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migo · Joined: 04 Jul 2004 Posts: 201

http://outpostnine.com/editorials/teacher.html

I've been reading through this for the past two hours, some of it's cracking me up, but as I am considering teaching in Japan, did this guy just have some incredibly bad luck, or could I look forward to some of this?

kdynamic · Joined: 05 Nov 2005 Posts: 562 Location: Japan

I think his experiences are pretty common. He just has an especially amusing writing style.

PAULH · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan

migo · Joined: 04 Jul 2004 Posts: 201

I haven't come across him referring to a Miss Forehead yet, but I'm assuming that's the teacher who accidentally headbutted him.

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

I sampled about 10 of his "articles" just to get a fair number before responding.

He either has a sex fetish, or a perversion festish. In any article, he is either talking about sexual innuendos or some sort of dirty situation.

Did anyone else ever see him write positive things, especially without mentioning these two items?

Grain of salt, indeed! For someone trying to critique his life in Japan, he has a narrow-track mind.

PAULH · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan

Sweetsee · Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Posts: 2302 Location: ) is everything

The guy is obviously taking the piss and while there were a couple chuckles on the whole it falls flat.

gaijinalways · Joined: 29 Nov 2005 Posts: 2279

It's true but humourous. I don't know where these kids get the idea to poke you in the balls, even the girls do it sometimes, though they seem to grow out of it quicker.

But he also puts a humourous spin on Japanese customs in a junior high school , and he does have a few more serious articles including one on the death of a student (or a sibling) and how it is handled at the school.

You know how it is, if you don't like it, don't read it, but don't discount it as not true. Teaching at universiites, I wouldn't put anything past my students!

senshisteph · Joined: 09 Jan 2006 Posts: 5 Location: Nagoya, Japan

mrjohndub · Joined: 19 Sep 2005 Posts: 198 Location: Saitama, Japan

...And he gives plenty of props to his coworkers.

migo · Joined: 04 Jul 2004 Posts: 201

JimDunlop2 · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 2286 Location: Japan

When I started my own "life in Japan" Blog for our friends and family back home, there's a reason why I self-imposed a strict "No discussions about our jobs" policy. It would be too easy to get consumed by just that aspect of life and ignore the myriad of other fascinating experiences, events, trips and anecdotes to write about...

However, to stay on-topic, I'd also agree that this guy's experiences are fairly typical, and he just has a relaxed, easy-to-empathize writing style that lets his readers relate well to what he experienced. I could not however bring myself to read much of it as I live out my own editorial every day -- no need for a double-dose. I did skim through about 6 or 7 articles though.

sbetchel · Joined: 13 Jan 2006 Posts: 7

I read over half of these articles because I was simply just enjoying them, they cracked me up. Sure he makes numerous stabs at sexual innuendos, but they aren't meant to be taken seriously. His writing style most definitely reflects his laid back/humorous outlook on events in japan.

Perpetual Traveller · Joined: 29 Aug 2005 Posts: 651 Location: In the Kak, Japan

Yeah, I enjoyed them too, some were frickin hilarious. As for what he's writing about, well he does say that he is writing about being an English teacher. And yes he plays up the weird and wacky but let's face it, that's what makes interesting reading, who would read more then one article if they were all 'today I taught 4 classes, all the children were well behaved and acted normally, nothing out of the ordinary happened' Laughing

PT