先生：教育実習はどうですか。
学生：私が慣れないせいか、生徒が授業中に羽目をはずして困ります。
Hame wo Hazusu
Sensei: Kyooiku jisshuu wa doo desu ka.
Gakusei: Watashi ga narenai sei ka, seito ga jugyoochuu ni home wo hazushite komarimasu.
Teacher: How was your teaching practicum?
Student: Perhaps it was because I was new but during the class the students got out of control. I was at a loss what to do.
* * *
Hame wo hazusu refers to pulling out all the stops, letting oneself go, going wild, overstepping the bounds.
To qualify to become a teacher at a Japanese junior or senior high school, Japanese college seniors must, among other things, spend two weeks student-teaching. Students majoring in economics practice teaching social studies ; students majoring in physics teach science; and students majoring in English literature teach English. It clearly takes more than just head-knowledge to become a teacher-hands-on practice in necessary.
Most teachers at the schools the students visit, however, have a different perspective. "Jisshuusei no jugyo de wa, seito ga hame wo hazusu koto ga ooi (In the classes taught by the student-teachers, the students usually get out of control)." I asked the teachers to tell me what the students do when they get out of control (donna fuu ni hame wo hazusu'n desu ka). They replied that the students would speak in loud voices during the class, make fun of the teacher, tell jokes and even walk around the room. "Fudan wa otonashii seito made, hame wo hazusu'n desu yo (Even normally quiet students go wild)." The problem is apparently especially acute when the student-teacher is a cute, college coed. Then, hame wo hazusu seito ga ooi (there are a lot of students who get out of control). I'm sure most teachers think the two weeks is too long. It's hard for regular teachers to get their classes back to normal once the training period is over.
When I was in junior high, our class was filled with a fresh, young feeling whenever a student-teacher came. It was as if we were having a party. I thought, "Omoikkiri hame wo hazushite mitai (I'd really like to pull out all the stops)." Because of this, hame wo hazushitaku naru chuugakusei no kimochi ga yoku wakaru (I can really sympathize with junior high students wanting to have a crazy time).
All humans have times when they'd like to pull out the stops and paint the town red (name wo hazushitaku naru). This is especially true for people on group tours. I have sometimes witnessed the spectacles made by Japanese tour groups overseas "pulling out all the stops (hame wo hazushite iru kookei)." The scenes always make me want to run away.
A lot of people get out of control when they drink. The more normal the person usually is, the crazier they seem to become. Teachers and bankers seem to have the worst reputation. Normally required to be serious and calm, they must build up a lot of stress and frustration.
There must be times when you want to get a little crazy and wild (Hame wo hazushitaku naru toki ga aru hazu). When, I wonder, and why?