What Elementary School Teachers See That Others Don't

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is getting ready to declare a state of emergency in Tokyo, Kanagawa (where I live), Saitama and Chiba prefectures in Japan. Rumor has it that the announcement will be made as early as Thursday the 7th and initialized on Friday the 8th. This will be the second declaration in an attempt to curb the rising number of Covid-19 cases in these areas. The main focus of this declaration seems to be targeted at the food and nightlife industries as they are planning to request that all restaurants and drinking establishments close at 8 o'clock in the evening. At this time, the Japanese government does not yet impose fines or take legal actions against any establishments that break the rules. However, there has been talk of providing subsidies to help businesses that follow the requests and publicizing the names of businesses who ignore the requests. The government will also be asking businesses and companies to encourage working remotely and reconsider business hours to decrease traveling on public transportation and reduce commuter traffic. There are still a lot of vague areas, but some of the noticeable omissions from the list of restricted activities include asking theaters, cinemas, amusement parks and other venues to close. Some events such as Coming of Age ceremonies have already been canceled but it sounds like most events may be allowed to continue provided they take precautions against the spread of infections. The national university entrance exams will also still take place as planned but with stricter measures to guard against infections. Unlike the last state of emergency period which happened in Japan back in April of 2020, schools will NOT be asked to close. Wait. Did I hear that correctly? Yes, elementary schools will not be asked to close. In fact, it seems that many parents are relieved that schools will not be closed because of the difficult situation it placed on working parents and because children missed being with their friends.

Interestingly, at my school's closing ceremony for the second term, the headmaster reassured the children in his closing speech by telling them how safe they were at school. He advised the students to be very vigilant during the winter break and protect themselves from the Coronavirus. He also told the students how lucky they were because our school was able to do events that might have had to be canceled, but we found a way to do them. Of course, my head was shaking during this speech. In my opinion, the students felt safe at school because many of them just reverted to life at school pre-Covid. There were a handful of teachers, including myself, that made every attempt to keep the students as safe as possible. This meant disinfecting with alcohol sprays in between classes to wipe desktops and any other areas or equipment used by the students. We made sure that our classroom was properly ventilated, even though sometimes it was hard for students to understand why the windows had to be kept open. We made sure that the students stood with the suggested physical distance between them and we rearranged our classroom layout so that all the students were safely distanced during our lessons. My partner teacher and I made sure we sprayed the students' hands as they entered the classroom and we reminded the students to wear their masks properly. I would like to say that all teachers at my school were doing this. But they weren't. I didn't see other teachers constantly washing their hands after lessons. I know teachers who kept their alcohol sprays, plastic gloves and hand sanitizers in a basket hidden behind their desks. I saw teachers in the staff room talking without masks as they laughed and drank their coffee. People looked at me like I was crazy walking around with my alcohol wipes to use before and after I used the community printer, the refrigerator door, the paper cutter and the hot water dispenser. I got dirty looks when I opened the window next to my desk because no other windows were open and teachers insisted that our air conditioner system had a circulator which would be ample ventilation. I no longer felt comfortable in the staff room so I moved my computer and workspace into our subject office where we were able to control our safety so much better. I could also escape to my classroom where I could work peacefully without feeling vulnerable from the teachers who many of us knew went out to eat/drink after hours, rode crowded public transportation to and from school, and even from a teacher who was asked to get a PCR test, but chose not to. To my knowledge, we haven't had a staff infection yet, but we have dealt with family-related infections. I thought the class would close. I thought the health and safety of teachers were to be given just as much priority as the students. Well, somewhere along the way, the attitudes of people changed. Those of us who spoke out concerned for our safety were either seen as being overly anxious and worried for no reason, or we were ignored. In my case, I wrote a long letter to the entire staff. But I never got a reply from the powers that be. However, several teachers came up to me and supported what I said. They felt the same way. The fear of peer pressure and going along with the group consensus in Japan plays a big role in whether teachers will voice their opinion. A lot of teachers won't speak up for fear of being labeled as a troublemaker or for fear of not being in the majority. As for me? I'm not a sheep and never have been. I'm definitely a "speak now or forever hold your peace" kind of gal.

