by "Kat Callahan" (kyosuke)
Published 02/19/2017 at 20:57
by "Kat Callahan" (kyosuke)
Published 02/19/2017 at 20:57
No Tags
STARS: 46
As you may have known if you read the comments in the union thread, I was having serious issues with my private school administration, and they just kept getting worse. Not normal aggravations, but literal vermin in the walls, as the walls crumble, significant unpaid overtime in violation of the law, planting cameras, admins encouraging my homeroom students to discuss my pedagogy/methodology (they’re 13, they don’t know if my teaching represents any grade level appropriate content), and finally blatant making up of grades so everyone gets As.
Despite my attempt to convince my local to declare and go into collective bargaining, as our parent union case officers wanted, most are too afraid of retaliation, especially since most of my colleagues are major or sole breadwinners for multi-child families. I’m not. So knowing that my only recourse was to sue, I decided to cut my losses to focus on Jalopnik and journalism as my full time job. It’s not, but it is a safe cushion with which to branch out into Mustachian value-laden permanent semi-retirement (many of you know I’m a big fan of Mr. Money Mustache). Debt is eliminated, savings and investments are significant, other sources of income acquired.
I will use this time to work on my requirements for my Japanese teaching license, improve my Japanese ability overall, learn new skills, and figure out how I’m going to buy my land and build my tiny house. All while bringing you more of the Jalopnik East you know and love.
Fuck this shit, I’m out.
"pip bip - choose Corrour" (hhgttg69)
02/19/2017 at 21:03, STARS: 0
That’s the spirit!
"Chariotoflove" (chariotoflove)
02/19/2017 at 21:07, STARS: 0
Bold move. Good for you! Good luck!
"XJDano" (xjdano)
02/19/2017 at 21:08, STARS: 0
Congratulation on having the guts to do what you did. You got to look out for number one even when others aren’t. Keep on keeping on.
"comes over to help work on your car and only drinks beer" (00cyclonefan)
02/19/2017 at 21:11, STARS: 7
Car related mindset made me think this post was about getting rid of a Saab sedan.
"peepeesprinkles" (peepeesprinkles)
02/19/2017 at 21:12, STARS: 1
Everything will work out for you Kat, been reading your stuff for a while now and your posts are the bees fucking knees. Stay positive!
"gmporschenut also a fan of hondas" (gmporschenut)
02/19/2017 at 21:14, STARS: 1
"DipodomysDeserti" (dipodomysdeserti)
02/19/2017 at 21:14, STARS: 0
Git sum!
"Berang" (berang)
02/19/2017 at 21:15, STARS: 0
fuck jobs
"ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)" (adabofoppo)
02/19/2017 at 21:16, STARS: 0
For all the complaints about the US operating as an ‘old boys club’ it sounds like Japan is no different.
I am surprised that even with such numerous union membership you still have people fearful of retribution. And for what? Arguing for a better school environment for their students!? That’s some epic BS.
"Kat Callahan" (kyosuke)
02/19/2017 at 21:20, STARS: 1
This is not a Japanese school. This is an international school representing a different country entirely. This is my first year working in a school that isn’t a Japanese public or even typical private school. This shit would never fly in a normal Japanese school. This wouldn’t even fly in this school’s “home country” according to some of my fellow teachers from said country. It’s just that the admin a power hungry, profit driven monster.
"Matt Nichelson" (whoismatt)
02/19/2017 at 21:32, STARS: 0
Bravo. You deserve much better than that garbage and I am sure Japan has so much more to offer that is far better. I wish you the best.
"merlyn11a" (merlyn11a)
02/19/2017 at 21:46, STARS: 0
Sounds like it was a tough grind; those international schools can be variable. Maybe you should do some travel stuff too; there’s probably some excellent opportunities if you take a look at it.
For instance, my family and I are planning a trip to Japan this summer. Looks like it will be Tokyo and then outside environs in mid-June for 2 weeks. The question for us will be rent a car or railpass; some people have told us to get the railpass but for 6 people (S.O. + 4 kids) the whole thing is going to be pricey. What to do? As an ex-SCCA guy and general car enthusiast, I loved driving in France and Italy. The “chaos” never bothered me as I considered driving there just a busy version of Solo I (dates me, for sure) and that the other drivers were just frustrated F2 drivers. I vaguely recall you having posted stuff about driving in Japan (mainly about getting the license and related pains) but don’t recall if there was anything relevant to someone like me.
So there.....an opportunity. And if you ever read this, maybe you can help out an old jalop’ with some suggestions.....
"For Sweden" (rallybeetle)
02/19/2017 at 21:47, STARS: 1
If only writing for Gizmodo Media paid well
"Flavien Vidal" (flyingfrenchy)
02/19/2017 at 21:51, STARS: 0
I recall Nova was similar to this also... Making sure everyone passes on to the next level even if they are not good enough, forcing teachers to focus solely on a totally inadequate teaching method provided by the school and nothing else, terrible hierarchy...etc.
But then again, overwork would get paid.
