New Horizon - school uniforms

[Otaku]

I'm prepping for my morning ichinensei class and just noticed something. None of the students are wearing uniforms. And, the school building they enter on page 10 doesn't look like anything that resembles a JHS I've seen in Japan.

Just thought it was interesting to note...

[regardo]

that indeed is... interesting?
it is also kind of sick that wakaba JHS translates to "new leaves JHS" and at the end of book 3 all the leaves die.

[Otaku]

Heh...wakaba is the name also that green and yellow sticker newbie drivers have to put on their cars here in Japan.

Question, "new leaves" is found on page 83 of NH 3's book but I can't find "Wakaba" anywhere. Did your JTE translate it as new leaves? I asked my JTE and she translated it as "atarashii happa".

[regardo]

the kanjis 若葉 translate to "young/new" and "leaf". if u wonder how i know that the kanjis for wakaba JHS are 若葉中学校　take a look at the page (at the beginning of book 1) where all the characters are introduced.

[Otaku]

Aaahhh...I see what you're saying now.

NH1 introduces all the characters and say they go to a school called "Wakaba Junior High School". Then, you make the interesting analysis that NH's 3rd grade book and in the last story talks about "new leaves dying".

The word "Wakaba" is straight translated as "new leaves". This could be a metaphorical statement about students passing on from JHS to HS. That's indeed an interesting thing to note. Pretty deep...

[regardo]

if it is a metaphor, shouldn't the leaves just change color or so when they go on to HS. do they really have to die???


NH3, p.82

freddie: "we only fall and die. why are we here?"
daniel: "for the friends, the sun and the shade."
regardo: "certainly not for english education!"

[Otaku]

So, metaphorically speaking, who/what are the sun and shade?

[Paul]

So, metaphorically speaking, who/what are the sun and shade?

Come on Otaku......

The sun are us alt's and the shade..........well use your imagination.

Oh I appreciate it better than the Columbus books that talk about the "Killing Fields". Even though I think there are plenty of things in the NH that are way too deep for JHS kids to fully appreciate and understand.

[bum1]

The third grade book is so full of death and hardship that I forgo teaching damn near the entire second half of it. I just do my own thing and I think the students appreciate it. It's not the English teachers job to teach about death and sorrow. That's the history teacher's job. It should be our goal to relate English to happiness and adventure.

[jessen100]

i love happiness and adventure!

[Otaku]

The third grade book is so full of death and hardship that I forgo teaching damn near the entire second half of it. I just do my own thing and I think the students appreciate it. It's not the English teachers job to teach about death and sorrow. That's the history teacher's job. It should be our goal to relate English to happiness and adventure.

I think you're probably preaching to choir on this forum. "Amen, Brother Bum! Shout it from rooftop!"

However, the argument I always hear is, "English is one of the few subjects that you can teach the students about the world." And, from what I've seen, the textbooks do a brillant job at stereotyping the world and capsulizing the entire planet all within 950 English words found in the JHS textbooks. If they would just spent the same amount of time creating a textbook that didn't blow chunks...like, teaching contractions to beginners of English is okay when the beginner needs to see the verb, especially be-verbs that are constantly changing depending on 1st/2nd/3rd person.

Now, to try and wrap this post back into topic. I find it rather ironic that the textbooks are so good at stereotyping everything non-Japanese but overlook the simple fact that the Japanese students aren't dressed in school uniforms. I think if less emphasis was put on trying to make the English textbooks look like comics, they textbook drawers wouldn't have overlooked the uniform mistake.

[Paul]

I think if less emphasis was put on trying to make the English textbooks look like comics,

But then you defeat the purpose of trying to make English class edutainment focused.

[bum1]

I think everything should be edutainment. (I know I'm too liberal) But seriously what would be the harm in making math class and geography more fun?

[Otaku]

One person's edutainment is another person's nightmare.

If edutainment is wanted over education, then should our positions be called Assistant Language Edutainers (ALE)?

[bum1]

I like entertaining people. Anyway I just remember how boring most of school was for me and wished that the teachers had put a little more fun into all of my classes.

[Otaku]

I just remember how boring most of school was for me and wished that the teachers had put a little more fun into all of my classes.

HEAR! HEAR!


And, about education vs. entertainment - I educated kids; I entertain ladies.

[Paul]

I see no problem what so ever with teachers in other subject areas working to spice up their classes too. However it just seems to me though that here the expectations are higher when it comes to English and entertaining classes.

Many teachers of other subjects just give me that glazed look when I suggested they try to make their classes more entertaining. One old fart made the common one line response and said...."What are they going to learn then?"

I felt like slapping him.

[jessen100]

HEAR! HEAR!

isnt it "here here!"?

i always thought it was anyways.

[Otaku]

Honestly Jessen, I'm not quite sure. You're probably right. I'm just happy I got one of the spellings correct!

[Otaku]

Honestly Jessen, I'm not quite sure. You're probably right. I'm just happy I got one of the spellings correct!

[Paul]

Honestly Jessen, I'm not quite sure. You're probably right. I'm just happy I got one of the spellings correct!

Deja vu....

[Paul]

Honestly Jessen, I'm not quite sure. You're probably right. I'm just happy I got one of the spellings correct!

Deja vu again!

I know I am supposed to hammer these types of posts with my new found powers of moderation.....but Otakuyou hit my funny bone with those posts. Thanks!

[Shamisen]

Hmm are the kids in NH1 in an international school?
Ms Green doesnt seem to have a JTE, and all the kids seem to be native English speakers.

BTW I laughed out loud at the "all the leaves die at the end" thing.
Thats so morbidly hilarious!!
As if theyre not depressed enough about leaving their friends at graduation!

[regardo]

international school! that's it!

_______________
karma for sushi

[Otaku]

Wakaba JHS isn't what I consider an 'international school'

[jessen100]

Sure it is. Mike from the sunshine textbook goes there.

[Otaku]

In all serious, do international school students wear uniforms?

[Paul]

In all serious, do international school students wear uniforms?

Good question.

I wonder how many JTE's and students actually have stopped to think about the "story line" behind the English textbooks and Wakaba JHS? Didnt the old Columbus 21 textbooks as well use Wakaba JHS?

Either way it is kind of funny to listen to you guys talk about the details of this textbook.

[GETAK]

You know what's funny? There is a JTE!

I forgot her name because she doesn't make even a SINGLE appearance aside from her introduction. Check in the 1年生 book and you'll see her sorry ass.

[Otaku]

You know what's funny? There is a JTE!

I forgot her name because she doesn't make even a SINGLE appearance aside from her introduction. Check in the 1年生 book and you'll see her sorry ass.

Her name is Kazuko Sato. At the beginning of the textbook, it says, "Ms. Sato is the English teacher of Emi's class. She has told them that Ann Green, their new English teacher, will be arriving the next day."

Now, whether 'new' means that Ms. Sato is leaving and Ann is coming in to replace her is kinda vague. I would almost lean towards Ann is the only teacher in the class because like you said, GETAK, Ms. Sato makes absolutely no appearances. Her name isn't even in the index at the back of the textbook.

All in all, I think it's an interesting idea to make a textbook with a running story throughout, but the New Horizon series seem to lean more towards a manga-like read rather than focusing on teaching substancial English.