One Person's opinion on schools
Things I think that the NA school system could learn from the Japanese
1) Responsibility for the school. All Japanese students (and teachers) take responsibility for the schools cleanliness. Students spend 15 minutes a day cleaning the school. 15 minutes doesn’t sound like much, but when you’ve got over 500 people sweeping, wiping, emptying garbages, etc. 15 minutes a day is tons of time. I think that it would make students think twice about sticking gum under desks, dropping garbage in the hall, spray painting/graffiti, if they were the ones who had to clean it up.
2) School Lunches. Yes, the students pay for them, but I suspect that most families spend more than $3.00 on lunch each day with snack packs and juice boxes and sandwiches or whatever. The lunches are also planned by a nutritionist, so they’re very healthy. The students also serve the lunches in their classes which mean they again have to care for their classes.
3) Health checks/health care. At the beginning of each school year all the kids get a medical check, eye check and dental check. There is a school nurse who has an infirmary that looks like a small hospital. No couch outside the office and first aid kit for these kids. After lunch every child brushes their teeth and washes their hands. There are sinks in the hallways for cleaning, so they’re not all fighting in the bathroom.
4) Mandatory Clubs. Yes, mandatory. Every student must participate in a club. My school has the following sports clubs: Baseball, Soccer, Kendo, Handball, Basketball, Volleyball, Ping Pong, Gymnastics, Track and Field (sprinting, hurdles, relay, etc) as well as the art club, home economics club, science club and band. So there’s something for everyone. I think that it fosters friendships as well as giving the older students chances to take leadership roles
5) Respect for the teachers/staff. When a student comes to the staff room, s/he has to announce themselves and explain who they’re looking for at the door. Then when they leave they’re supposed to excuse themselves. Maybe it’s a result of my military training where we had to basically do the same thing, but I think that a little discipline/respect could go a long way. Also at the beginning and end of each class the students bow to the teacher, and the teacher bows back.
6) The school administrators (Principal, VP and head of school affairs) usually work in the same room as the teachers. Yes, the principal has an office for meetings, etc. But at my school, he tends to spend most of his time working at his desk in the staff room. The staff room is more like a communal office than a break room, so if a teacher doesn’t have a class s/he is in the staff room.
So that’s a few things I think that the Japanese school board does that I think should be instituted in America. I know that they’ll never be, since too many people would complain about their children cleaning school bathrooms, and being at school from 7am to 6pm. However, it would save the school money (no paying janitors), and save parents money (students whose parents work until 5, wouldn’t have to pay for afterschool programs). But of course, this is just one person’s opinion.
1) Responsibility for the school. All Japanese students (and teachers) take responsibility for the schools cleanliness. Students spend 15 minutes a day cleaning the school. 15 minutes doesn’t sound like much, but when you’ve got over 500 people sweeping, wiping, emptying garbages, etc. 15 minutes a day is tons of time. I think that it would make students think twice about sticking gum under desks, dropping garbage in the hall, spray painting/graffiti, if they were the ones who had to clean it up.
2) School Lunches. Yes, the students pay for them, but I suspect that most families spend more than $3.00 on lunch each day with snack packs and juice boxes and sandwiches or whatever. The lunches are also planned by a nutritionist, so they’re very healthy. The students also serve the lunches in their classes which mean they again have to care for their classes.
3) Health checks/health care. At the beginning of each school year all the kids get a medical check, eye check and dental check. There is a school nurse who has an infirmary that looks like a small hospital. No couch outside the office and first aid kit for these kids. After lunch every child brushes their teeth and washes their hands. There are sinks in the hallways for cleaning, so they’re not all fighting in the bathroom.
4) Mandatory Clubs. Yes, mandatory. Every student must participate in a club. My school has the following sports clubs: Baseball, Soccer, Kendo, Handball, Basketball, Volleyball, Ping Pong, Gymnastics, Track and Field (sprinting, hurdles, relay, etc) as well as the art club, home economics club, science club and band. So there’s something for everyone. I think that it fosters friendships as well as giving the older students chances to take leadership roles
5) Respect for the teachers/staff. When a student comes to the staff room, s/he has to announce themselves and explain who they’re looking for at the door. Then when they leave they’re supposed to excuse themselves. Maybe it’s a result of my military training where we had to basically do the same thing, but I think that a little discipline/respect could go a long way. Also at the beginning and end of each class the students bow to the teacher, and the teacher bows back.
6) The school administrators (Principal, VP and head of school affairs) usually work in the same room as the teachers. Yes, the principal has an office for meetings, etc. But at my school, he tends to spend most of his time working at his desk in the staff room. The staff room is more like a communal office than a break room, so if a teacher doesn’t have a class s/he is in the staff room.
So that’s a few things I think that the Japanese school board does that I think should be instituted in America. I know that they’ll never be, since too many people would complain about their children cleaning school bathrooms, and being at school from 7am to 6pm. However, it would save the school money (no paying janitors), and save parents money (students whose parents work until 5, wouldn’t have to pay for afterschool programs). But of course, this is just one person’s opinion.