It had rained in the early morning, so the roads were still wet when I left the apartment. As I rode the fifteen minutes to the junior high school, I prayed that I would be in and out quickly. I’d timed my arrival for when my antagonistic co-teachers, Shibuya and Kojima, would be in class administering tests.
I greeted the handful of people (three teachers and the vice-principal) who were in the staffroom at the time. No response. Okay… I went to my desk, took my personal items and put them in my backpack. Just as I was going to write thank you notes to the two staff members who had shown me kindness, the secretary came to tell me I had a phone call. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the principal and vice-principal watching from the front of the room.
It was Ochiai-san, the owner of the dispatch company I’m employed through. She said that the vice-principal had called her asking why I was at school. I knew that warthog wasn’t going to let me leave without any drama. “You know why I’m here. Yesterday I told you that I’d come to pick up my things.” She said something I didn’t understand. “I’m leaving in a few minutes, so there’s nothing to worry about,” I said annoyed. I was trying to leave before the period ended and here they were wasting my time. “I will tell them you’re leaving in a few minutes,” she said and we hung up. I finished writing the cards and went to deliver them to Takeda-sensei, the school counselor. She was kind to me from the first day.
I told her that I would no longer be working at the school, and that I wanted to say thank you for her kindness to me. When she asked why, I told her that Shibuya and Kojima were bullying me, and working there had become unbearable. I now understood why the teacher before me had quit after only three months. She murmured sympathetically and opened up her arms and hugged me. A real hug, too! I was utterly astonished. I bowed and said “Osewa ni nari mashita,” which loosely translates to “Thanks for the care you gave me.” She bowed back even lower. I asked her to deliver the card I’d written to Ishikawa-sensei, the other person on staff who had shown me kindness. She agreed. The bell rang. We bowed again, I ran off, gathered my things and went to the principal’s office.
The principal had not actively antagonized me like the co-teachers and vice-principal, but he was aware of what had been going on and just stood by allowing it to continue. A real leader should have squashed all the nonsense so we could get on with the business of teaching and learning. But he did not do that. Nevertheless, so as not to make my company look bad, instead of walking out without a word, I went to formally say goodbye.
I bowed and said “Osewa ni nari mashita. I recognize your lack of leadership.” He stood from his desk, thanked me and shook my hand. He asked where I was going, to which I responded “Home.” He nodded. I exited his office through the hall door so as not to go back into the staffroom because there is absolutely no way I was going to go through the same charade with that hateful vice-principal.
I put on my outdoor shoes, hopped on my bicycle and rode off. Fewer clouds were out. The sun shone on the barren rice fields that surround the school. I rode home feeling much lighter.
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Background information: Goaded by the co-teachers, the vice-principal had been making complaints to my dispatch company and to the Board of Education about me since Day One. The BOE was aware that there was a problem from before I ever arrived because my two predecessors had quit (three teachers in less than 12 months). They will not, however, do anything about it (classic Japanese avoidance of confrontation at all costs).
The BOE had gotten tired of receiving constant complaints about every petty little non-issue, so the head of the department in charge of foreign teachers suggested that I do one of two things. A) Apologize to the co-teachers and unquestioningly do everything single thing they say, no matter what, until the end of the school year in March, or B) Stop working at the junior high school and only teach at my elementary schools (my pay would reflect the reduced schedule).
Being a Westerner, Option A was out of the question for me. Believe it or not, most Japanese people in my situation would go for Option A…and not just for a few months, indefinitely. This, to a certain extent, explains some societal problems in Japan like binge drinking, mental health issues and high suicide rates. At any rate, I chose the latter option. My physical and mental wellbeing are much too important, to put up with such abuse. Besides, I live simply and have no debt, and therefore won’t go hungry if I switch to part-time. Also, my company offered me a position in a nearby town starting in April if I choose to stay.
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*alternate title: Sayonara, Bitches!
January 15, 2020
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