Here I am, another Wednesday with nothing to do all morning. Thus, another blog post. I really ought to take more photos to decorate my posts but recently I've not been taking so many... I guess I've been too busy...
I've been using www.postcrossing.com recently. Through this site you can send postcards to random people all over the world. Last week I sent one to Canada and today, after work I'll be sending two to Russia. I'm using cute postcards from Village Vanguard with little inspirational Japanese sentences on them, then translating them on the back. Since it's pay day today, I might treat myself to some nice postcards made from my own photos from www.moo.com today. I'd also like some nice business cards too... I only have some from the board of education but they have a really stupid photo of me on them so I don't like using them. It might encourage me to take more photos too...
In other news...
I had a strange situation yesterday... 
In an effort to become closer to the students, I've decided to eat lunch with one class a day, starting with 1-1 and ending with 3-5. Yesterday I ate with 1-2, a class which has one special student. The first time I came across this student was last week, when I went to teach the class but found him lying on the floor screaming and shouting because he'd lost his form on which he should write what club he wants to join. His special needs teacher didn't know what to do, neither did his form tutor, so they called for the big strong PE teacher and literally carried him out of the classroom.
When I entered the classroom yesterday I'd forgotten about him, and he was acting completely normal. However, when the lunchtime radio came onto the speakers, he went mental, covering his ears and cowering in the corner, before going to turn the speakers off.
His form tutor is a new teacher, whom I am actually quite fond of. However, I really think he acted in the wrong way yesterday and it's making me second judge him. He himself has something wrong with him... He speaks as if he is a little deaf, but also the left side of his mouth doesn't move as it should. It's only because I sat next to him at the school's drinking party that I noticed it, but it makes his Japanese very mumbly, meaning I can't understand him a lot of the time, and he finds my Japanese difficult to understand too because he mishears things and asks me to repeat things all the time.
However, he told the little boy to go back to his seat, and turned the radio back on. The child was in a state, crying and covering his face. He said he couldn't concentrate on eating if there was music. The teacher told him that he's have to put up with it. Once more the boy stood up and went to the speaker switch. The teacher stood up, towering over the 12 year old, who was sucking his thumb and looking at the ground. The teacher put his forhead to the boy's, and made a growling noise...
I felt so bad for the little boy, who was obviously very distressed. It was distressing to see the situation, and the other students who were smirking and giggling at it all, and at the teacher who was making fun of the poor little boy. The teacher eventually turned off the music and lunch went smoothly after that.
I asked other students at my table if the boy participates well in his lessons. They said that he attends lessons but does nothing.
When I lived in Nagoya, I often saw people with mental disabilities out and about, on trains and so on. I felt that there were more special people in Japan than in the UK and wondered if the stressful lifestyle makes peoples' brains break down... However, when I told Mum she replied that in England we hide our hanicapped people, in special schools or in homes. And thinking about it, it's true. In Japan (well, in this area anyway) special children go to normal schools until they reach highschool, when the can go to a special school. This of course has pros and cons. I am impressed by ow my school makes sure ALL the children participate in all events, from sports days to marathons to culture festivals. Poor little Eisuke (a 3rd year- 15 years old- who graduated last year) who has severe mental problems, can't even speak his own language (I used to help him remember his colours), even he trotted round the cross country course like all the children. I doubt he even knew what was going on, he just knew he had to keep jogging.
There are 3 special needs teachers here. We currently have 2 children with downs syndrome, one with (gah here's where you know how little I know about medical things) a condition which makes her a little slow on the brain and she can't move her fingers and legs so well but she can participate in lessons and answer questions etc and one girl in a wheelchair who can't do anything; not even feed herself. Other teachers are told to go and play/teach these students in their special classroom, but aside from the 3 main teachers, none have special training (I'm not 100% sure if even the 3 teachers have training, but I assume so).
I'm guessing the little boy's form tutor hadn't encountered a special needs student before he joined the class 2 weeks ago. How is he supposed to know how to react? I guess it's common sense but, for example, I now know that the little boy with downs is very perceptive to affection and if I let him hold my hand, he'll throw a temper tantrum if there is a day when he is not able to get affection from me. I know nothing about his condition so I've been learning as I go along. What if the form tutor does something really wrong for the little boy? (Assuming yesterday wasn't bad enough).
Hmm... more cross cultural differences...