”。。。まゆ髪をちゃんと上げてください。”

”皆さんの顔は可愛くなくて、怖いです。まゆ髪をちゃんと上げてください。”　－斉藤のり子先生 ("Your faces look scary, so please lift up your eyebrows." -Saito Noriko-sensei)

is what our perfectionist music teacher told the soon-to-be graduates of Motomiya Second Junior High School three years ago. They were practicing a song to be sung to the remaining students and parents. But I suppose, perhaps due to the cold temperature, their faces didn't look happy. And being the perfectionist and hard-worker that Noriko-sensei is, she told the students to lift up their eyebrows. I was only watching from the side, so I couldn't see the changes. But it must have helped, because she seemed to be pleased at the end of practice.

I have been told that I have a scary face many many times. I do not mean to scare people. I do get angry, but I'm usually not. I don't know what I look like because I don't have a mirror hanging over my face 24/7. But I wonder what Goto-sensei and Owada-sensei think of me.

Goto-sensei and Owada-sensei are the two scariest teachers at my JHS. I, a co-worker of theirs not a student am scared of them. They sit right in front of me and I stare at them all day. I wonder how they could be so scary. Do they practice? You can feel the tension in the room build up when they are angry. And I always stare.

Sometimes they glance back at me. But they return to their business. I wonder if my 'scary face' makes them think that I am mad at them for yelling at our cute students. Maybe I should lift up my eyebrows, too. Lilly and Vincent suggested keeping my mouth open. Maybe I should do both. But what if these things make me look even angrier?

Goto-sensei and Owada-sensei, I'm sorry for staring. I know you do what you do because you only want the best for your students. I just can't help it... You guys are scary...