ALT's Essay Vol.5

Last month I hosted with much help from Mr. Oishi my first, and possibly Tano's last, summer camp. For one night and two days, I was responsible for 18 kids ranging from 11 to 15 years old. Well, actually, I only had to put together the game activities. In other words, I got to do all the fun stuff while the logistics, food prep, and otherwise mundane work was handled by the Board of Education staff. For that I'm grateful as the whole event turned out to be a lot less difficult than I had imagined. That said, organizing the game activities wasn't exactly a breeze considering the age group I was working with, the fact that English had to be incorporated, and that the venue had changed at the last minute due to weather. The games had to be interesting for 5th graders as well as the teenagers, and the English level couldn't be too easy for the latter nor too hard for the former.

Mr.Oishi and Hidaka sensei helping students with yakisoba

We had four ALTs, one JTE, and one Elementary teacher to assist with the activities and to keep the feisty kids in line - Michelle Chapman (AUS), Patrick Bellew (USA), Emily Freeman (USA), Hilda Tong (USA), Hidaka-sensei (Tano Junior High), and Yoshino-sensei (Tano Elementary). We started by dividing the kids and teachers into three teams that were to compete in every game for the duration of the camp. If there's anything I've learned in my year teaching here, it's that the easiest way to motivate Japanese students in any activity is to create competitive groups. This applies especially to elementary students but Junior High as well. The first thing about school life in Japan that surprised me when I came last year is how serious the junior high schoolers take their annual taiikutaikai. This is a sort of grand P.E. event whereby the whole student body is divided into 2 huge teams (white and red), which compete against each other in a variety of challenges. And every year dozens of kids from the losing team break down crying at the end because they lost despite putting their heart and soul into it. Now compare this to the States. To be blunt, our 7th and 8th graders don't give a crap about anything school related, save for maybe the dances, especially when it's something they're all required to do. At least, they wouldn't cry for it. So anyway, group competition really works here.

Patrick keeping the kids busy during freetime

Our ice-breaking game was capture the flag, which was good because it didn't involve any mandatory English (which of course makes the students feel more comfortable) yet it rewarded teams that communicated with their strategy-leading ALTs (in English). Thus, the more the kids got into the game and the so-called team spirit took a hold of them, the more motivated they were to speak with their respective ALTs. It was unbearably hot however and we all decided to jump in the pool afterwards, where we continued with different competitive group games. In the other activities I tried to incorporate more English that every age group could handle. For example we played the Japanese version of pinata, which is called suikawari. It involves trying to break open a watermelon while blindfolded and receiving audible directions. However, I made it so that all the directions had to be given in English and each person could only be guided by the team of which he/she was a member. This seemed to work pretty well.

The Yellow Team - champions!

Emily and Hilda with the older sempai students

All around we had a great time as I think the pictures are testament to, and I feel lucky to have been given the job of organizing the camp. Unfortunately I fear it may be the last ALT-led English summer camp for Tano. Soon the town will merge with Miyazaki city as part of a large national effort towards economic and municipal reorganization. This means that Tano town will no longer be a distinct JET contracting organization (as it has been for the last 15 years) and that future Tano ALTs, if it's decided that there will be any at all, will come under the jurisdiction of Miyazaki City's Board of Education. The city, having over 53 schools to take care of and not allotting all of them ALTs, may decide against putting one in Tano next year. While I hope this doesn't happen, I have to accept the possibility that I could be the last one here. This strengthens my resolve to expose these kids to as much native English as their ears can handle while I'm still here. That said, I do feel to an extent that the town of Tano has become a part of me and I'm certain I will visit again in years to come - just as the previous ALT, Jen, has been back 3 times already.

I should also mention that the traditional location of the camp, Ikoinohiroba, was completely destroyed by a recent and now infamous powerful Typhoon termed "Nabi" by the west but simply known as #14 in Japan. Apparently the excessive rainfall (over 20 inches) caused a large portion of the mountainside to collapse, obliterating the tennis courts, roller-skating rink (old school huh), several bungalows, playground, bridges, mountain roads, and even the river. And that wasn't the end of it. The town's water system was also rendered useless for nearly a whole week afterwards. I would say the latter part however was not too burdensome because the town office was impressively quick to prepare a water distribution site for people who needed it… certainly a better model of efficiency than what we recently witnessed in the States after Katrina.

Jumping off the falls at Ikoinohiroba

what it looks like now

Another well-known aspect of the annual typhoons is the great wave swells that come with them. Nabi kicked up double to triple over-head surf along southern Miyazaki's coast and I experienced some of the best waves I've ever ridden (thanks to constant off-shore winds) at a little-known spot called Nagata. At the end of the day my board broke in three pieces but I was so excited from the rides that I didn't care. And as luck would have it, I recently befriended a local Tano board-shaper who made me a perfect replacement for much less than I would have had to pay at any shop in the country.

Nagata…the wave that broke my board

1 of 7 boards that broke that day

Masaru Sato - a master with his hands

If possible I will continue writing these but the merge could easily make this my last entry. If so, I would like to express my gratitude to the people of Tano for their hospitality, for the experiences I've had, and for the friendships I've been able to build. Thank you. If anyone reading this has questions about Tano, Miyazaki, Japan in general, or if you just want to keep touch, don't hesitate to write: >>> E-mail:kigakiku@ucla.edu

(Justin Reeves)
September 2005