Badass teacher??

Hey there,

I'm feeling a bit quiet on it today.  Yesterday was sports day.  And it was at least 33 degrees :S  I feel like a wuss because I wasn't even doing sports (and by sports I mean tug of war, dancing and obscure games with fighting over sticks or caps).  I spent most of the day hiding under a shady tent, with a cap and sunglasses.  I only emerged to join in the folk dancing a couple of times.  So I feel bad making the students study, knowing I'm only getting by because I've taken painkillers for my headache! 

Anyway, I am a teacher here, ergo I require the students to study.  Which generally they do, when they're not asleep.  But today I had a class where two girls were continually chatting instead of doing their worksheets.  Every time I came past I told them to stop talking and do the worksheet, but they only had the answers I had helped them with, while a number of students were finished and waiting.  Yet, even as I tried to tell them to work, one of the girls kept trying to point out something about me to her friend - probably my not-in-the-lobe earring that they seem to love.  All I caught was 'kawaii' (cute).  Although I'm sure she had the best intentions, it was very irritating to have the students focusing on my physical attributes and/or jewellery when I needed them to catch up to the rest of the class!  I was very clearly annoyed at her doing it, but she didn't seem to get it.  She didn't seem the brightest bunny in the box.  About the third time I came past them with empty sheets, I lost patience and moved them to seperate seats at the back of the room.  As I write it, imagining it back home, it seems like nothing, a very standard teacher response to dealing with chatty students (I should know all about it!!  I still feel bad for Mr Beach!).  However here they have a very different teacher-student relationship. 

Afterwards the teacher wanted to know why I had moved them and I felt a need to make my case as to why I felt it was necessary.  Perhaps it was less how he asked and more about me, because I have already had my supervisor (grumpy as hell to adults, but can't - or won't - discipline his students) ask me to discipline students 'gently'.  I don't really care what my supervisor thinks of my teaching, but I don't want it going around the office that I'm innappropriately rough on the students.  So now I feel odd.  But when the only discipline I've done all week is move two students seats, that's pretty good, really.  I'm so torn... I'm not the kind of person to let the students run over me, but I also know I make my life much harder if I scare them too much.  I figure, though, that 16 yr olds probably learn pretty fast - I doubt I will have to move those girls again for a while, now they know I will do something about it if they don't knuckle down. 

Bah, it's so hard adjusting from NZ classroom behaviour expectations to Japanese ones! 

Anyway, I just wanted to get that off my chest. 

Hope you're all doing well :D

Charly