the schools

so. this might be my last post. and I'm a week behind. time to get moving

last tuesday we went to an elementary school, which was one of the most invigorating experiences ever. the amount of play going on there was unbelievable. music and art are compulsory throughout all education, and there were first graders singing it's a small world after all in japanese when we walked in. people started crying. the energy there was unreal. out on the playground, they were running all over the place, 500 kids, with about 2 teachers passively supervising. when we asked what would happen if a kid got hurt, they responded "learn not to do it again"

during their 10 minute recess, they spent 5 minutes running around wherever they wanted and 5 minutes mandatory jumprope time

they served themselves lunch and scrubbed and cleaned the building afterwards. I participated in their english lessons, and the first question they asked me was "how tall are you?" the second question they asked me was "have you ever met anyone taller than you?"

admittedly, there was something different in the way, during the music class, they transitioned from activity to activity, song to song so fluidly, at the systematic prompting of the changing music. the music was more for team building, and even nation building than it was for individual expression

after one brave kid started to rub my beard, a slew of them came over and rubbed my face. like a chia pet. we just had so much fun

facts about elementary school:
1) grades 1-6
2) all teachers must be able to swim and play the piano
3) there are no buses (this is for all schools), just local schools. all students walk to school, and parents volunteer to play traffic guard
4) students learn english starting in grade 5 (this is very new)


the junior high we visited on the second day could not have been more opposite. nestled high in the mountains, shrouded in mist, with open-air corridors, somehow, the atmosphere was oppressive. during the welcome assembly, when asked to stand, for five minutes straight, the students scuffed their feet and made squeaking noises -- a subversive activity that is impossible to catch, which is the hallmark of rebellion under oppression. where there was energy and excitement in the english class in the elementary school, this english class went like this:
in a monotonous voice, the teacher said "fff fff fish. fff fff fishing. fff fff fat, now repeat after me" after going through the letters f-j, she had them write each of those words 5 times. then she asked them if they knew what the words meant. there was no interaction, no way for her to check if kids were following along, bunches of kids with their heads down, sleeping. it was teacher as fount of knowledge and students as receptacle. I had to leave. it was one of the most upsetting things I've seen, actively watching students be brainwashed

you know how in the us, we hold japan up as the gold standard of education? we try to replicate things that they do, to get such high scores on international tests. well, they are trying to replicate what we do in that we produce independent thinkers, capable of critical thought. their students do not ask questions and do not express their opinions. to an extreme, creepy extent

the one room that I walked into that was good was the calligraphy room. it had a palpable sense of energy -- students hard at work, admittedly, practicing the same thing, over and over again, but with care and diligence. fascinating to watch

during the 10 minute passing of class, the students were allowed to run all over the place, go crazy, let off steam from being pent up. but then the bell rings and they file back into their rooms

junior high is from 7-9. junior high is the end of compulsory education. I played a gym teacher in pingpong and beat him

last of the school visits was the senior high school, an arts high school. I knew I was going to like the school when the principal gave us postcards with student artwork on it, and a lit mag, which were far better than anything I'd ever seen a high school student produce. we went for a tour of their school and saw more artwork that just blew me away. the building was magnificent, overlooking an ancient japanese castle. the principal then spoke of their emblem being a phoenix, because they conceived of each of their students as a baby phoenix who would eventually grow into a full-fledged impassioned bird of fire. then we sat in a music class and learned (or in my case, tried to learn) how to play the bamboo flute. then we went to a calligraphy class and made (or in my case, butchered) some calligraphy, with students as our teachers

then we went into the classrooms which stunned me with more instances of rote memorization and fount/receptacle teaching. students slept, the teacher talked, he asked them to repeat after him. there was no reflection and no engagement. maybe once in the 50 minute class did the teacher ask a question. just terrible stuff, enough to kill anyone's spirit. it was at such odds with what I had heard and seen. such passion and expertise in the art. expression aching to burst out

then I met an american guy who was teaching english in japan and I invited him out with us for drinks and I got a really fascinating perspective on this stuff


this is actually a good place to end. then I had my host stay, which was unremarkable (sat-sun) back to tokyo on sunday, and lectures yesterday and today (one on environmental education, ben) which were interesting, but not really worth blogging about. tomorrow we have presentations, and I was elected to talk because I overslept today and then thursday I take off. I have millions more to say, without the time (or truthfully, the energy to say it) and you have all temporarily been spared my philosophical musings on the society, the culture, the economy, the education and the experience over here. you will all doubtlessly be treated to that when I return. also, when I get home, I'll probably throw some pictures up as I wade through my 2,000+ pictures, so keep checking occasionally. thank you all for being interested enough to read my ramblings

see you all on the flip side. of the pacific ocean, that is