The Shoe Event Horizon

In Japan the job is all. Your job is more important than your family. At least it should be. In the novel ‘Jennifer Government’ the world is run by corporations, and employees take their surnames from their employers - John Nike and the like. This is what Japan and so on, but without the actual names. To this end in schools teachers are treated as ‘assets’ who are moved around schools, to keep things fresh. The teachers find out every year in April who is to leave and are given a week's notice when the names are released. At my school for example one third-grade teacher, the vice-principal, and the principal, have all been moved and new people installed from other schools. Last week ‘the list’ went up in my school, and the teachers all crowded round. An hour later the kyoto-sensei (vice-principal) was packing up a box and being bowed to by most of the staff. When I got back from Thailand yesterday he'd gone. Which is a shame because he was the nicest guy here and he seemed to like me; we'd talk about the weather, we'd point at things and laugh; we'd pick flowers. Plus he handled my time-off requests. His replacement is his deputy, who does not like me. The replacement for the deputy is a chap from some other place. Right now he is sat in his chair swinging from side to side and staring at the ceiling. Anecdotal evidence suggests these moves are mostly at random, regardless of ability. In some schools there are teachers who are so incompetent that other teachers don’t give them anything to do – but it’s impossible, or improbable, that anything will be done about them. They’ll be shuffled on to the next school because – well that’s just how it is.
As all the teachers were gathered around 'the list' I asked one of my JTEs about it:

"Gosh, the teachers must have been very nervous this week"
"Ah yes, many teachers do not know, so they are knowing now"
"It must get frustrating, being moved around every three years"
"No, the teachers must move"
"Yes, but isn't it annoying to have to move?"
"All teachers must move at some time"
"Hmm. Where is the principal going?"
"He is going to ****** school"
"Ah, so, is that a promotion for him?"
"Ummm, it is not important. It is a different school"
"So it's a sideways move? Is it a better school?"
"...."
"Hmm. I see. Won't it affect the school though? Wouldn't it be better to have continuity? Isn't it difficult to have these upheavals?”

To which she looked at her feet and did the head-side-to-side thing that Japanese people do when there's a possibility of expressing their own opinion on an official matter - they might want to disagree but they actually really cannot do it. You can almost see the words DOES NOT COMPUTE scrolling across their eyes. The Japanese, my teachers at least, can’t disagree with anything official. Many times I have suggested something or tried to correct something, for example the textbook which is always using incorrect words out of context - it's either written by Japanese speakers of English or merely morons - and the teacher will look at me like I've just defecated on the desk. Many of my conversations end with me trailing off – after realising the futility of trying – and them going obliviously back to their work. Sometimes when I’m discussing something with them I feel like they have put their hands over their ears going “lah lah lah I cant hear you lah lah…”