hi mummies and ian
i am here to share an article i have blogged abt long ago... i found it quite interesting.. its abt preschool in japan....pls bear with me cos its kinda long
(cut and paste from my blog... lol)
I've decided to blog about this article which my ex-supervisor from NIE emailed me. I think it's pretty interesting
It's taken from AsiaOne, Sunday, April 11 2010.
Too bad I cannot show any pictures, thus it will all be in text.
Those in Black is the article itself. Those comments in Pink are by me
Enjoy!
Japanese Pre-school : 12 things that stun Chinese mum
An expatriate Chinese mother in Kyoto , Japan , expressed her shock over the pre-school education system as well as the schooling habits of young children there. She shared her experience and observations on the Internet.
She wrote: "Before coming to Japan , Tiantian (her daughter) had already gone through a year of kindergarten in Beijing , so you could say that we are no strangers to kindergarten. But there are some things in Japanese kindergartens that have stunned me."
The following are 12 of her observations:
1. The ridiculous number of bags.
"On the first day, they explained to us that we needed to prepare a certain number of bags of various sizes: "A schoolbag, a blanket bag, a bag for eating utensils, a box for eating utensils, a bag for clothes, a bag for changing clothes, a bag for clothes after they have been changed out of, and a bag for shoes. Then that bag A had to be of such-and-such a length, bag B had to be of such-and-such a width, bag C had to fit in bag D, and E in bag F. I just couldn't believe it. Some kindergartens even ask mothers to make their own bags!
After two years, we're used to it, and the kids have become very good at putting things in their right place. I often think that the reason that the people of Kyoto don't mind sorting their rubbish might be because they've been taught this kind of thing from a young age."
Our children only has 1 bag - schoolbag. When told to bring art bag, music bag etc... they complain. Parents complain.... "Very heavy lah.. why cannot leave it in school?? etccc..." Therefore, lockers were introduced and soon, students start stuffing everything into the locker. It gets irritating when everytime the bell rings for another lesson, everyone starts requesting to go to the locker to take something or keep something. Am I right?
2. All these bags carried by children, while adults carry nothing.
"This is a sight that really shocked me: when dropping kids off or picking them up, I noticed that the other Japanese adults, be it their mother, father, or grandparents, were carrying absolutely nothing, while all those bags of different sizes (at the very least two or three) mentioned above were carried by those little cuties. What's more, they were running really fast!
But for us? Maybe it is out of habit, or maybe it is because it is a cultural thing, but I carried the bags, and Tiantian carried nothing.
A couple of days later the teacher came and had a chat with me: "Tiantian's mother, Tina does everything herself at school ..." Japanese people have a habit of saying only the beginning of a sentence, and letting you work out the rest yourself. I immediately realized that she was asking about the situation at home, but seeing me thinking it over, the teacher continued, "... carrying her schoolbag for example ..." After this tactful reminder, I let Tiantian carry her own schoolbag.
When the time came for a parents' meeting, I told everyone that in China, the custom was for parents to carry everything. It was the Japanese mothers' turn to be dumbfounded. One of them asked: "Why?"
Why? Is it because we Chinese love our children a little more?"
Needless to comment about this. Majority of our students do carry their own bags (when they are in school or when they travel to and fro school on their own). Other than that, the bags are carried by their Daddy, Mummy, Ah Ma, Ah Gong or even their maids. Some students even demand that their adults carry it for them because they are supposed to. And look at the bags they have. Some seemed to be boarding a plane rather than going to a school. Others have bags that cost over a hundred dollars as it's supposed to keep the posture right etc.... Just observe the next time round, how many kids will refuse an offer from an adult.. Imagine them saying "It's ok, I will carry it myself."
3. Changing clothes over and over again
Tiantian's kindergarten has its own uniform; when she arrives she has to take it off, and change into overalls for playtime. She has to take off her shoes and put on white ballet shoes, when she goes into the exercise yard she has to change her shoes again. After their afternoon nap the kids have to change clothes again. A real pain.
When Tiantian was in Chrysanthemum Class she used to be so slow changing clothes, and I couldn't help but give her a hand. But I soon noticed that all of the Japanese mothers were standing to one side, not helping at all. I slowly saw that this business of changing clothes educated the children in living independently. Through things like their experiences at school, changing, sticking their daily sticker, and hanging their handkerchiefs, these kids start from when they are two or three years old to learn the habit of keeping things orderly.