Anyway, what you’re describing mostly sounds like a regular Japanese company haha (and the reason why here, I either work solely for myself or for someone under strict conditions).
I hope you can make enough money to live with Jalopnik alone... I talked about it with Patrick before and in my case, it just would not have been even thinkable and I had to decline the offer.
Good luck with the future! If you end up coming around here to cover anything, let me know!
"Nibby" (nibby68)
02/19/2017 at 21:58, STARS: 0
Do what makes you happy! Good luck with the job search K Cal!
"jminer" (jminer)
02/19/2017 at 22:05, STARS: 0
That’s a frustrating but surprisingly satisfying point to reach. I’ve done it once before where I was able to walk away from a terrible place without having something else setup right away. I honestly enjoyed talking to former coworkers who kept telling me stories about how much worse it had gotten while I was happily somewhere else.
Good luck with all future endeavors. I for one look forward to reading more of your work.
"ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)" (adabofoppo)
02/19/2017 at 22:09, STARS: 1
Ah. I did not remember that if you had posted it before and I must not have read correctly in this post. Thanks for clarifying.
Sounds like you need to create an anonymous way of contacting all the parents of said schools students to take down the admin.
Or have someone nefarious from the US send them a ‘care package’ of illicit substances. I hear Japan is okay to send us car parts overnight, but they frown on us sending them exciting chemical compounds.
"Kat Callahan" (kyosuke)
02/19/2017 at 22:13, STARS: 0
I’ve worked for Japanese employers at all previous jobs, which were in public schools. They would not abuse health regulations. They didn’t, eventually, argue with me over issues of healthcare and pension, and I didn’t have issues with administration. I sometimes had issues with the board of education or dispatch companies, but nothing to this level. It was rather... minor.
Overtime is a huge issue in Japan, so that’s the same. But literal rats and cockroaches crawling out of the wall in the middle of class? No, that is shit I have never seen before anywhere in Japan, let alone a school providing K-12 education .
I am a qualified teacher with an English teaching degree from a four year university and a masters level education in political science, almost a decade of teaching experience, and I’ve taught in multiple countries. I am not your fresh-off-the-boat conversation teacher. Not that there’s anything wrong with doing that, but the issues from places like NOVA or GABA etc are not usual issues in a normal school for children.
"Kat Callahan" (kyosuke)
02/19/2017 at 22:15, STARS: 3
It pays well enough for my purposes, given how I’ve saved the vast majority of what I’ve made from Jezebel and Jalopnik and pumped it directly into index funds.
"Kat Callahan" (kyosuke)
02/19/2017 at 22:18, STARS: 1
Not a Marine, but... Ooh Rah? (That was always the response to Git Sum).
"RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars" (rallydarkstrike)
02/19/2017 at 22:19, STARS: 0
Wow, shitty Kat! Good luck with everything! :S
"Kat Callahan" (kyosuke)
02/19/2017 at 22:20, STARS: 1
Yep, I wrote that article on why what the Toyota exec did was a no-no.
"Flavien Vidal" (flyingfrenchy)
02/19/2017 at 22:24, STARS: 0
WTF?? Rats?? Really?? Shit hahaha, that’s fucked up! Is the school you work for NYC based? Maybe they brought them on purpose to prepare kids who want to go there... who knows :)
Glad to see you move on like this though. With that bit of land you are about to buy (have already bought?), have you ever thought about actually making you own little english school? A friend of mine did that... he does very well now.
"Tazio, Count Fouroff" (tazio0625)
02/19/2017 at 22:24, STARS: 0
Give ‘em Hell
May The Force be with you!
"For Sweden" (rallybeetle)
02/19/2017 at 22:26, STARS: 2
Somewhere Hamilton is smiling
"wiffleballtony" (wiffleballtony)
02/19/2017 at 22:28, STARS: 0
It’s clearly F this place o’clock.
"Kat Callahan" (kyosuke)
02/19/2017 at 22:30, STARS: 0
Yes. The building is a normal Japanese school building, but it’s not run by the government. We’ve got under 1000 students crammed into a school originally zoned for half that, the admin won’t repair anything (the building is from the 50s), the kids are not expected to clean, they are taught no manners, they drop food, and hence... Rats and cockroaches, and we only recently dealt with a portion of them by putting down traps. Mostly the rats are now gone, but not all of them. And no one has bothered cleaning out where they were nesting so the air quality is very poor, and I’ve been the sickest I have been ever.
...and no. I’m a social studies teacher. I don’t really want to be an English conversation teacher. I don’t mind the occasional English lesson at a JHS/SHS, but I don’t do conversation. Certainly not with small children or adults. I work with teenagers, or I’d rather not teach at all.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
02/19/2017 at 22:35, STARS: 0
That’s some serious bullshit. Good on you for getting out of there.
"Flavien Vidal" (flyingfrenchy)
02/19/2017 at 22:40, STARS: 1
Damn, that sounds insane for something in Japan really... The few schools I have seen were just freaking perfect with utterly polite kids doing daily chores, cleaning up everything... well, Japan :)
I’d never thought a school like this would exist in this country. And no parent complains? Is it like a really poor area of Japan?
