Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Straight from the Front Lines

Less than an hour ago I was at it again. I'm unstoppable/incorrigible. I can't put up with the bullshit. I was returning from buying lunch at the 7-11 when I saw two useless graduates at the school gate and Sakamoto running out of the gate, across the street and to the vending machine. Arai Sensei told him to stop but he ignored her and she was busy. I asked what he was doing. After a few times being ignored, he finally said, "No, it's ok." I went back and checked with Arai Sensei and found that, no, in fact, it wasn't ok. It was against the rules. I went back and Sakamoto was buying multiple bottles and handing them through the fence. This also involved him running through traffic. Again, the rule is small, but it can't be okay for some people to run out the gate, ignoring a vice principal, dash across the street ignoring two teachers to hand drinks through the fence to students who laugh at and ignore the teachers who can't reach them.

Sakamoto took of running through traffic to avoid me and back through the gate. By the time I got back to the genkan he was handing out the drinks on the soccer field. Being ignored as a teacher pisses me off a lot. Not because of my own ego, but becaus it is symptamatic and sets a horrible precedent. If you let it go a little, it goes a lot. If a kid will ignore you about running through traffice, bad things can happen.

I turned towards the soccer field and took a step or two planning to tell Sakamoto not to ignore me and that they weren't allowed to buy drinks. Everyone began hiding the bottles. I went to the soccer field. At this point I was going to take the bottles and pour all of it out in front of them.

As I looked for the bottles they began to yell, "Fuck you bitch! What are you doing here? You can't look through our shit motherfucker!" That is the best equivalent I can render. I said, "Who do you think you are talking to?" Sakamoto, still ignoring me, drilled the soccer ball at me. To delve in the lexicon; He picked the wrong Caucasian to fuck with. I caught the ball and began to give them what for. At this point I was surrounded by about 10 angry junior high boys yelling at me. Okada came up from behind and swung down on the ball, knocking it lose and pushing me and yelling at me. I grabbed him by the jacket and swung him out from the group.

"What do you think you are doing? You don't act like that to a teacher." He exploded. I am not sure but I think he was going to through down.(I should point out that I wasn't yelling at him angrily. I was pulling him away so things wouldn't blow up and I was talking to him calmly.) I know he takes karate so I got him in the Muay Thai clinch. Not because I was angry at him but because the situation had to be controlled quickly. There were no other teachers around and everyone was yelling at me. I started moving him back towards where the other teachers were. He resisted. I set the clinch in a little tighter and he freaked out. He was screaming. At this point I had to keep a hold of him. I should point out that I like Okada but he is out of control. He leaves class, walks into other classes. Runs through club practices taking their stuff. He has no self control at all and treats other people like shit. He won't listen to teachers and plays the tough guy. I say that to explain what follows, otherwise I would sound kind of like an asshole. Okada tried to fight me, but realizing he couldn't he started crying and screaming, "It hurts! It hurts!" I can tell you for sure that nothing I was doing "hurt" in any real sense. That is the baby reaction in Japan to anything a child doesn't want to do and it often gets them out of it. "It hurts because you are a baby." I said. I could feel bad about this, but this group of boys is seriously like a dog pack and needs a new alpha quick. At what school is it okay to ignore and then kick balls at your teachers and then yell at them? Okada tried to fight again. I considered the options and went with the Osoto Gari. Very effective. He went down and I transitioned to Knee on the Belly. I tried to get someone to get another teacher but they wouldn't. Okada went to work on my AICL T-Shirt as I told him "Think about what you are doing." He freaked and cried. I know this sounds out of control, but these kids really need this. They are crazy and not connected to reality in the least.

Later I heard that both Okada and Sakamoto's parents believe whatever they say so I should be careful because they will make up whatever they feel like. I already heard their version of the story which is, "We just wanted the ball back but he doesn't speak Japanese so he didn't understand." Which is funny because I understood, "What the fuck are you doing motherfucker!" And all I said in return was "Speak politely."

Unmitigated craziness.

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attempting to silence the voices in my head.