kikibatsu (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} kikibatsu) wrote,@ 2007-09-03 17:43:00 |
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| Current location: | ye olde' apartment |
| Current mood: |  sleepy |
| Current music: | Mad Season: Wake up |
B.J.M.K.B
Because Japanese Management Kinda Blows.
...ok, I know what you are thinking...."Nick....all management kinda blows!!! In fact the only good management you see are on bad 80's movies or bad training videos....also from the 80's. In fact, Sir Nicklaus, all videos were apparently made in that era!! What is the deal with that? and why does everyone's non-descript clothing look...well...ridiculously non descript!!! Even generic brands look better than the goomba outfits these rid"
Then, I tell you to pipe down and stop thinking out loud. Your blasted thoughts are driving me off the course that I set,which was to explain to you why Japanese management kinda blows. Let us flashus backus to the event that proves this point:
Last Friday
So last Friday I had a visit from one of my old teacher/friends, Ishii Sensei. He's a good guy, taught me how to crack jokes in class without losing authority, and would have impeccable English if he just goes overseas for one year (if you are reading this Ishii sensei,go overseas for a year!!! trust me!!!). Anywho, he wanted my help with a demo class he has to do for a super special private school. This private school demo lesson are so special, that every teacher,every 3 years has to do a lesson there. How big of a deal is it? The teachers are not allowed to meet their students in this class until the day of the lesson. That's right...no prepping. That might not seem like a big deal to you, but here...every blasted demo lesson is prepped prepped preppy McPrepped.
What he needed from me was a short 5 minute video of me talking about myself and my old middle school,then asking the "class"a few questions. It is supposed to feel like I am right there,with the class...even though I won't be. No problem and sounds like fun. In fact,we will be making the video this Friday. Bring your friends! Bring popcorn even....for me...not for you. I don't want you getting your popcorn hands all over the furniture and making loud crunching noises during the video. That is distracting. No no...no Pringles either!! That is worse... and for goodness sakes...please don't bring KETTLE CHIPS!!!!
These are Kettle Chips. The noisiest chips ever made. Seriously. Really noisy. These are the chips that people eat in those corny movies that start avalanches and what not:
Plane Crash Survivor 1: Ballocks....we are out of food Jim....I think we are going to have to resort to cannibalism.
Jim: I don't think so Plane Crash Survivor 1...there has to be another way....
PCS: ...I don't....wait!! what's this! hey look! potato chips! sweet! we are saved let me take a.....
Jim: No ye blarney fool those are!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PCS: crunch
silence
rumble rumble rumble
PCS and Jim: ....kettle chips
boom crash rumble crash...and all the other avalanche noises.
So after our discussion of this plan,which took about 6 minutes, we spent the next 60 minutes discussing his school.
Ishii sensei had to move last April to this Island called Oteshima. It is small.... tiny? How tiny? the island has a total of 40 people on it. How small? The school is the size of say...oh....a two story house. How small? There are a total...elementary and middle school combined now...of three students.
guess how many teachers there are?
.....9.
Now let us continue to explain how ridiculous this situation is. The position is remote enough that teachers who go there have to be paid a raise to live there. It's that small and out there. The island has no convenience store, no supermarket,only has a vending machine...that sells old drinks.
There are only 3 ferries to get to the island. the times are 6, 10, and 3. that is it.
OK...so that doesn't sound so bad you think. It has it's own charm...right? Where is the ridiculous management? Here we go...
If you have paid attention, you should realize that there is,actually, no way to get food on the island...at all. So the school has to get food to the island at lunch time. Unfortunately, the lunch bringing trucks don't get to the port until after 10.... lunch is at 12. so the city government...pays....everyday..
To get...12 lunches...to the island..it costs...are you ready for this.... 2 man!!! approximately 180 bucks!!!! EVERY DAY!!! FOR 12 PEOPLE!!!
Let me put it in perspective for you. Every student and teacher here in the city who gets school lunch pays, 255 yen per lunch. that is how cheap it is. 255 yen for one lunch per person. The people on the island...eat teh exact same food for lunch..except the goverment pays about 1700 yen per island person per lunch. Every school day. Yep.
