Comparing the Educational Experience

“International comparisons rank the United States a stunningly unimpressive eighteenth for high school graduation rates, a lackluster ranking of fifteenth for high school reading assessments among 15-year-olds in developed countries, and an embarrassing 25th for high school math.”: Former governor of West Virginia, Bob Wise is president of the Alliance for Excellent Education, a policy and advocacy group committed to improving the high schools. His book is “Raising the Grade: How High School Reform Can Save Our Youth and Our Nation”

Now, nearly everything I can claim to know about public education in the US is limited to what I read in the newspaper. I was fortunate (???) enough to go to parochial schools from grade 1 through university. After college I worked one year as an AmeriCorps volunteer in public high schools in Portland, Oregon, and after that for a year in alternative school settings for at-risk youth.

Now I have worked nearly one year in public elementary and junior high schools in Furano, Hokkaido, Japan. I am daily surprised by what I see here. Although Japanese students are famously far ahead of their American peers in learning math, science and languages, they also seem to be way ahead in arts as well. Not just those with special interest: ALL of them. All the students in my town receive extensive education in music (playing recorders, understanding the parts of a symphony, music history, chorus, conducting, and composing), even beyond what I learned as a high school student filling my schedule with music classes. In arts they all learn sketching, line drawing, pottery, painting, sewing and woodworking. In gym class they learn judo, kendo, basketball, dogeball, baseball, and DANCING. Boys and girls together, they do a lot of dance routines to modern J-pop songs (and, I'll add, the boys are not ashamed to do it - they're as excited and focused as the girls). I'm telling you, these kids are well-rounded and enjoy learning this stuff.



At one small school, the entire class of twelve students each played an instrument. One student conducted while all the others played their own unique instrument, and they sounded AMAZING. I could have recorded the music and sold it, it was that good. Their determination brought tears to my eyes. It isn't that Japanese students are necessarily more talented than American students... but that they are expected to achieve and have a good time doing it. They take pride in singing together as a class, or learning how to conduct in 6/8 time, or memorizing all the steps to a dance to their favorite band. These children, just like those at home, come from whole families and broken families. Some get tons of support and a hot breakfast every day. Some don't eat breakfast in the morning because there isn't enough food. Some are up till three in the morning because their parents don't care enough to turn off the TV and send them to bed. Kids here have the same challenges, but most of them here do perform better.

Other basic differences: Students take responsibility for and pride in their schools, a little more, because they do most of the cleaning. They serve their own lunches and eat with their homeroom classes. In Japan teachers move between classrooms and the homeroom class remains in their room for most classes (except domestic arts, PE, music or art). The homeroom teacher of each class is responsible for students to a surprising extent. If a student is caught shoplifting or out after curfew, is is the homeroom teacher who police call first. The teacher visits all students homes at least once a year to meet with the parent and see the condition of the home.

There is so much more I should write about: Japanese students' lack of creativity. Unwillingness to make mistakes. Respect and politeness to teachers and uperclasspeople. Military-like marching drills in PE and for special assemblies. Bullying. Curiosity-bordering-on-fear of the different. Abhorrence for being the outcast. Adult encouragement of student leadership skills. Uniformity as the standard for everything. Childlike open hearts, even through puberty. The pressure of entrance examinations. My observations about acculturation as they age. Poor eyesight and video games. School gardens. Politeness and generosity. These kids are gold, really.