I had forgotten you were a social studies teacher... I knew you worked for a regular school as a full time teacher but I thought you were in the english department.
"415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)" (415s30)
02/19/2017 at 23:03, STARS: 0
My friend taught at Nova before that place imploded. They quit too, didn’t sound like fun. I have another friend who teaches in Shimane and loves it.
"Chuckles" (chucklesw37)
02/19/2017 at 23:24, STARS: 0
Congratulations on getting away from a shitty situation. I enjoyed the discussion in your union thread, and found it to be much more level headed than most internet discussions. It was definitely clear that it was a subject that you feel passionate about, and something that is near and dear to your heart. I’ve always been a fan of your work on Jalopnik, and I look forward to getting to read more of your work. Good luck!
"Kat Callahan" (kyosuke)
02/19/2017 at 23:34, STARS: 0
It’s not a Japanese school. The method of instruction is English. Some students are Japanese, but the vast majority are not.
"Kat Callahan" (kyosuke)
02/19/2017 at 23:49, STARS: 1
I got a shiny new multi-year visa a few months ago, and I’m still in the naturalisation process. So I even have time to look before I need to prove full employment, if even then. So, yeah, with a 1:1.4 ratio of jobs to job seekers, I ain’t worried. Capital needs my labor, not enough labor in Japan. I’ll find plenty of part time work to supplement Jalopnik East.
"Kat Callahan" (kyosuke)
02/19/2017 at 23:50, STARS: 1
"Flavien Vidal" (flyingfrenchy)
02/19/2017 at 23:55, STARS: 0
Oh ok, that’s interesting... I had no idea that this kind of school existed in Japan. At least not of such size! If I ever end with a kid I’ll probably end up sending him to the Lycée Français International of Tokyo but it’s a lot smaller than that.
"Kat Callahan" (kyosuke)
02/19/2017 at 23:55, STARS: 0
Are you offering to pay me for tour guide/travel agent type information? Because you’re the second person to ask me for that. I’ve got an old friend arriving this week. ;3
"Matt Nichelson" (whoismatt)
02/20/2017 at 00:00, STARS: 0
Is it really 1:1.4? That is impressive. You’ll be just fine, then. Jalopnik East is great, so I look forward to more from you. Since you mentioned buying land amd a home, is your eventual goal is to stay in Japan and become a citizen?
"DrJohannVegas" (drjohannvegas)
02/20/2017 at 00:03, STARS: 1
Sorry to hear the work situation became untenable (esp in light of your union situation), but glad that we may get to see more of your writing in the future.
Good luck to you in all your future endeavors, both great and kei-sized.
"merlyn11a" (merlyn11a)
02/20/2017 at 00:17, STARS: 0
Well, you aren’t a travel agent yet! We’re still trying to get our act together on what exactly we’re going to see in our 2 weeks so it’s early to ask detailed questions which you could probably answer. However, you can see what you’ll probably going to get if you ever go down the road of Japan travel expert. We have a nephew who’s in Hokkaido right now (brrrr.....especially since he’s spent the last few years on Tanegashima doing what you were doing) and a friend who grew up in Japan (son of a ambassador type) and a budding new in-law who’s Japanese (although lately from Texas as a transplant to L.A. so, maybe, he doesn’t count). So there’s information access for us from them. The issue with them is that as young guys in their 20s, the 2 who’re closest to us don’t have a strong identification with families so what they think is cool and easy (surfing, for instance) isn’t necessarily the case with 6 people/kids.
In any event, if you’re planning on staying there, you should strongly consider it. For instance, you probably can figure out how to get info on the things Jalops like the most. The coolest car/motorcycle museums, the best tracks, most interesting car shops, etc. etc. even the Kotaku stuff. And by leveraging that knowledge, produce some income from helping noobs like me who want to visit. Work, for sure, but lots of fun potentially.
"Kat Callahan" (kyosuke)
02/20/2017 at 00:33, STARS: 1
Not even eventual. I’m able to submit my final naturalisation application packet, though I probably won’t be finished with it, in May.
"Kat Callahan" (kyosuke)
02/20/2017 at 00:35, STARS: 0
I have a lot of fellow union members at that school. I’ve got stories.
"Flavien Vidal" (flyingfrenchy)
02/20/2017 at 01:21, STARS: 0
Oh that’s interesting haha, tell me more :)
"Eggplant" (nasu)
02/25/2017 at 08:13, STARS: 0
So uh, would it be possible to identify the school so I don’t make a huge mistake later, as my JET term comes to an end? There WAS an international school I was considering applying to in Saitama. If you’re not comfortable doing that, perhaps you could answer this question: Is the building primarily a pinkish colour, with teal accents?
"Kat Callahan" (kyosuke)
02/25/2017 at 21:24, STARS: 0
It’s in Tokyo proper, so you needn’t worry.
"Eggplant" (nasu)
02/25/2017 at 21:45, STARS: 0
Cool. Thanks for the heads up.