A huge part of Japanese work culture is turning up. There are many days here that I don't have class, but I would have to take part of my carefully hoarded vacation time should I want to go home. Appearances are everything.
There are various degrees of looking busy that you can choose to practice (or not, as the case may be) when you have nothing to do. Whether I choose to largely depends on my mood and my observations of other teachers. Usually, if I want to do any obvious slacking (such as watch a TV show, or listen to music), I'll go up to the LL room out of the way. If I'm just surfing the web I've become more inclined to stay in the staff room as the temperature drops (and God, how it's dropped). I don't know if the fact that the vast majority of sites I use are in English (and therefore indecipherable to the majority of the staff) has saved me or not, after all, it doesn't take much to recognise an instant messenger conversation or a live journal page. When the other ALT is here (meaning we are in the LL room all day) we go out for very good (long) lunches.
Some teachers don't care. I've seem many just lean back in their chair and sleep. Emphatically not in a subtle way. During the summer it was laughable, there were no students but unless we used vacation time we couldn't leave.
Don't get me wrong; I do my work, prepare for my lessons, even (God help us all) mark my exercise books when circumstances force it. I just happen to be in an ALT position that has a fair amount of downtime, this is not true of all positions. I'm just lucky enough to have a school that doesn't micro-analyse everything that I do (definitely not true of all positions!). I've been trying to decide if it's just the turning up, or if I really do have to look busy all the time (or just some of the time? for the oh so important appearances sake?).
I've been knitting at my desk for the past hour. So far the only person to mention it was the person sitting next to me who managed a mangled 'presento?' when I took it out. I wonder how long I can last?
I would if I would be able to successfully bullshit an excuse to keep doing it should anyone try?
Edit: Still nothing. I'm giving it half an hour and then pulling out my iPod to see what they do...
There are various degrees of looking busy that you can choose to practice (or not, as the case may be) when you have nothing to do. Whether I choose to largely depends on my mood and my observations of other teachers. Usually, if I want to do any obvious slacking (such as watch a TV show, or listen to music), I'll go up to the LL room out of the way. If I'm just surfing the web I've become more inclined to stay in the staff room as the temperature drops (and God, how it's dropped). I don't know if the fact that the vast majority of sites I use are in English (and therefore indecipherable to the majority of the staff) has saved me or not, after all, it doesn't take much to recognise an instant messenger conversation or a live journal page. When the other ALT is here (meaning we are in the LL room all day) we go out for very good (long) lunches.
Some teachers don't care. I've seem many just lean back in their chair and sleep. Emphatically not in a subtle way. During the summer it was laughable, there were no students but unless we used vacation time we couldn't leave.
Don't get me wrong; I do my work, prepare for my lessons, even (God help us all) mark my exercise books when circumstances force it. I just happen to be in an ALT position that has a fair amount of downtime, this is not true of all positions. I'm just lucky enough to have a school that doesn't micro-analyse everything that I do (definitely not true of all positions!). I've been trying to decide if it's just the turning up, or if I really do have to look busy all the time (or just some of the time? for the oh so important appearances sake?).
I've been knitting at my desk for the past hour. So far the only person to mention it was the person sitting next to me who managed a mangled 'presento?' when I took it out. I wonder how long I can last?
I would if I would be able to successfully bullshit an excuse to keep doing it should anyone try?
Edit: Still nothing. I'm giving it half an hour and then pulling out my iPod to see what they do...
13:32 |
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