Usually, when I ride onto School B’s campus, the students and teachers are in the school yard doing their morning calisthenics. Today, nobody was in the school yard and all the teachers were in the staff room. There was a 20-minute meeting. I usually hide out in the English room if there’s going to be a meeting, but this one was unannounced, so I was trapped. All I understood was that something important was happening on Monday because kocho-sensei (the principal) said getsuyobi in every other sentence. When it finally ended, I went to my classroom to set things up and get ready for my morning classes.
Nakada-sensei, the fourth grade teacher came by trying to say something. He blinked and started and stopped several times, trying to find the perfect words to convey his message. I waited patiently. “Is there a special schedule?” I finally asked. “Yes!” He said, relieved. All of today’s English classes were cancelled except for his. Okay. “In Japan…all school in Japan…from next week…are…yasumi…” He started blinking and stuttering again. He has these long eyelashes that most women would envy. “Because of the Wuhan virus?” I asked. “Yes! And maybe the next week and the next-next week.” Okay. “Yoroshiku onegaishimasu,” he bowed and left.
My mind started racing. The school year ends in March. There are only three weeks left. It’s unlikely that they’ll close schools and re-open them so close to spring break. That means that I won’t be working or making money for the month of March. I should go on a trip! Hokkaido? Okinawa? Taiwan? Thailand? But should I be spending money if none will be coming in? I need to start packing and getting ready to return to the U.S.
The first two periods were spent cleaning out my desk. Then I taught, the fourth graders. The next period, I started working on the spring bulletin board. Next, lunch with the fifth graders. Then back to the English room. The nine third graders assigned to clean it were already there making a ruckus. Getting them to half-way clean the room is like wrangling ferrets. Fifth period Haruki, a sixth grader presented me with a letter she’d written in English. I was so touched! I remembered her saying that English was her favorite subject, but I didn’t think much of it, so I was caught totally by surprise by this gesture. Such a sweet surprise. She’s one of the girls who often wears a mask, so I don’t even know what she really looks like.
Arai-sensei is always leaving his teaching materials in my room, so I gathered up everything he’d left in the last couple months and took it to him. Then back to the staff room to work on the bulletin board. Kocho-sensei had just returned from a meeting at the Board of Education, I could see another meeting getting started, so I went to work in my room. By the time I returned to the staffroom to make photocopies, the meeting had ended.
I got a call on the school phone. It was my company saying that, as of 03/03, all grade 7-12 schools would be closed. Elementary students must stay home if there is a parent or grandparent at home. Those whose parents work, can go to school, rather than stay home alone (most women quit the workforce when they get pregnant, so I don’t anticipate having too many of those). Instead of going to each of my elementary schools once per week, I was to go three days to one and two days to the other. So this morning I thought I would have no work because of the COVID-19 and now it turns out I have more work. It’s a blessing. Now I can pay my Japanese taxes without hardship, make a contribution to my Roth IRA and, possibly, save up enough to replace my ageing laptop.
February 29, 2020
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