Going home so soon?

Today was my 5th day of being at my desk all day. Luckily, they have been scattered over 3 calendar weeks. At this point, I can't even image how interminable summer break would be without taking vacation days. 5 WEEKS of sitting at your desk? I'd gnaw off my hands by the third week, just for something to do...

The Japanese take beginnings and endings very seriously. I was glad I was warned that a formal bow and greeting would be forthcoming from every member of the staff as a way of acknowledging the new year, or I would have been mightily confused as to why all the staff had simultaneously decided to show me extra respect today. I also started to wonder why the bowing didn't happen yesterday, before realizing that we were all too busy shoveling snow to observe the formal ritual. With 95% of the staff back to school today, bows were happening all over the place...

After finishing lesson plans for the remainder of the school year for the 7th grade yesterday, I manage to finish lesson planning for both the 8th AND 9th grades today. So, yes, in 5 days I have planned 3 months of lessons for 3 grades. I'm a first year teacher, mind you. This is my first go-'round with all of these texts. Every time I have a successful lesson, I file it away for next year. For the life of me, I can't figure out what keeps my teachers at school until 9pm every night. Except for not wanting to go home, that is...

Like every day of the "break," I take the opportunity to follow my contract literally and leave at 4pm. Most of my colleagues in my position at other schools do that all the time. In the interest of solidarity, etc etc, I usually stay at school until 5pm, even when I have little to do, and often I am actually working much later than that. Despite the fact that I stay late all the time, and that I am one of about 5 teachers who has been at school every day over the break, I still feel the stink-eye when I go home at 4pm. Feels just like the days of working in the movie biz... I half expect someone to make the crack about working "bankers' hours" that I used to get when putting in less than a 12-hour day when doing payroll (never mind if I had worked 18-hours the day before)...

To think that I moved countries and careers to get AWAY from that unhealthy attitude... oh well.