The Kids Are Back

The students came back last night, so today was the first day of school for them.

In the morning, the students had a short homeroom in their old classrooms and then moved to their new classrooms. After that, everyone went to the gym for an assembly.

That's when the students met the new teachers (the teachers were introduced to the students and the teachers had to briefly introduce themselves) and found out which teachers were teaching what grades.

(Last year, when the teaching assignments were made known to the students, each and every teacher lined up in front of the students. Each and every teacher except for me, that is. I felt incredibly awkward at that time, especially because I wasn't even introduced, as if I didn't count. That's why I'm really glad that this year only a handful of teachers were named and all they did was stand up briefly, bow, and sit back down. Apparently, the change in procedure was the principal's decision, so my hat goes off to him.)

After all the introductions (which included speeches) were over, the students had their uniforms inspected. Teachers also checked that the students' grooming was in order, which primarily means that the students' hair and fingernails can't be too long and that their eyebrows can't be shaved off.

(Some other specifics regarding the uniforms and grooming: The girls' skirts should at least reach down to just below their knees and all students have to wear white socks or, in the case of girls, black stockings. Also, students are not allowed to wear fingernail polish or earrings, and they can't color their hair or have unnatural curls or a perm. The rules are for the most part enforced, with a little bit of leeway.)

At one point during the assembly, we also sang the school song, which we do at least 20 times a year.

After lunch, the only thing on the schedule was testing. (You know what I was saying about the old school year blending right into the new one? Well, the testing is yet another example of that. One of the teachers even wrote the following on one of the homework assignments: "There's no time to rest." You gotta love Japan!)

And so went the first day of school for the kids. Welcome back!