As we continue to tour different schools throughout Japan, it is clear there are common themes throughout all schools we visited. At Seimeigaoka Elementary School in Osaka City, our delegation was escorted directly to the school assembly stage, where we introduced ourselves to a large pool of students, and watched the assembly as honored guests. Four brave sixth graders approached us and shared valuable information about their school and Osaka City in English, then the whole school sang songs in English and Japanese. I was so touched by their kindness and how happy they were to have us!
While touring the school grounds, we observed students participate in classes like swimming and music. I thought it was interesting that classroom teachers dove into the swimming pool and swam right alongside with their students. Like all the schools we’ve seen so far, students greeted us warmly with, “Hello!” “My name is....” and the most popular question so far, “How old are you?”
Like many of the Japanese schools we visited, Seimeigaoaka is focusing on elevating their English education. The principal acknowledged the fact Japan is now part of a more global society, and the need to speak English fluently and clearly are essential parts of being good communicators. In the elementary schools, the curriculum focuses more on communication skills and building an interest in the English language and culture. Beginning middle school and throughout high school, the curriculum is geared more towards acquiring English grammar skills, mainly because that is what students will be tested on in their entrance exams. So students are not necessary better communicators, just more skilled at the technical knowledge needed to pass entrance exams. An issue some of the educators we've met acknowledged and are working on addressing.
Several of the Japanese schools we visited, like Sakai Municipal Fukai Elementary School, are investing in native speaking, full-time English teachers to teach English to 4th and 5th grade students across the city. Parents often supplement with private tutoring in English to give their kids an added advantage. While these education boards provide a set curriculum, the teachers, depending on their comfort level and support from their principals, can use additional resources to help differentiate their learning.
In Japan, educators retire by age 60, but principals have an added benefit. In some prefectures, they can be hired back for an three additional years. Some principals may not even have an educational background, but are good leaders with strong ties to their prefectures. There seems to be a strong desire to hire young teachers. It’s a long term investment, and younger teachers have been described as more passionate and flexible towards more innovative instructional ideas, like teaching English as a second language to their students. Teacher hours in general are long. While officially they may be expected to work from 8 to 5 pm. They often stay as late as 9 pm to complete their preparation and grading for the next day.
PTA involvement varied in different schools. We saw some schools with strong, visible ties to the PTA. In fact, most schools described their teachers’ evaluation process as mainly conducted by the parents. Surveys are sent home asking parents to rate their child’s teacher based on several criteria. Principals review these surveys and cite any glaring discrepancies. Principals also have their own evaluation process, but it seems to vary from prefecture to prefecture.
Cleanliness and a sense of conformity to their classroom and school community is another strong theme that I’ve noticed across all schools. Students take the responsibility to clean and maintain their classroom. They all have their own individual rag to clean the classroom, and are assigned to sweep the hallways and clean the bathrooms. Of course the schools have a custodial staff, but students take ownership of cleaning up after themselves and keeping their school well-maintained. Again and again, we've seen lunch as another communal experience. Students are assigned to bring up all the serving utensils, and their food and drink, like rice pots, soup, and milk. They have an intricate assembly line to serve up their meals. It was so impressive to see students from first grade on serving and cleaning up after themselves. They were all so diligent and took such pride in their classroom and school.
I can not emphasize enough how welcome and happy the teachers, students and staff were to see us across all schools. Our delegation is amazing and Hosana, our JCCC coordinator leading the delegation, is simply extraordinary in her ability to navigate every minute detail in our itinerary. She is concise and is always on step ahead in her planning. She has great knowledge and a personal passion for her Japanese history, culture and heritage, and she has enriched the JEEP experience for all of us. I am so fortunate to have her with us.
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AuthorNashwa Mekky is a 5th grade teacher in Arlington Heights, and a 2014 JEEP Delegate. Archives
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