Ichi/Any other teachers in Japan : how is the stink of children?

[dcharlie]

The works football team play soccer at a number of sports grounds that are linked to schools, and they all have one awesome thing in common:

No showers.

We asked about this a while ago at one of the places to see what the schoolgoers do after P.E.

and the answer was basically "they don't wash"

so i needs to know! Do you have classes after PE/Gym and do all the children smell?

[FlameOfCallandor]

When i went to japanese school, i never smelled anything bad.

[Ichirou]

I teach at two high schools.  At the regular high school, the kids don't smell at all, even after gym.  At the technical school, there are a number of smelly kids, but I'm not sure that has to do with gym class.  Some of the technical school students have really bad hygiene.

BTW, I'm glad I'm not the only one who says "gym."  I've had to get used to saying P.E. since none of the English teachers understand what I'm saying otherwise.

[MrAngryFace]

Grade School kids won't stink from sweat cause puberty hasn't kicked in yet.

[Candyflip]

My highschool didn't have showers either. Has deodorant been introduced to the eastern world yet?

[Phoenix Dark]

Grade School kids won't stink from sweat cause puberty hasn't kicked in yet.

You haven't met my brothers 

[bork]

Back in my school days, there were showers in JHS and HS, but no one ever used them.  I don't remember there being a stink except for a few people here and there.

The JHS kids I teach rarely stink from sweat after their P.E. classes, but sometimes when I walk around the classroom, I do get a whiff of some slight body odor.  They don't use deodorant.

What's generally bad for a number of kids, usually boys, is breath.   

[bagofeyes]

yeah, how come they havent invented deodorant over here yet?

[Ichirou]

I just use that Axe body spray stuff now, but I used to bring gel deodorant with me from back home.

[bagofeyes]

I get deodorant sent over from auz

[xnikki118x]

Back in my school days, there were showers in JHS and HS, but no one ever used them.  I don't remember there being a stink except for a few people here and there.

Same here, except only high school for me. At my elementary/junior high, the older kids were transported to the local CYC (think the same thing as a YMCA) for gym, and we only showered after swimming--that was the only time we had a chance to shower because we'd be scheduled to be there longer or whatever.

At my high school though, there was a gym with locker rooms and showers. I don't think anyone used the showers ever the entire time I was in high school. Hell, I wouldn't have been surprised if the plumbing didn't work or anything. I personally didn't think they were that bad, since not only did I have gym previously at the CYC but I also swam competitively for them for like 7 years so I spent a LOT of time in CYC showers. The showers at my school were pristine compared to the ones at the CYC. There was this stigma though, that the showers were OMGDISGUSTING and I really think people would have been chastised if they did shower there, hah.




Sorry, guys, I'm really wordy tonight.

[etiolate]

You wordy woman! You best be sorry! Talkings for the mens folks! Nows go crochets Ecro a new sweater!

[Synbios459]

I thought Japanese people were all about being clean by whatever means necessary?

[Phoenix Dark]

I just use that Axe body spray stuff now, but I used to bring gel deodorant with me from back home.

Heh, same here. I still have shit loads of that Gilette deodorant gel. I ordered so much from my friend in the US. Problem is, it left white crap all over my clothes because the washing powder here is shit too.

Axe is awesome, but it could really do with a little anti-perspirant in it too. I dunno what's up with Japanese people being against that 

?

People do wear deodorants in Japan...right?

[Ichirou]

Of course.  They're just not as strong as Western deodorants, for whatever reason.  Westerners are just smelly, I guess. :/

[bork]

I had to stop using my American deodorant for a long time when I got here; I was told by the sweaty, stanky B.O. and coffee breath teachers and students that *I* smelled-- because my "perfume" was too strong.     It was mostly the JTE in charge of making my schedules and such; she kept saying "everyone" had a problem with it, but after she got transferred away (this was an awesome day), no one said a word.  Her conversations literally went like this:

JTE- There is...a smell.

Me-    Uh...is it a bad smell?

JTE- No, it's not bad.  Do you wear perfume?

Me- Actually, I do have on some cologne. 

JTE- 

Me- Cologne.  It's like perfume for men.

JTE- PLEASE DO NOT USE THIS FROM TODAY.

Me- Uh, okay.

***A week later***

JTE- There is a smell.

Me- Uh...I stopped using the cologne.

JTE- DO YOU WEAR THE PERFUME??  I TOLD YOU NOT TO USE IT SOME TEACHERS AND STUDENTS COMPLAIN.

