School Life
Trip Start
Jul 27, 2006
1
6
19
Trip End
Aug 2007
Miwa,
Japan
Friday, October 27, 2006
01. Skaaaaating......
. It definitely makes the day go faster. I teach 3 grades of junior high students. They are 1st-3rd grade and they are 12-15 yrs old, and you can tell!! This is the equivalent of 7-9th grades in America. The first grade students are really lively and full of energy. They definitely keep things interesting, which I find totally hysterical. The second graders are still pretty lively but have mellowed out since the first grade. They can still be a pretty big riot though. And the third grade is so quiet. Its hard to get a peep outta them. Which is frustrating when you know they know the answer but are just too shy to say it. Its because in 3rd grade junior high there is a lot of stress and pressure put on them to be the best. High school is not mandatory and test scores from your 3rd grade junior high year determine what kind of high school you will go to whether its a private, public, technical, or no high school. I guess like 97%of the students do attend high school though even though its not compulsory. In the classroom my roles varies by grade and teacher. I work with six teachers all with their own teaching style. In the third grade Im more of a reference and someone to practice speaking with. I do alot of pronunciation and explaining of the natural way things are said. This is getting harder and harder the longer I am here because I am constantly forgetting how to speak how I did at home!! In the second grade there is alot of role-playing with dialogue and games. Its fun!! Some of the students are so shy, especially when they have to do a dialogue with me
02. Morikatsu
. But, if you get stamps involved they get motivated pretty quick to see who can get the most stamps!! And the first grade is pretty much just fun and games. They are so loud there`s not much else to do with them, especially with their limited attention span. So, typically the teacher and I will do a lesson for the first half of class, explaining meaning, teaching new words etc...then the second half is almost always dedicated to a game. I have about 650 students all together!! Recently in the second grade we did a lesson on the differences between school in Japan and school in America. It was pretty interesting and the students might want to go to school in America now. Ok. So here are the differences we discussed. 1) In Japan the students have to bring all of their textbooks home every night whether or not they have homework. This was not the case when I was in school. We had lockers to keep our books in. 2) In Japan the students have to come to school during summer vacation which is only the month of August. They come for club activities and all the students have to come at least for 2 days at some point throughout the summer. I know when I was in school, you couldnt get me near that place during summer vacation, which is 3 months!! 3) In Japan the students arent allowed to bring any candy or snacks to school. And they are definitely not allowed to eat in the classroom (except at lunchtime when everyone, even the teachers, eat school lunch in the classroom, no one is allowed to leave). I always kept snacks in my locker to eat between classes
03. School View
. And they were really shocked when I told them that sometimes we even have parties where we can eat in the classroom!! 4) Japanese students clean the schools here. There arent Janitors like there is in America. Amazing! 5) They have inside slippers, shoes for the gym, shoes to wear outside, bathroom slippers, and the shoes they wear to and from school. The students and teachers here (well, the Japanese in general) change shoes alot. I wish you coulda seen their faces when I said we wear the same tenner shoes in the gym as we wear outside running or playing! 6) None of the students in Japan are allowed to have earings. Boys or girls. No one. This is impressive considering we can have nose rings, eye brow rings, multiple ear piercings and its no problem. 7) All the students wear uniforms everyday. Navy blue sailor lookin things with skirts for the girls and black suit things for the boys. We definitely dont have uniforms unless youre going to Catholic school or something. Again, they were shocked. 8) The Japanese get more homework than American students. This is mostly due to the fact that American students get a study hall to finish their homework in. They were so jealous when they heard this. They dont get that. Homework is just that homework. 9) The majority of the students also come to school on Saturday for club activities. This is normal. They really do expect alot out of the students here. I havent quite decided if its good or bad yet. Its hard to know where to draw the line. But, the students seem happy so I guess there`s not a problem
04. Students
. Im just happy they havent asked me to come to school on Saturdays!! I couldnt imagine! 10) English is compulsory from 1st grade of Junior high through high school with an introduction in elementary school. There is no mandatory foreign language requirement like that in America. 2 years in high school I think. And even then we get a choice between a few different ones. 11) The teachers and school administrators are allowed to smoke on school grounds and in the school (only in the principals room). Its quite normal when there is a big meeting to get a whiff of cigs coming out of the conference room. This isnt hidden from the students at all either. They could be outside for gym class and the teachers will go stand outside and watch while smoking a cig. I never recall anything like this in America. No one even thinks twice about it. I dont think its sending the best anti-smoking message to the students. But, this is their culture. Every male over the age of 25 smokes and smokes alot I swear! 12) There are no buses. The students either walk or ride a bike to school. No parents dropping them off. This is a luxury I had and it was great!! 13) Another quick note about school lunch, all the teachers and students eat the same thing. They eat lunch in their homeroom classroom. Students switch off serving lunch and get all decked out in chef lookin gear with a surgical mask so they dont spread germs. Quite honestly I think this is a good thing that the students arent allowed to leave. We had open lunch, and I think it gave too many students time to get in trouble. Not me of course ;) haha! 14) The classrooms are neither heated nor air conditioned. They use the marvel of a breeze to keep cool by opening up all the windows. Or the lack of a breeze to keep warm by shutting all the windows. Its really kinda like teaching outside. Everything is so open. So, there you have it. Alot more differences than I was planning on writing but they just kept coming to me!! Hope you find this interesting. I know I did!! Pictures coming soon, as usual!!! 
