Inevitable Part II

Last Friday I got a call from my company saying that Hamanaka, the 3rd year English teacher, had some requests. I am not to even attempt to discipline any of the 3rd year boys, even verbally. No matter how bad the class goes, I should do it in English. No matter how bad the class is I should show up and "teach" it anyway. I should just give up on the 3rd years because everyone else has.

The lady from my company, who I am getting along better with actually made some sense. She said that foreigner’s legal standing is very low in Japan and that no matter what happens, it will probably be pinned on me. She said that the principal is a nice guy but that, in the end, his main job is always to protect his job. If that involves throwing me to the wolves, then, my lupine friends, dinner is served. She also offered to transfer me. Errr. I have a feeling that I should go with the transfer but I won't out of a sense of nobility and that it will be a mistake.

I talked to Inoue about it Saturday morning, as we were getting ready for parents day. "Please don't transfer!" He asked. It is rough. I have the 1st year teachers asking for my help and the 3rd year teachers telling me to give up. I feel that if I leave I will miss out on helping the first years, but if I stay, I am only keeping the boulder from rolling back down the hill by wedging myself under it.

Today we had an emergency meeting of the 1st years. Nishiguchi and Makino were acting like true fools. Later there was a problem with Makino in class. Inoue came to the office with him. I went down to cover for him. Nishiguchi was acting up again and tried to fight me. I secured his arm but he kept flailing it trying to yank it away. Then he started screaming that it hurt and that I abused him. There were bruises on his arm. That was the first time that I felt that I am in a very dangerous position here. He started screaming that he was going to tell the principal that I had attacked him. They are really pathetic. I heard that during school visits, they went to Nishiguchi's house and that his parents pretended to not be home.