Woman, you insult me

Friday, February 2, 2007

I don't feel like writing everything again so I'm going to post a bunch of emails from the day of the event. As things progress through the day, so do my emails:

Thursday morning

I'm pissed. Like, really pissed. First off, today was supposed to be a good day. There are three things that I am looking forward to today and I'm still looking forward to them. HOWEVER, there are a few things that have really irked me in the past three days, this one being the icing on the cake, and I'm about to tell someone off! I just don't know who.

Keep in mind however that this really is culture shock talking. I'm not sad. I'm angry. Little things are throwing me off the deep end.

I've been waiting for my pen pal letters from Largo high school. They came in yesterday when I wasn't here. I got to my desk and made an unintentional but audible sigh and the teacher next to me asked what was wrong. I told her I was waiting for my letters because I need them today but I don't see them and now I don't know what I'm going to do. She told me that the other English teacher had them. Great! I sprinted over to his desk to find the envelope opened. Fantastic. Thanks for the privacy. I sat down at my desk and mumble to myself that there are 18 students but only 11 letters. I told the president to make hand written copies so it didn't look like I had made duplicates. The teacher next to me says "oh, well just make copies like this." and pulls out her copies of my letters.... I just about spit on her. What the hell is she doing with copies of MY LETTERS!!!! What the hell does she think she's going to do!?!? More pen pals with my Largo students!!! I'm already making duplicates of the damn things! How many pen pals does she think the Largo kids want!!! I mean, they're not very long or even written well! She couldn't possibly want them for translations with her students!

GAH that woman pisses me off!

A very angry,
Nina

A few hours later

The thing is that my name wasn't on it. It had Deborahs name up at the top and no person in the main address. They knew I was waiting for the letters though and that still doesn't give them the right to copy them. I was probably over reacting about opening the letters, but it's not the first time that things have been addressed to me and have been opened. At least before they were opened with good intentions such as trying to translate before I got it but usually it was already in English anyway. But none of that mattered. This matters!!

I'm having a hard time not showing that I'm pissed.

-Nina (still angry)

Next email

I finally got up the nerve to nonchalantly ask the teacher next to me what she plans to do with the letters she made a copy of. She told me that she wants to give them out to her classes and have them write letters back. She also told me that another teacher (whom I also do not like very much) wants to do the same thing and would I please inform her of when I plan to send these letters back to America.

a string of curses is floating around in my mind. You know, the Japanese students aren't going to get replies!! Talk about overwhelming!

-Nina

And finally at the end of the day:

I've just finished the pen pal lesson with my students and there's just no way that I can stay super angry. Yes, I'm still upset and I will never think that what those teachers did was ok but at the same time, I'm not taking it out on the students. The club will enjoy reading all the interesting letters and I know that no one expects those 11 students to reply to....120 some students. God, it is really going to be that many? Well, yes if I do my class (18 students) and the other two teachers do their other two classes with each class being about 25 students. That's ridiculous. Maybe they can pass the letters out to the school as a whole and see who wants a pen pal...I'll ask Deborah to make an announcement.

Anyway, the students are actually really responding well to this activity. Some students are more interested than others but giving them a chance to use English for their own personal interest/gain is something they seem to enjoy. I'll probably do this every year. Hope I can make it bigger though...I need more students on the Largo end!

Anyway....In all reality I know that the other teachers saw that my idea was so wonderful and they couldn't have done it without me. I couldn't offer to do it with their class because I didn't have that ability though they didn't either but that didn't seem to stop them (jerks). Whatever the deal, they have always wanted to do pen pals but just couldn't for reasons unknown....whatever.

-Nina

And there you have it. My totally crap day. The students love the letters. They really respond well to the idea but I'm so angry about the whole thing that I almost want to burn the whole lesson just to spite that woman! Literally burn!!!!

So, my more objective solution is to ask Deborah to ask more people for pen pals. Yes, as far as I know right now (lord knows something else is going to change soon) there will be about 120 letters. Most of those students won't want to continue but some of them will. I'd say out of 120, about 20 or 30 will really want to continue. And then I have my English club to think about too!!! but I think I'll do a website with them instead....

but I digress. That's my story.



ps - to all my teacher friends, know anyone that wants to have a Japanese high school pen pal?!