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this is a Bojangles Cajun Fillet chicken biscuit. When I left SC, you could get 10 of these for the price of one school lunch on Oteshima island. These are tastier, btw. Like heaven in a biscuit...well in a chicken...well in a chicken inside a biscuit....well it's not really insi....forget it.
this is a Bojangles Cajun Fillet chicken biscuit. When I left SC, you could get 10 of these for the price of one school lunch on Oteshima island. These are tastier, btw. Like heaven in a biscuit...well in a chicken...well in a chicken inside a biscuit....well it's not really insi....forget it.
Not convinced of the ridiculousness yet? During rainy or stormy days, they cannot get lunch on the island. Yep....no lunch. So hope you got some food in your fridge...because little Yamada ain't gonna eat.
Still not convinced?
To teach these ONE of these kids..........from elementary school to middle school...cost...according to Ishii sensei...and I am not making this up..the Japanese government about 1.5 MILLION DOLLARS!!!!!!
1.5 MILLION DOLLARS!!!!!
1.5 MILLION DOLLARS!!!!!!!
extra shipping fees, extra pay raises, special tests, etc... 9 years of education. 1.5 million bucks. 1.5 MILLION DOLLARS!!!
Not 150,000 dollars.....1,500,000!! I even had him do the conversion again to be sure.
that comes to 167,000 per child per year.
"but Nick...shipping the students to the mainland to get taught would be more exp" nope! you are wrong. you see, getting totheisland round trip is about 1700 yen. taxing them to the nearest school would be about 700. Then once they get here...the kids eat normal 255 yen lunches. They don't have extra teachers, or an extra building,or pay for extra tests,or deal with no lunches, etc.. Running that small 2 story house school is expensive.
So why does it still exist? Here is the problem. The island used to be somewhat rich due to fishing. You could, apparently, go out on one haul....as in one DAY haul, and have about 30 to 50 man worth of fish (3000 to 5000 bucks). Then you could sit on your butt all day for the rest of the month! However, about 10 years ago....the fish population dropped...dramatically. Now, to get the same haul, they have to do that for about two weeks at a time.
Thus most of the people on the island have no work...because the only thing you can do is fish, and the land is not suitable for growing anything...but trees. So, the government pays those unemployed people some special fee that isn't unemployment money (but it is). Those people then get that money,which they then apparently use to leave the island for a week at a time to go on pachi-slo trips. It's just what you do when you live on a island with nothing on it. So why does the school still exist?
Because Japan is ridiculous....and don't ask me why...if they close down the school, this huge money pit the people on the island won't get their unemployment monies anymore.
wHAT?!?! WHY?!?! I don't know!!! Don't ask me!!! But that's how it works!!!! Thus instead of spending less money to get kids an education on the mainland, they pay more money to give them a crappier level of education on a small island.
"But Nick!!! with 3 teachers per student! one on one! the students test scores must be..." lower. What? yes lower. "Why?"
The students are TOLD how much it costs to educate them, then often pressured into being told that if they go to high school, they had better make something of themselves to pay back the government!!! give back to the community!!!
they get depressed, usually don't go to high school,and do what everyone else on the island does. Nothing....fish if you can....drink...and play some pachi-slo. Which is easier? Doing that...or entering a high school with hundreds of students for the first time? You have literally lived in a bubble for 15 years of your life?
Don't believe me still? Well Ishii sensei, who is certified to teach English..has to teach Math, Social Science, and English. Despite not being an accredited math teacher. He doesn't even like those subjects!!! But he has to teach them. Middle school students here are usually taught a subject by a teacher who has some sort of "skillz" in that area. But not on this island.
Because on this island it is hard to get any teachers to come there...because it is that inconvenient. You have to live on that island, away from your family and friends for 5 days out of the week. 6 if you happen to miss a boat. You have to do all you grocery shopping on one of your off days (a lot of single teachers do their grocery shopping day by day for comparison).
This isn't meant to be some social argument for or against social services or anything like that. I am just telling you,that it is entirely possible for these students to be taught better, for less, and still give the people on the island the money they need to survive. So why not just close down the school and do so?
Because...Japanese Management Kinda Blows.
or BJMKB as I shall call it.
Now if you excuse me, I am going to manage my own small island with the game Tropico...and you can be sure...my school children on the island won't eat 1700 yen lunches.
