see them when they return to Japan, meaning that I better stay on the JET Program at least three years total. That wouldn’t be such a bad thing though.
I’m very impressed with these students and their determination. To live and study abroad as a high school student for a whole year seems difficult, but despite any tears or fears of the unknown they’re going for it. I wish I would have conveyed better to them that this experience will change their lives. They will learn so much. They will grow so much. I’m truly happy for them and wish them the best.
I was also impressed by serveral aspects of this farewell party. First of all, how even though this was a student led event it still proceeded in a sort of predictable Japanese style. There were a lot of speeches, including speeches from us ALTs (that we didn’t know about in advance!), small gifts, a lot of bowing and a certain order for everything to take place. What was more impressive though was the bonds these students made with each other over their past year and a half together as a class. In America I didn’t have a homeroom class in high school, and even if high schools had homeroom classes, the students wouldn’t have had to take nearly all their classes together. This homeroom, because they are with each other all day create really strong bonds as a group that you’d never see or experience in America. I did notice while students were milling around and eating snacks that there were separate smaller groups of students in different parts of the room. Sometimes it’s easy to look at a class as a whole and say, “Wow, everyone’s so close to each other.” In reality, Japan’s like America. Some friendships are stronger than others, someone’s always on the outside looking in.
Tonight there’s an English teacher farewell party for the other ALT who will be leaving in less than a week now. We both came to our high school at the same time through the JET Program and it’ll be sad and a little strange to work here without him.
There were many “good byes,” but we can look forward to saying “hello” to the new ALT, as well as a new exchange student from France.