Forget about changing into different attires. Just changing into PE attire alone is a pain in the ass. They take so long and dilly dally and best of all, they DON'T even have their PE attire. Sometimes when schools have policy that requires students to change back into their uniforms after PE lesson, complaints stream in again. WHY WHY WHY? "Why can't they just remain in their school PE attire? Must bring so many attire to school. Very troublesome leh." Then, school starts coming up with more smart combinations like Polo-Ts or PE attires with collars so that they can remain in their PE attires if they have PE/ CCA for the day.
4. Wearing shorts in winter
"Children in Japanese schools wear shorts in winter, no matter how cold it is. My daughter's grandparents in Beijing were very worried, and said that I had to talk to the teacher about it, because Chinese children can't stand the cold.
Wouldn't you know it, when we had just started kindergarten, practically every day she got sick. But when I talked to the Japanese mothers about it, their answer amazed me. "Of course! The reason we send our kids to kindergarten is to get sick."
Seeing the healthy energy of the children charging about like little rockets, greeting me, it occurred to me that we shouldn't spoil our kids too much."
Ok, I cannot comment about this because we don't have Winter in Singapore.
But when kids fall sick..... "Ok Ok, daddy/mummy come and bring you home k?" Otherwise, the maid comes to bring the child home or... "Hush Hush, ok ok you go to the sickbay and rest k?"
5. 0-Year-Old infants competing in athletic events
All classes are named after flowers. Tiantian was a chrysanthemum, then a lily, now she's one of the 'older sisters', a violet. But the little babies who haven't reached their first birthdays are all in the 'Peach Blossom' class.
These mo-mo (peaches), who haven't even reached their first birthday, have not only already started going to kindergarten, but take part in all of their major activities, like sports competitions and performances. Seeing these little mo-mo crying while crawling forward, I usually feel bad for them.
Can't comment on this because I think we do have enrichment lessons for infants. Parents scurry to send their infants/ child to enrichment lessons, learn this and learn that... but I don't think any of it has infants competing in athletic events. This is totally new to me.
6. Girls playing soccer
When children reach their middle year of kindergarten in Japan , they start taking weekly 'jumping' lessons, similar to our Physical Exercise lessons back home; when they get to their senior year, there is a soccer competition. When they're not practicing their drumming all day, they're practicing soccer. And they really play too, they even have competitions with other kindergartens. Tiantian has bruises from playing but her strength and bravery have been brought out.
To tell the truth, when we first came to Japan , Tiantian's performance was really shameful. Japanese kids usually start shooting up at about three or four years old, before that they are a lot shorter than Chinese kids. In Tiantian's class she was a giant, but was in actual fact quite weak.
The Japanese kids would run about outside, but Tiantian? She'd get a grain of sand in her shoe and would have to tiptoe to walk. Once there was an excursion where they went up a mountain, and she could only come down with two short Japanese kids supporting her. These uncomplaining three-year-olds, who didn't have the experience of allowing her to travel on foot up a mountain for an hour. She's better now, last year at Shangrila, in that low oxygen environment she walked for four hours without any problems.
Don't talk about playing soccer. Just talk about PE lessons alone. How many of us have problems getting the kids into action. I am not talking about lower primary pupils. I am refering to those P5, P6 and those older. I am sure one of us have had problems getting them to even move (especially girls who dislikes sports). Everything is lame to them and uncool if they sweat too much.
7. Mixed education
When we were in China I saw Tiantian's kindergarten a few times. Each class would have its classes separately, but in Japan this isn't the case.
Before 9.30am, and after 3.30pm, the entire school plays together. And in the yard big kids hold little kids, little kids chase big kids, they carry on like crazy. They get to really experience having 'siblings'.
For example, in Tiantian's and the other senior year's last assembly a few days ago, after performing their piece, they said something that made all the parents cry.
"In today's assembly we're very happy, because the children from lower years performed so successfully. This is our last assembly, and when we start junior school we'll be sure to remember our friends and our kindergarten."
Having the entire school play together is almost impossible. By this I do not mean Carnival or Sports day. Logistics or Security wise is a headache.
Having lower years to perform? It will be good if the senior years do not make fun or ridicule them. "Aiyoh, so childish? So boring... so... etc...."
8. Education: All "Smiles" and "Thank you"
In this kindergarten, it seems like they don't care at all about the children's intellectual education. They don't have textbooks, just a new sketchbook every month. In the school's education plan, there aren't any subjects like mathematics, kana, art, or music. Don't even ask about English or the International Math Olympiad. They don't learn roller skating or swimming.