Me- I just said I stopped using it.  Maybe it's my deodorant.  It's from America.

JTE- PLEASE USE JAPANESE SPRAY FROM TODAY.

And this went on and on and on.  I ended up having to switch detergents and fabric softeners, too.  I don't know what this lady's problem was...it got to the point that I was no longer friendly about it and started getting pissed off.  Once after a school concert day, that I came to even though I didn't have to work, she got another teacher to tell me to "please take a shower" before coming to the faculty party that evening.  I got pretty angry and told the guy as calmly as I could that I had stopped using cologne, changed my deodorant, AND it also happened to be that the clothes I was wearing were brand new and freshly cleaned.  But once she was gone, so were these issues.  I knew it was just her, because she always said the exact same "SOME TEACHERS AND STUDENTS COMPLAIN" line, but I wasn't around other teachers during this time, and if the kids didn't like it, they would have said so.  The kids here aren't shy about that kind of thing.

Nowadays I just use Japanese spray and I'm fine.  I think I might try out Axe though.

[MrAngryFace]

Unscented deoderant has always been the way to go. Why would I want people to know when im sweating?

[Phoenix Dark]

its bad for hand to hand crack sales!

[recursivelyenumerable]

The showers at my school were pristine compared to the ones at the CYC.

were the showers at the CYC clogged with Catholic guilt?

[xnikki118x]

You wordy woman! You best be sorry! Talkings for the mens folks! Nows go crochets Ecro a new sweater!

I wish I could crochet. Seriously. Like you have no idea how cool I think it would be. You can make SO. MUCH. STUFF. I fail at crochet.

The showers at my school were pristine compared to the ones at the CYC.

were the showers at the CYC clogged with Catholic guilt?

They weren't clogged, they were just old. Very old.

We had a lot of cockroaches, though. Like, the girls on the team knew better than to leave their bags open because you could end up with roaches in your bag. We also knew better than to step on a roach, because if it's carrying eggs you can actually bring them home on your shoe and they can hatch in your house [trufax].

The floor wasn't covered with them or anything, but you saw one, alive or dead, probably every other day which is a lot.


Now my local high school, though...the wrestling room in the basement of the "new" building wasn't used as often as the CYC's locker room, so that floor was covered in roaches all the time. You'd turn on a light and they'd all scurry away, but there'd be a dead one or two left behind. Yeah, hah.

[bagofeyes]

I had to stop using my American deodorant for a long time when I got here; I was told by the sweaty, stanky B.O. and coffee breath teachers and students that *I* smelled-- because my "perfume" was too strong.     It was mostly the JTE in charge of making my schedules and such; she kept saying "everyone" had a problem with it, but after she got transferred away (this was an awesome day), no one said a word.  Her conversations literally went like this:

JTE- There is...a smell.

Me-    Uh...is it a bad smell?

JTE- No, it's not bad.  Do you wear perfume?

Me- Actually, I do have on some cologne. 

JTE- 

Me- Cologne.  It's like perfume for men.

JTE- PLEASE DO NOT USE THIS FROM TODAY.

Me- Uh, okay.

***A week later***

JTE- There is a smell.

Me- Uh...I stopped using the cologne.

JTE- DO YOU WEAR THE PERFUME??  I TOLD YOU NOT TO USE IT SOME TEACHERS AND STUDENTS COMPLAIN.

Me- I just said I stopped using it.  Maybe it's my deodorant.  It's from America.

JTE- PLEASE USE JAPANESE SPRAY FROM TODAY.

And this went on and on and on.  I ended up having to switch detergents and fabric softeners, too.  I don't know what this lady's problem was...it got to the point that I was no longer friendly about it and started getting pissed off.  Once after a school concert day, that I came to even though I didn't have to work, she got another teacher to tell me to "please take a shower" before coming to the faculty party that evening.  I got pretty angry and told the guy as calmly as I could that I had stopped using cologne, changed my deodorant, AND it also happened to be that the clothes I was wearing were brand new and freshly cleaned.  But once she was gone, so were these issues.  I knew it was just her, because she always said the exact same "SOME TEACHERS AND STUDENTS COMPLAIN" line, but I wasn't around other teachers during this time, and if the kids didn't like it, they would have said so.  The kids here aren't shy about that kind of thing.

Nowadays I just use Japanese spray and I'm fine.  I think I might try out Axe though.

wtf? crazy