Frequently Asked Questions
What grade must students complete?
Students are required to complete school up to our equivalent grade of sophomore. When a person reaches the age of 15, he or she has a choice of continuing his or her education and going on to college or entering a trade school. College entrance requires two years of rigorous studying, (typically our Junior and Senior years) to pass an entrance exam. Even then there is no guarantee that a student will pass. Once the exam is passed, a student is be able to go to 'university' in Japan. It is more difficult to take the entrance exam than it is to actually attend "university." Also, while studying for the exam, students usually have no time for anything else, such as athletics.
Survey Answer: The Japanese School System
Ms. Ambra’s Perspective
Students start school at the age of 6, in first grade. They go to elementary school until 6th grade.
The Junior High School is three years: 7, 8, and 9.
High School is 10, 11, and 12.
The school year is 240 days, no Saturdays.
Students from grades 7th to 12th have after school activities until 5:00. This would include music, sports, and other activities.
The subjects include Reading, Writing, and especially Math and Science. History was taught but it has been told to me that they don’t focus on World War II. We didn’t see Humanities classes like we have. We were told that teachers “teach to the test” and that is why scores are high, especially in math. We were also told that not all students take the tests, only 50% go on to the University level. Others go to technical schools, or study for other types of work related jobs.
The 11th and 12th graders go to Cram School and study for the Entrance Exam to University if they want to continue their education at the University level. This rigorous study is hard on them. Many come to school and sleep during class. The teachers understand the pressure that Cram School has and their classes are a little more laid back. When students pass the exam, (which could take several tries) they often find that school life at the University level is not as difficult as Cram School. Once a student graduates from the University the corporate jobs are much easier to get. To make very good money in Japan students want these types of jobs.
While in school, students help clean up before school. You will see students raking leaves at Taira Junior High School on the website (www.bownet.org/lambra). You will also see students serving lunch and cleaning and stacking dishes after lunch. Then they move the desks and sweep the floor.
We noticed that there was a 10-minute break between classes at the Junior High and High School. We were concerned because this much break time was fairly unsupervised and if a school is concerned about bullying, this is when it could happen. We also felt that there wasn’t as much discipline in the classroom as we witness in our own classrooms in the United States. The most we saw was when one teacher put her hands on each side of a child’s face to “control” him. She kept right on teaching as she did this.
In the Kita Elementary School, students started learning English in the 4th grade. They were learning the names and pronunciation of sports with pictures in the class I witnessed. At the Taira High School the English class was playing Bingo and naming what they thought were favorite American things (like volleyball and pizza).
Students don’t have a day like “Presidents Day” but they happened to have our Thanksgiving Day off. It was a “Holiday,” that’s what we were told.
It appeared as if the students went to school for 40 days at a time starting in April and going to July, having a break and starting in Sept. and going until December. There is a 10 day break in December (and we saw Christmas trees!) and School reconvened in January and went until March. So they don’t get a large amount of time off like we do in the summer. They get longer breaks during the year.
Some students asked if it was harder to teach in Japan and learn student names. It is harder to get a teaching position in Japan. The school days are much longer. Teachers in the High School often are the ones that change classes, not students. As far as student names, they are as easy to the Japanese as our names are for us. Writing is the same way. Kangi writing is practiced very early in school. It is probably the equivalent as our English language cursive writing is to us.
Teachers’ clothes were relaxed like ours, much to my surprise. Our teachers that visited these schools were asked to wear ties to school and women- suits or dresses.
All teachers must have gone to a college or university in order to teach. We learned that in many cases teachers are only teaching for seven years in a particular school before they are transferred. Many teachers who were from Miyakojima wanted to end up teaching there. They don’t accept teachers into teaching after age 35! But if you are already a teacher you can stay in teaching.
Technology…the only technology I saw in schools was a laboratory. There were about 35 students in this technology lab. I saw Yahoo! in Japanese. The lab I saw was in the Jr. High.
There were no “Honors” classes in school. Students at all levels took music and art. Many times these teachers came to the classrooms, and as in the case of the kiln at the high school, students came to this classroom.
Class size at the Kita Elementary School was up to 25 students in 1st and 2nd grade. In 3rd grade there could be as many as 34 students. When a class size went over 34, another teacher would be hired.
As you could probably see from the pictures on “Japan Journal” the classrooms weren’t very big in size. There were cubbies in the back of the room for the elementary students’ backpacks. All these backpacks looked yellow.
From what I have read, teachers are involved with students. The teachers look at a student’s schedule and make sure they have a balance in their lives. Time for school, the arts, activities, free time, and study time. I READ about this, but didn’t see it.
Some of you asked about “enforcing a high level of respect”…well, I didn’t see this at any school. I think I have witnessed more at our schools. Teachers just kept on teaching when kids fooled around or tipped in their chairs or wore curtains on their heads. But this wasn’t in all classrooms, I think that some teachers just simply “commanded” more respect just by the nature of their teaching.
Hands-on teaching was witnessed when science students made “hot air balloons.” They decorated thin plastic bags as they wished, put thin wire on 3 or 4 places at the bottom of the “bag” (or opening) and had a small metal container with gauze inside which was soaked in a flammable fluid. They lit this gauze with a long-handled lighter and held the “bag” until it filled with hot air. Then they released the bag or balloon into the air to float upwards. I only witnessed one successful hot air balloon, but I do have it on tape.
The condition of the three schools was good, not great. But they were extremely clean. There were definite cracks in walls and older materials and worn out desks. The windows were open and fans (desk fans) attached to the ceilings (which my son thought was funny). No air conditioning! This climate was very warm, so I am sure the principals’ offices were able to be air- conditioned. Imagine summer temperatures if it was 80 in mid- November!
We found students to be polite and courteous. When two little girls from first grade came to invite me to their class for lunch, they held my hand the whole time we walked from “our” teacher space, where we met and took breaks, to their classroom. NO one spoke a word of English at this first grade lunch except me. I played finger games with the kids. We smiled a lot and showed each other things. After I gave the teacher a t-shirt from the Planetarium, she became extremely grateful and friendly and took me around the school to show me the teachers’ room, the office and the workroom. Then she gave me several packages of Origami paper.
The literacy rate in Japan is 100%! They feel it is a shame not to be able to read and write.
You may have noticed that students wear uniforms from grade 7 to grade 12. The socks and shoes are different! You will see this in many a picture. The children at the elementary school in Miyakojima often were barefoot after leaving their shoes at the entrance to the class.
We had to wear special rubber slippers into the classrooms. Everyone had to slip on the “bathroom” slippers when entering a toilet area. Cleanliness is emphasized all the time. Of course our feet all wore the same slippers! Ha, ha, ha. Thank you all for your survey questions. I appreciate the time you took to complete them!