A Day at School

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I started teaching today, so I figure now is a good time to tell you all about the average school day. American schools and Japanese school have extremely little in common, much to my surprise. Therefore, I will tell you the more interesting things that occur during the course of the day. The school day here goes from 8:00 to 4:00, but every single student is involved in a club activity that lasts until 6 or 7. Since school buses are non-existent, all the students must either walk or ride their bikes to school, as much as thirty minutes each way. Everyone is required to wear a uniform that varies according to the activity. For academics, the uniform consists of a white button-down shirt and dark blue pants, and for sports it is a white t-shirt and blue shorts or warm-up pants. The teachers even decide whether the students should wear the shirt tucked in or not. There is absolutely no individuality in terms of what to wear.
Each period is fifty minutes, but teachers can over the time limit as they please. The class does not end until the teacher says the class is finished. Instead of bells to mark the end, there is a series of chimes that are much more pleasing to the ear than the American version.
The most striking thing about the school is the total absence of other workers. There are no cooks, aides, janitors, or guards. Basically, there is no one except teachers, the assistant principal, principal, and a couple of office workers. You might ask: who cleans the school and prepares the meals. The answer, amazingly enough, is the students and teachers! Every day in every school in Japan, fifteen minutes is set aside for cleaning the school. Every student receives a task, be it mopping, sweeping, vacuuming, or a myriad of other chores, and they clean! It is quite an amazing site. The students even go into the teachers’ room and principal’s office to sweep and mop. As for lunch, prior to the meal, the students don aprons and protective masks and dish out the day’s meal for their fellow students. The meal is always rice, meat or fish, vegetables, and a carton of milk. There is virtually no garbage because of an unspoken rule that the students are required to eat every morsel of food. Of course, that doesn’t mean that they don’t trade undesirable items. For instance, today’s meal consisted of umeboshi, which is a very sour plum that the Japanese believe to have healing powers. Even still, some of the students were happy to give theirs away. I eat lunch with them everyday. In the elementary school, all the teachers eat lunch with the students, and they all brush their teeth to classical music afterwards! It is quite a site.
Because I work at a very small school, discipline is not an issue at all. However, even at larger schools in Japan, it is a very minor problem compared to the status of American schools. The teachers here are well respected, and the students would not even think of mistreating them in any way. From what I have seen, they are always extremely formal and polite in their speech, which is very different from how they talk to each other. Basically this is a property of the Japanese language, which would not be possible in English even if students respected their teachers.
As for the students, there are in large quite shy, but eager to talk if you talk to them first. I try to talk to them in English, but it is frustrating to ask fifty people, “How are you?” and hear fifty “I am fine, thank you. How are you?” I really have to teach them other answers to that question. They are extremely curious about me and about America once they start talking. Today they asked me what sports I like to play, if I saw Arnold Schwartzeneggar (I am not sure how to spell his name), and if I have a girlfriend. They also wanted to know if I have seen every Japanese baseball player who plays in the United States. I am trying to learn the students’ names, but it is really hard because a lot of them are three or four syllables. As for me, I go by Mr. Scott.
Well, that’s about all for now. Next time I will write about sports day and its aftermath. Basically, think of the sports day you had in elementary school, and multiply it by a hundred. It is a very interesting spectacle, and of course by Japanese custom, it is followed by an enkai just like my welcoming party. I hope to hear from you soon. Take care.

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