6.18.2020

Today in class, we worked on our slides that unfortunately, are ineligible for presenting this term, because of the scheduling of grades. When Mr. Paterson announced that we were no longer presenting,  I was relieved at first because the pressure lifted off of me, but it also made me wonder what the grading system would be. Since presentations, the majority of our final grades were postponed, I had to work on perfecting the slides which were difficult for me because I take a lot of time just to choose the photos that fit my theme. For my slides, I've decided on with an eerie feeling set in the 19th century, so the photos are mainly black and white with a navy color scheme. Despite those settings, I felt that the font (at this time was Ariel) that I'd chosen was too futuristic. From last year, we were taught to pick a font that is compatible with dyslexic people, therefore the fonts were smooth with no tails. However, the book, which is set in the 1940s didn't match the aura, so I had asked Mr. Paterson about prioritizing the theme or the audience, which the decision ended up in my hands. To be frank, I would prioritize the slides, just because this term will be graded upon our material, and also because there is a big difference in the atmosphere when altering between modern fonts and old ones. When I try to use dyslexic free fonts, it seems too dystopian but in reality, the book is set before 2020 so it may confuse the audience. Thinking about whether the slides would be confusing context-wise, or be confusing physically, I would've sacrificed the latter. Therefore, I decided to stick with Times New Roman as an exception for the current theme.

Something that intrigued me was about our grade deadlines. Mr. Paterson had told us that our final grades were due on the 20th, but then it begs the question of the purpose of attending the last week of school. When the school announced that classes were ending a week later than usual, it didn't make sense, as in, if we weren't getting any summative work done, then what are we supposed to learn? Perhaps we might start the second-semester curriculum but I wasn't sure if one week would make a difference. Maybe the administrators wanted all schools to be at the same pace, thereby setting a deadline for grades, which can assess all students equally. However, some schools such as in the Kyushu prefectures, are prolonging their classes for a month or so, so it isn't clear, why we need our grades earlier. I had thought that the curriculum for compulsory education is unified throughout Japan, but the pandemic shows striking differences in how certain schools adapt to unprecedented situations, which I thought reveals the lack of authority from the government. If I was a student and told that we only have 2 weeks or so of summer vacation, I would definitely want to protest. It is absurd that students, who have attended classes the same way as others, are having their precious break time that they earned, being snatched away. I hope that the country clarifies certain regulations that should be followed no matter if the school is privatized or not, in order to reduce unfairness between academics. 

As of last week, I have gotten very used to attending school by nine. I'm not on the train during rush hours, and I can breathe the difference; like the air isn't heavy during the stops at busy stations. I feel more focused too since I get to sleep longer and efficiently. It is more likely that school will start from 8:30 by second-semester, but I sure will cherish this moment, and use the time to the fullest. Like for example, to finish my presentation slides because we've been given the exact due date.