school rules- Japan vs. USA

I had a pretty full day of classes today- 4 out of 5 class periods. In one of the 2 nen sei classes (American 8th grade), I talked about school rules in America. We made it into a true or false quiz that the students guessed the answers to, before I commented on each question. One of the questions was about sending students to the principals office if they are bad.

In Japan, students are never sent to the principals office or a disaplinarian. Actually it's illegal for a teacher to kick a student out of the class. Every student has a right to an education. Although the logic in that always made me wonder. Why does the one bad student have a right to an education while 36 more (who also have a right) have to put up with the bad student or listen to the teacher scold the bad kid for 50 minutes?

Anyway, I had to explain what constitues "bad" behavior. You see in Japan, it's not uncommon for students to talk, sleep, goof off, do their make-up, get changed (back out of gym clothes), or walk around during class time. I also told them about detention, suspentions, and how students can be left back a grade.

me: " For example, if you are a very bad student, next year you would not be a 3nen sei-- you would
be a 2 nen sei again."
students-
one student: "Kibishii desuyo!" That's strict!
me: "yes! yes it is. American students don't have to wear uniforms, can wear make-up, and accessories-- but they have to behave in class. It's very differnet than Japan"
Students-- silence and stares of awww.

I swear for the rest of class they were angels. I think I have to use that story about disaplin in America, in all of my classes. =)

The differences between schools here and America are very different. In Japan, everything is very group oriented. Students have to wear the school uniform, can't wear accessories, color or perm their hair, can't wear accessories or make up-- but behavior in the classroom always astonishes me. There is alittle they can't get away with, or if they do do something bad-- they just get nagged at for the rest of the class while the rest of the students just sit there. There is no detention or suspention and very little if any disaplinary system. I can't say I blaime the bad kids. Regardless of what they do, come graduation time-- they will still advance to the next level or graduate from junior high.

The only two motives for students to do well and behave is so that they can study hard so they can enter high school. There is an entry-exam system, so students must study hard if they want to get into a high school. Although I did here that some low level schools accept anyone. The other reason to behave is because the society is bases on unison, teamwork, conforming to the "norm," so standing out- in any means is considered a bad thing.

It's funny to think of how different I am personally than my co-workers and students. I've always wanted to stand out and do my own thing-- no matter how weird. There's nothing worse to me than being a cookie cutout, identical to all the rest and yet some how I've learned to tolarate this aspect of Japanese society.

6 reasons I love NYC the picture version

famous sites
the crowds, noise, action all around

food stalls all over the place, even though I never eat from them--
well only the roasted nuts, I LOVE THEM!!!!!!!

Rocherfeller Center-- especially in the winter

Time Square

Broadway plays--
any of them, all of them =)

The Jersey Shore

Ok, so these aren"t pics of Japan, but I went back home this summer and wanted to share some pics. Summer in jersey-- what else could it be than pics of Seaside Heights? Although I hit up the boardwalk pre- drunken teens, bar fights, and debauchery. Check it out:

ah, the boardway! Full of arcades, pizzarias, rides, game stalls, souvineer shops, tattoo/ piercing shops, and bars.

although the statue of the blonde guy in bright yellow trunks is no longer standing tall at the water park, this smaller statue still stands at the mini golf course on the boardwalk.

If you look past Ricky, you can see the Altlatic Ocean to the right (east) as it should be-- not like the sea to the left here in Fukui, and one of the ride-filled piers

the beach at Seaside Hghts.

impossible to win- get the ring on the bottle- game stall

game and food stalls on the boardwalk. You can't really tell but the castle looking stall has the frog game where I won my big "Yertel," my turtle stuffed animal. =)


Ricky outside the Aztec hotel and bar.
Wow, that brings back memories-- of the 4th of July I drove out to meet him at the JC peps room, only to have to drive back after a massive fist fight broke out in the room- damaging much of it.

another shot of the boardway,and some ranom people walking/ jogging it.


Later, jersey!

Baka Inaka version 2.0

So for some reason, my blog site wouldn't publish any more posts to the blog space. Weird! So after hours of trying and frustration-- I desided just to make a new blog space. If you wanna check out archives from my previous blog space- go to the baka inaka.