Waiting for the Chimes

Early on, I wondered why teachers always waited for the chimes before even setting off to the classroom from their home-away-from-home in the teachers room.

My instinct as an instructor was to show up early, to take control of the domain, to get materials ready. A minute, or less even, before the bells chime would be plenty. Just setting the tone.

But here, they wait. Even if we set off for the classroom too early, we'll wait in the hallway until the bell rings.

In a flash, the students snap to attention. From a chaotic clatter to a snap-to-grid sense of order. Students in identical uniforms falling into line. The class leader calls out, they all stand. He calls again, they bow.

Until that moment, the room had belonged to the students. For the teacher to barge in before the bell would be an invasion of their space. Their 10 minutes between classes is a chance to release energy, for those who aren't already drained from hours of club/sports practice after school. In that break they can act like teenagers. They can change in or out of PE uniforms. They can get an early start on the lunch made by their mothers in the early morning.

At first, I thought the teachers were being lazy for waiting for those chimes. But they're just respecting the unspoken rules. Now, I am no longer uncomfortably shifting in my chair as the lesson start-time nears. No more nervous glances at my team-teaching partner. No more questions to the other ALTs: "Aren't Japanese people always early?"

So there's a small lesson. It only took 10 months to nail it down.