It could be worse...

...you could be a Japanese school kid.

Do not get me wrong- I am well aware that the U.K. does not have a perfect education system. Many children are failed by it and for a 'developed' country we have an disgustingly high level of illiteracy, and a high number of young people who drop out or are excluded before their minimum schooling needs are even met.

Yet, having lived in Japan now for almost 8 months, I feel a little qualified to comment on what I've seen of the Japanese education system. Admittedly I only get to see what happens in English lessons, but these are things that are bugging me/the reasons I'm glad I was never a Japanese school kid.

~ NO CENTRAL HEATING. Or air conditioning in the stupidly hot summers.

~ After school activities that once you've joined you cannot quit or swap to another club- hate it? Too bad- you're in that club for 3 years at least, come rain or shine.

~ Ijime (bullying)- sadly a fact of school life globally, but the number of victims committing suicide in Japan is such that playing 'hangman' with students is seen as inappropriate.

~ Fear of speaking out/ acute shyness. I have stood waiting for the answer to a simple question, twitching unbearably at how long a student is taking to answer and shyness plays a huge role in this. Even if classmates are whispering the answer, a lot of children lack such confidence that they are unable to utter a simple sentence. I have a third year boy (14/15 years old) who has curled up in a ball rather than speak to me. I have so many students who cover their mouths whilst talking, or get uncontrollable giggles, or look like they want to die rather than open their mouths.
It's painful for them, and it's painful to watch.

~ Disruptive kids who aren't disciplined. So much goes on in a Japanese classroom that wouldn't be tolerated for a second in England. Play up in a classroom in England and you're sure to be sent out of the classroom- do it enough and you can be excluded. Not a great solution for the problem child- but why should the rest of the class have to suffer?

~ Japanese teachers who don't speak English. Not a problem if you're learning Japanese- but not helpful if you are learning English.

~ Remember being put into ability level classes for certain subjects? Here in Japan- you decide what level you are. So we have low ability kids choosing higher level classes because that's where their friends are, or because they prefer the higher level status.

~ I am also driven crazy by the fact that worksheets are handed out at the same time as the answer sheets. I wander round the classroom and see answers being copied down mindlessly- yet ask the student what they've copied down and a look of confusion and panic crosses their faces as they've no idea. ARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!

~ Exam stress- it's all about getting into a good elementary school to get into a good junior high school to get into a good high school to get into a good university to get into a good job- they really are that linked over here- which means exams, exams, exams, and lots of learning by rote.

~ Cram schools- the pressure to succeed is such that many students who can afford to attend jukus (cram schools)- this is after a regular day of schooling, and several hours of their chosen after school activity. It means that high numbers of students often fall asleep in school the next day- and they are not woken up by anyone but are allowed to sleep!

~ I also see support here for single sex schooling- it could just be a Japanese thing but the boys get all the attention, they have far more confidence and a lot of the girls look like zombies- admittedly I'd look a bit out of it if I was sat in such a dull English lesson too (and I probably do sometimes), but I want to shake some of them. Too scared to raise their voice above a whisper when called upon, or to even offer an answer. I watched as a 1st year boy swiped a 1st year girl's cake that had just been given to her by a friend. She didn't say a word. I swiped it back off him and asked her whether she wanted it and she admitted that she did. I didn't have enough Japanese to ask her why she hadn't said so to the boy.

If I had a kid in Japan I'd seriously consider home schooling.

I wrote this entry on a cranky day- but sadly even on a good day all of the above stands.

And on with the pics...



I breathed on my lens to take this :)



And my favourite time of year has begun... *raised eyebrow*- can't it be the 26th of December already?!



Yasumi displays the new yummy winter dessert menu at Joyfull. (Not a typo- they use 2 'l's.)



A letter from my 2nd years at my favourite school (they were made to write it, but still- look, it's my beloved Elmo!)

Days till I'm back in the U.K. for Xmas: 18...

And the new vid from Rip Slyme who have a new album out that I'm seriously considering buying...

The kids are alright

I can't believe I've been writing this blog for so long and have yet to mention the kids that make this job bearable. Especially at my new school- the kids are such characters that I laugh everyday (a lot of the time I shouldn't be laughing, but I do anyway!)

There's this second year boy who squeezed himself into the small book cupboard unnoticed by the teachers during class. When they finally managed to drag him out of the cupboard and ask him why he did it- he said he liked the dark. But then this is also the kid who likes to stand behind people and make a praying motion behind their back. Sometimes he opens his mouth like he wants to bite them, but he doesn't...

There's also this first year boy who has some difficulty in class and clearly doesn't want to be there. But get him outside class and he's a different boy altogether. He'll wander into the staffroom and start randomly hugging teachers. Now Japan is not a huggy nation (me and my friend were talking about how we felt hug deprived just the other day)- but the teachers seem to be used to his sneak hug attacks. You should see his face while he bear hugs them too- he closes his eyes and smiles like he really needed that hug. It's kind of sweet to watch.

There's this first year girl who is always really happy to see me. She has a very quiet voice so she'll stand very close to me and we'll talk- or at least attempt to as she doesn't know much English and I am not going to be winning any awards for my Japanese speaking ability anytime soon... on the opposite end of the scale there is this really loud second year girl who just likes to yell at me "SING!" whenever she sees me. It's kind of painful on the ears..

My second year boys also have to get a mention. The ones who call themselves 'dirty boy' and like to ask me if I am erotic...Yes, you read that right- I can barely get them to string a whole sentence together but they know the word 'erotic'.

These are just a few of the characters who make my day at work everyday. Yes, I'll bitch and moan about being underused in the classroom, and I couldn't be happier that the summer holidays begin on Friday, but still, the kids are alright...


Some art by my students- check out the slightly disturbing image...


My third year girls at our Culture Festival




Me with my friend Eric's new baby Emily. I've been broody since the day I first learned that it was girls who had the babies- this doesn't help...


I want one! Well four actually- it's just the ripping, tearing, bleeding and pain bit that puts me off- maybe I'll adopt...