When you ask what they teach, you'd never guess what the answer is: "We teach the children to be all smiles!"
In Japan , no matter where you are, or to who you're talking to, "being all smiles" is most important. A girl who is "all smiles" is most beautiful. What else do they teach? - They teach children to "say thank you".
In everything there are things that they stress here that they don't in China . But after three years I can see that Tiantian has improved in things like music, art and reading, and these improvements are from a comprehensive education.
Smiles and thank yous. Difficult. Very difficult.
It will be a peaceful day if there were no complaints about who's hitting who or who's taking who's items or who's scolding who etc... You know what I mean. Saying thank you? Maybe majority of the students does that... Just observe how they 'thank' a teacher when he or she leaves the class. Some cannot even be bothered to stand up or stand properly.
9. The number of activities
Looking at my calendar I can see the days when I need to make lunch for Tiantian to take to school. These are the days when she has excursions. I can't count how many times she climbs mountains, how many lakes she's seen, or how many animals or plants she's gone and looked at.
Apart from that, she's also gathered acorns, made cakes, been to sports carnivals, performed for community events, had sleepovers, celebrated festivals, been at assemblies, attended temples, exhibitions ... let's just say that there have been a lot.
Yah, we have a lot of activities too.
Remedials, supplementary classes, enrichment classes.
Learning Journeys and other activities = extra work and chore for both teachers and pupils. Besides, you wonder how much they actually learn from such journeys because you have to get them interested first before they actually learn anything. How many of them treat such journeys as picnics? Just observe what they bring in their bags. Snacks, snacks and more snacks.
10. All the holidays Chinese people don't celebrate - Japanese kindergartens celebrate
This really floored me too. Like I mentioned above, Japanese kindergartens celebrate their own traditional holidays, Girls' Day, Boys' Day, Hungry Ghost Festival ... Not only this, they also celebrate Renri (held on the 7th night of the lunar new year), and Qixi.
Today she came back, and said "Today, teacher asked how we celebrated these holidays in China , I said I didn't know". What a disgrace! Mommy doesn't know either."
Ok, I don't think we have that many holidays. But when we do commemorate or celebrate holidays, how many actually appreciates the meaning behind it? Total Defence Day? National Day? etc... It's just a day for them to skip lessons and ..... the rest is up to your imagination.
11. Teachers' abilities
In one Japanese class there are ten to thirty students, but only one teacher. In the beginning I had my doubts, if she was able to keep her eye on all of them she'd be pretty good. Then I found out that I had underestimated these Japanese kindergarten teachers. With just this one teacher, thirty children's artworks, the lead for their drumming pieces (so professional), thirty children's art, music, reading, thirty children's birthdays, their major assemblies and sports carnivals are all organised methodically and thoroughly.
Look at the teacher, she's always cool and relaxed. And she's about 50-years-old! I salute her!"
I am clueless as to how I should comment on this. 1 teacher to 30- (sometimes) 45 pupils.
Just think about it. I don't think our teachers are not capable. But just look at how much they need to cope inside a class and after school. I don't think I need to go any further regarding these. Which teacher doesn't wanna remain cool and relaxed everyday. However, is it possible?
12. Buddhist Influences
Kyoto has probably more temples than any other city in Japan , it has a kind of monastic ambiance. Tiantian has to go to temple every week for instruction. In the most important festivals she has to bow to Buddha, and there are activities on every Buddha's Birthday and Nirvana day.
Tiantian is graduating soon, yesterday she went to Nishi Honganji temple to make a wish. Tiantian was the class representative and gave Buddha some flowers. I asked her what she wished, and she said "To always trust in Buddha, to always treat others with a thankful heart, and to always heed others' words."
Shan't comment on this because Singapore is a multi-racial society and Religion is a sensitive topic. We have different races with different religions. At the end of the day, it's all teaching us to have a good heart and to learn good ways
How? Did you find the article meaningful? Personally, I did. It's amazing how much we can learn from other cultures. In fact, if we could just adopt a little of the positive ones, isn't it wonderful?
Some of my comments are based on my little experience and does not represent everyone. You may or may not agree with me
Then again, there are always exceptions to everything mentioned. I have definitely come across students who are a positive role model and are angels to teach and be with. It will be wonderful if the younger generation is filled with more of such angels =)
Now that I am a mum... I wonder if any of my perspectives has changed... hahahahaha
