Graduations and transfers

So, it's March. Students are graduating and ending their school years.

I heard the high schoolers graduated maybe a week or so ago, middle school students graduate tomorrow, and the elementary school graduations are coming up. College graduations somewhere in there, but I am not sure exactly where.

In April, everything starts over new. College graduates start their jobs they got while they were still students and other students move up into the next year of school.

I was kind of upset yesterday because I didn't get to go to a graduation ceremony. My schedule was written in a way that I was scheduled to be at an elementary school yesterday. I didn't want to cause people trouble by switching it because I wasn't directly invited to either of the Junior High graduation ceremonies, so I missed them entirely.

It's sad for me because when I had my last classes with the 3rd year students, I wasn't aware of that it was the last. Then, I wasn't able to go to their graduation. I might see them around town sometime, but it makes me sad that I might not see some of them again.

On the other hand, I am excited to have my 6th grade elementary school students become my new junior high 1st year students.

It's kind of amazing to have this happen, in a way.

But it's not just students. Teachers and other people who work for the city also are transferred in April.

Up North, I heard, it is not such a big deal to be transferred across the prefecture. However, Kagoshima is a very different story. Kagoshima is a relatively big prefecture itself, but considering the outlying islands transferring someone in Kagoshima is NOT a small thing at all. Some islands are so far that people would have to take a place to get to the mainland!

Yet they do it. I guess it just goes to show that the same policy does not work everywhere.

The crazy thing about all of this is that the teachers themselves don't even know for sure if they are moving and where to until just a few weeks or so beforehand.

I spoke to some teachers about it today and they are somewhat secretive about it. There are teachers that have a pretty good idea that they will be moved, but they have no way of knowing for sure.

This -really- puts my whole stressful JET application process in perspective. Yes, that was insane, but nowhere NEAR as insane as not knowing when you will live in just a few weeks.

It must be really, really hard.

It makes me wonder why anyone would -want- to be a teacher in Kagoshima knowing they could be moved from a pretty good place to an isolated island.

I am a sad that some really good people I know are being transferred, but I am also excited about the new school year. My feelings are definitely mixed.