So I got to school on Wednesday and I was told that no taxi was coming for me. Today I will stay at the base school and not go to Tamagawa my visit school. No explanation given. I figure it's because today is the sports festival practice at Tamagawa and there are no classes. However, I do have a class scheduled today, after the sports practice which only goes until lunch time. I tell the vice principal this, along with the more obvious fact that it's raining and therefore the sports practice won't even be happening today. Today will be a normal lesson day instead (this was also true of the base school, the place we were standing having the converstion, so I was obviously right). Shouldn't I go to Tamagawa and do lessons rather than sit here and do nothing? Before the vice principal's ears start bleeding from trying to make a decision, he calls the board of education who tell him to stick to the plan. This is despite the fact that we have spare taxi tickets on hand, presumably to deal with these unexpected situations (we taxi to the visit schools using dated, pre-paid tickets from the government).
If only he or the BOE could have made a snap decision to change the plan and send me to Tamagawa, I would have had four classes. Also worth noting is that I was sick on Monday and Tuesday, so this day would have been an opportunity to go in and make up for lost time, but that new piece of information never came into the equation. Even though it was the plan to keep me at the base school, the English teachers there had no idea I would be there, and so did not plan lessons for me. One teacher did invite me to two lessons, apologising for the short notice, but I was more than happy to go.
This event, although miniscule, seems symptomatic of what I have been reading recently about the way Japanese companies are run. There is no ability whatsoever to adapt to new situations and make quick decisions; all decisions are thrown up the heirarchy and the bosses don't want to change anything. Did it matter that I had said I have lessons scheduled after the sports practice, or that I pointed out the blatantly obvious fact that rain would cancel said practice? No. In my mind it was totally clear that I should go to Tamagawa and I said that, but the BOE, unaware of the situation on the ground told us to stick to the plan. I don't know much the vice principal is to blame in this, probably not at all as he seemed as confused as me. But, when I take this up with the BOE supervisor they probably won't have a decent explanation either.
When I got to Tamagawa on Thursday... they were doing the sports festival practice! So I had the day of standing around anyway, but the plan was for me to be there on Thursday and I was so it didn't matter.
If only he or the BOE could have made a snap decision to change the plan and send me to Tamagawa, I would have had four classes. Also worth noting is that I was sick on Monday and Tuesday, so this day would have been an opportunity to go in and make up for lost time, but that new piece of information never came into the equation. Even though it was the plan to keep me at the base school, the English teachers there had no idea I would be there, and so did not plan lessons for me. One teacher did invite me to two lessons, apologising for the short notice, but I was more than happy to go.
This event, although miniscule, seems symptomatic of what I have been reading recently about the way Japanese companies are run. There is no ability whatsoever to adapt to new situations and make quick decisions; all decisions are thrown up the heirarchy and the bosses don't want to change anything. Did it matter that I had said I have lessons scheduled after the sports practice, or that I pointed out the blatantly obvious fact that rain would cancel said practice? No. In my mind it was totally clear that I should go to Tamagawa and I said that, but the BOE, unaware of the situation on the ground told us to stick to the plan. I don't know much the vice principal is to blame in this, probably not at all as he seemed as confused as me. But, when I take this up with the BOE supervisor they probably won't have a decent explanation either.
When I got to Tamagawa on Thursday... they were doing the sports festival practice! So I had the day of standing around anyway, but the plan was for me to be there on Thursday and I was so it didn't matter.
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