It has been more than fifteen months since the disaster and
although the emotional scars of students and staff alike run deep, there has
been a return to normalcy. Aftershocks are constant reminders, even
fifteen months later. But overall things are back to a new kind of
normal.
On a much lighter note, as part of my recent English
classroom lessons, I have been making cultural comparisons of the summer
vacation routines of American and Japanese students. My students
really enjoy cultural comparisons in general, and we often use The Weekly
Sentinel as a classroom tool. My dad still bundles them up for me
and sends them overseas four or five times a year. It has provided my
students enjoyment and learning over the years, and has been a wonderful way
for me to share my love of Maine with my students.
Together with my students, we have written a
letter. It talks about the Japanese school summer vacation system
and the education system of Japan in general. I hope your audience will
find it both entertaining and informative.
From Richard Meres
LETTER from Richard Meres and his Japanese students
As
most children around the state are settling into their summer vacation routines
of sleeping in, cooling off by the pool or at the mall, and watching those
summer reruns, I thought it would be interesting to point out how their
counterparts half a world away in Japan are spending their summer holiday.
First
of all, the Japanese academic calendar is quite different than America’s. The school year begins in April rather
than late August or early September, and it ends in March rather than
June. So essentially Japan has a
year round system where students join their new classes in April and move on to
the next class or graduate the following March. So summer vacation is more like
a midterm break and respite from the summer’s heat, than a time to clean out
the lockers and say goodbye to classmates.
The
length of the summer break is the most obvious difference. Since students in Japan attend school
about 240 days per year, compared with the 180 days in the United States, it
goes to reason that vacation time will be shorter. In fact, students in Japan are still in their classrooms
counting down the days to the start of their holiday. Most summer vacations begin at the end of July and continue
for less than a month.
For
the sake of reference here are some details from the actual school calendar of
my junior high school.
Monday,
July 23: Last full day of lessons
Tuesday,
July 24: School cleaning day (Yes, students in Japan routinely clean their own
schools, toilets included!)
Wednesday,
July 25 to Friday, July 27: Morning lessons only
Saturday,
July 28 to Tuesday, August 21: Summer vacation!
So,
how do the students in Japan spend their precious days off? Mostly by doing their homework. Since summer vacation is technically an
interruption of the academic semester, students get an extra load of homework
during this time to assure they keep up with their studies. Schools remain open during the break to
allow students to get their work done, and it is not uncommon to see a school
bustling with students over the break.
When
the students aren’t working on their history reports and math assignments, most
of them are putting in extra time with their school club activities. In Japan, students traditionally join a
club when entering junior or senior high school and stick with this club until
their graduation. Most of these
clubs, particularly the sports clubs practice six days a week, including
weekends, and practice year round.
So, the summer break offers a chance for more lengthy and rigorous
training.
Although
Japan’s abbreviated summer vacation, and the education system as a whole may
seem a bit overwhelming from an outside perspective, you will rarely hear a
complaint from students, parents and educators. Schools in Japan tend to be highly organized, safe, and fun
places for students to hang out with friends. There is never a shortage of school pride. The education system in Japan seems to
produce students with an overall sense of social awareness and community
responsibility that plays a tremendous role in shaping the fabric of Japanese
society as a whole. And this
strength of character was clearly evident in the country’s response to last
year’s earthquake and tsunami disaster.
On
a final note, it is worth pointing out that students in our area of Japan, an
area directly impacted by last year’s earthquake, will be looking forward to
getting back to their usual summer vacation routine, as short as it may
seem. At this time last year our
school, like many of the schools in this area, was closed for repairs and
grieving the loss of students and staff.
A brief holiday of homework, club activity and quality time with friends
is a welcome return to normalcy.
