This elementary school is in a residential area of Ikeda City, Osaka. There are 498 students in the school in grades first through sixth. Kindergarten for the most part is done privately. If I had to characterize this school in just a few words I would say it is a very happy, relaxed place where students and teachers are comfortable learning and working together, no stiffness or rigidness here. The actual learning environment in this school dispelled all previous notions I had had about Japanese schools.
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When you enter any school you need to change out of shoes and put on slippers. This is an important Japanese custom. You can bring your own slippers, or like I did, use the ones they have for visitors. Shoes are left in a little locker. |
Many of the younger students wear these yellow safety hats. All students walk to school, there are no buses. In the high school they ride the subway, walk, or ride bicycles, no buses there either. These are first graders who were going on a field trip to the zoo.
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Here is the principal of the Ikeda City Itabashi Elementary School. His name is Kuzuhide Fujiwara. As is always the case after a visit, we have an opportunity to ask questions. Someone asked the principal what he is most proud of in his school. He said they are a school that has the majority of the area's handicapped students. He feels that that is a positive influence on the entire school community. All the students are kind and warm-hearted as a result. |
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Look at the computer keyboard. It has English letters and Japanese symbols. There are three types of Japanese writing http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/japan/language.html . The computer teacher didn't speak English and the interpreter wasn't there, but I'm guessing these letters are Katakana. I'll have to do more research. Or maybe you can and submit on the blog to me. |
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Students in Japan use Powerpoint??!!!! They were doing a presentation on the Peace monument. |
When they get instructions they sit on the floor in front of the screen, then go back to their computers to get to work. Students get computer class once a week. I didn't see any computer work going on in classes, and only one or two computers here and there. If this school is representative of the Japanese schools, we definately have more computer work in the classrooms in the U. S. |
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Each of the American teachers were kind of adopted by a classroom. I went to a fifth grade class. They were so much fun. They all wanted my autograph - HA! and wanted to sit next to me. They seemed quite advanced to me in math, and they all wanted to go to the board to do problems.
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Lunch is prepared by the students, served by the students, and the students clean up. Teachers eat in the class too. By the way, teachers are with the students at all times during the 8:30-4:00 day, no breaks. Good thing the girls wanted me to be with them the whole time or I wouldn't have known what to do. |
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... and every single Japanese student eats every drop of what is served. If they do not feel they are going to finish their milk, they do not open it at all. I felt bad because I didn't know this and I ended up pouring mine out. |
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After lunch a bell rings. The bell isn't really a bell, it sounds like beautiful church chimes, that's the case in the high school too. I think we should have that and get rid of the lousy buzzers. Anyway, every single student cleans - they clean the bathrooms, the stairs, the halls, everywhere! I think we should have that too!! Good thing I'm 6770 miles away you can't throw things at me students. HA!
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Ok music teachers and students, the music was the highlight of the day, as it is when I hear you all play. Enjoy the movie below. |
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