Based on the way things have been going at my school so far, I highly doubt the national emergency declaration will influence the decisions about how we begin this third and final term. In fact, if the government is not recommending that schools be closed, I am pretty sure that my school will use that in their favor to support beginning the third term as planned. I'm hoping though, that they are thinking things over very carefully.

I'm hoping my school remembers that our students come from all over Tokyo and Kanagawa. My school is a private school and some students, believe it or not, commute for one and a half hours by train one way to get to and from school. With the number of new cases over 1,200 today in Tokyo and over 600 new cases in Kanagawa, that's a lot more cases than we were dealing with before in the last emergency declaration. The majority of our students use public transportation to get to and from school. Shouldn't this be a concern?

I'm hoping that my school also remembers that we are just coming out of a winter break where we have no idea how many students and their families traveled, attended events, had parties, or participated in activities such as sports or recitals. Actually, it's not only the students I'm worried about. How many teachers behaved responsibly during the break? How many teachers went out to restaurants, karaoke, the movies or had a trip to the hospital?

There are a lot of things I see at school as a teacher that other people might not see. Even the headmaster and the deputy head don't often see some of the things that happen in the classroom or hear what students planned to do over the break. It makes me nervous. But perhaps it is just my mind thinking worst case scenarios as far as spreading infections or putting others at risk. Would my opinions matter more if the powers that be observed what I have all term? Do they ever see how many times students rub their eyes? Or how about how many students pick their noses? (Don't even get me started on the ones that pick and then eat!) Do they know how many times I have asked a child upon returning from their visit to the toilet if they washed their hands and the child says, "No!" and I have to send them back?! Have they seen the way children love to touch each other, even though we ask them not to? Girls love playing with other girls' hair. Boys like to wrestle with other boys. Have they seen kids who love to whisper to each other? Let's not forget how many times I have to remind students to wear their masks properly. This includes reminding students to cover their noses, not to put their masks over their eyes like a blindfold, and not to keep taking it off to pick their noses. Do they see how hard we teachers are working to keep the children and our own self safe? I'm sure parents believe that every precaution is being taken at school, but I kind of wish they could see what actually is and isn't going on. I wish the administration would observe what's going on. No matter how worried and paranoid I might be feeling, I try to make sure that my students feel safe and comfortable when they are with me in the classroom. It's hard for all of us to see smiles since we have our masks on. But the students need to feel reassured that they are safe and that the learning environment is positive and stimulating so every ounce of energy is used to create that. I need to keep my students engaged and focused in the lesson. Yet, while I am teaching, my eyes are constantly scanning the room to make sure the students are safe and comfortable. If a student gets sick or has a bloody nose (yes, that's happened), I must react calmly so as not to let anyone feel anxious or worried even though I may be the one who is anxious and worried. I know my fellow teachers who are reading this understand what I'm saying. The pandemic has forced teachers to do their job while being on high alert at the same time. As much as we are trying to keep our children safe, we also have to make sure we are safe. It's challenging. It's emotionally draining. It's exhausting.

Personally, I think if the teachers and administrators are not taking the restrictions and suggested guidelines seriously, the students aren't going to either. When we came back to school right after the first emergency was lifted, there was a sense of caution still in the air. I was probably one of a handful of teachers who still wore my face shield in addition to my mask. We had a smaller number of students in our classroom. Students understood the new classroom rules and how they needed to follow these rules to keep everyone safe. But since the return to an almost normal schedule in September began, complete with school lunches, a lot of teachers and children seemed to have forgotten there was a pandemic. I really wonder how this latest situation will be handled and whether it will be possible for us to raise the level of awareness and severity. I feel like we need everyone to see how crucial it is for us to work together and if that means everyone staying at home and learning online until this pandemic gets under control, then I feel that's what we should be doing. If schools are going to remain open, I certainly hope the mental and physical health of the teachers are given just as much consideration and care as they are expecting us to give to the students. If we are expected to overseer everything in our classroom, surely teachers need to be seen and cared for, too. Please, see us, too.

We shall see what happens in the next few days.

xox