This morning, I discovered that my desk was being used to store not lesson plans or writing utensils, but Ziploc-bagged cigarette butts found being smoked my students.
Some bags even contain gum or mints that students were trying to use to cover their tracks.
Each bag is logged with the perpetrator’s class number, because punishment is rarely placed on the individual. In Japan, the entire peer group gets reprimanded.
I’m not at all surprised. My students are between 13 and 15 years old, which seems about right for experimenting with bad habits. Surely, the bulk of their fathers are smokers. Cigs are still only 3 bucks a pack here, and smoking is still allowed in bars, restaurants, and even on trains.
But, come on, guys. You already use the top of my desk as storage space for all of your junk… Can you at least relinquish its interior?
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