"Mental Problems"

Deja vous.

The infinite cyber-space is now receiving another irritated blog entry about Mr. "B".
For the original complaint, please read Koren's blog from October 2005 here .
I remember when Lena first told me about Koren's problems with him and we read her blog together my first month in Japan so I could have an idea of what I was in for.

In the beginning of my time here however, Mr. B and I had no problems and got along swimmingly. We team taught together well and pulled off the English Camp in January with no big problems. He described himself to me as someone who "feels stress easily" and "has a difficult time with stress". He drank himself silly at enkais and seemed to really care about his students and their needs during school. I thought he had a horrible taste in music but a genuine interest in his students and worked hard.

Then this new school year began in April and things started going down hill. His oral communication class with the second-graders was the one class I wasn't supposed to have to worry about, but since April Mr. B has been giving me half-assed lesson plans and then not showing up for class. So I've had to try and pull off his lesson ideas for him when I don't really know what he wants his students to do. This is SO unfair to his students who aren't getting the English Com classes they should be getting.

So this morning I learned that he is taking 4 months off of school due to what the teachers describe to me as, "Mental Problems" and leaving the other JTEs with his workload.

Now, don't get me wrong, I am very empathetic to people who have genuine chemical imbalances that make it difficult to overcome anxiety or stress. I understand that there are those who suffer from depression that is so debilitating they can't perform at work or even take care of themselves. I understand that this happens, and have friends and some family who have to deal with mental disabilities that leave them really frustrated.

The problem I have with B's so-called depression is that it comes at very handy times for him, and he relishes it rather than find it frustrating or inconvenient.

As familiar as I am to the real illness of depression, I am also familiar with it being used as an excuse.

I am now left with the second year COM class to teach by myself for four months (though I hear they have substitute candidates, one of whom is 77 years old and the other is known in this area to be a real asshole). I don't mind taking over the COM class, in fact I'd like to give those kids something fun to do but my plate feels full enough as it is. I don't like having to accomodate someone else's personality flaws by adding to my workload. There are different personalities on this planet and I don't mind accomodating them in conversation or friendliness, but when it is detrimental for students and other teachers, I'm much less tolerant. I've been speaking with the other English teachers and they share the same opinion that this is not necessarily a debilitating anxiety disorder but rather a way to avoid work and be taken care of by someone else. It's a bitch and a shame.

Get well soon Mr. B.