JAPAN IN THE NEWS

The past month has been an eventful one throughout Asia, with elections in Japan* and Korea (who elected their first female president), as well as the announcement of new members of the Politburo in China.  It will be interesting to see how these new governments will interact, and what kinds of policies they will put forth.  In Japan, the conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has assumed power under prime minister Shinzo Abe.  Though there doesn't seem to be a lot of hope that he will have any great effect on the state of the nation (the Japanese have long since lost confidence in politics and politicians), there's still a great deal of speculation in some quarters over what, if any, contributions and changes he will make.   One concern is Japan's relationship with China, which has become increasingly tense as China more aggressively asserts their claim to the Senkaku Islands, now controlled by Japan.  There is also a running dispute over the Takeshima (or Dokdo) Islands that has soured relations with South Korea.  Abe-san doesn't have a great track record with dealing with either of these countries (his first tenure as prime minister in 2006 was disastrous and lasted only a year).  There's also a chance that he could worsen matters by moving forward on efforts to change Japan's constitution and expand its military, which would anger many of its neighbors.  

However, Abe may help the Japanese economy if he can achieve his economic platform of counteracting deflation and devaluing the yen (a horrible thing for those of us transferring money home, but a boon to visiting tourists and Japanese businesses).  The exchange rates are already in flux, and the stock market seems to be responding well to his election.  Abe will officially take office on December 26th.  We'll see then if he is capable of action, or if his administration will be yet another reinforcement for Japanese political apathy. 

At least one positive thing has come from the end of the election: no longer will the campaign trucks with loudspeakers be trolling my neighborhood at all hours of the day and night, screaming their messages.  Sweet, sweet relief.

*An interesting factoid: why Japanese politicians (and sumo wrestlers) pose in victory photos with large fish.   

IN THE WORLD OF EDUCATION

I've been thinking a lot about this piece from NPR that friend AB sent me last month.  The segment focuses on the different pedagogical techniques and philosophies utilized in Asia and America.  It makes me reflect on my own experiences as a teacher in Japan (and my contrasting experience as a student in America), and the profound ways in which education teaches our kids what to prioritize, how they should learn, and what society expects from them.  

A couple of points in the article resonated with me and echoed what some of my Japanese coworkers have remarked, specifically that our students aren't terribly creative.  I find that my students really struggle with the creative projects I assign (envision your ideal vacation, and make a presentation on your itinerary; create an advertisement for a product, real or imaginary, and perform it in front of the class).  What's more, they don't seem to enjoy the assignments at all, not just because they have to give a presentation in English, but also because they don't seem to know how to imagine things.  In Japan, teaching involves lecturing, and learning involves wrote memorization.  Questions that seem fairly simple, like "What do you want to be when you grow up?" lead to blank stares.  One teacher told me that he supported me asking these types of questions and wanted me to pressure the students to think more about these topics.  "They don't really think about their future," he said, "Maybe they think about getting a good grade or going to university, but they don't think about their lives."  

For me, the most fascinating premise from the article was the following:

Obviously if struggle indicates weakness — a lack of intelligence — it makes you feel bad, and so you're less likely to put up with it. But if struggle indicates strength — an ability to face down the challenges that inevitably occur when you are trying to learn something — you're more willing to accept it.

I agree with this statement wholeheartedly; the problem is, convincing these kids that the struggle is worthwhile is, well, a struggle in and of itself.  There are certain stories that you hear over and over again when you talk to JETs.  One is what I call the "muzukashii" story.  JETs will give an assignment or ask a question in English, and the students will shake their heads and say, "Muzukashii," ("difficult").   That word is a death knell in any lesson, unless you can figure out some way to walk the students through what you want them to do.**  Otherwise, the class will give up and revert to a state of silent passivity.  For example, if I ask the question, "What will you do this weekend?" and wait for someone to volunteer an answer, I can wait the entire class period without anyone speaking.  I can ask the question a million times. I can shout. I can jump up and down.  I can address the students individually.  And all that can be heard is the sound of another teacher lecturing in the adjoining classroom.  If my students don't want to do something, they will simply shut down.  There will be no tantrum, no theatrical gestures.  They might not even say the word "No."  Instead, they will institute a silent rebellion that rivals Gandhi's protests against British imperialism.   

Still, their strength-in-numbers approach to classroom subversion is admirable, in its own way.  And this is something that the Japanese education system does really well: promoting unit cohesiveness.  No one gets special treatment.  Everyone must help during soji (a half hour period during which everyone cleans their classroom).  School events, like sports day, are designed to help students bond.  If there are interpersonal issues within the classes, the teachers work to change those dynamics.  The collective is what is most important.  


I see the differences between western and eastern students too in the ways my students change when they return to Japan following a period of studying abroad.  When they leave, they are often shy, quiet, and nervous about using English.  They are completely different people when they come back: confident, fluent in English, and full of slang and the bravado that characterizes most western high school students.  And while I'm thrilled that they've gained confidence and ability and had great, eye-opening experiences, I am a little saddened by how jaded they are, and how they clearly judge their Japanese classmates who haven't had the same experience.  The English comes in, but the innocence leaves them.    

Disciplinary styles are different in Japan as well.  Delinquent students are required to do extra chores around the school (mowing the grass, weeding the grounds, washing windows, etc.), or to attend in-school suspension.  The teachers are not shy about expressing their displeasure at students' behavior.  Some of the more "passionate" teachers can be heard screaming at the top of their lungs at students for late work, tardiness, etc.  Yet the relationships between teachers and students can also be incredibly close and meaningful as well.  Homeroom teachers are completely responsible for their students well-being at school and act as surrogate parents, whether that means disciplining them, providing counseling, discussing problems with parents, taking care of them if they get sick.  Teachers have an extensive knowledge of which students are having a tough time at home, and what those issues outside school are.  If a student gets picked up for pick pocketing or a petty crime, one of the teachers will meet with the police, and then the student and his or her parents.  They call to check on students when they have extended absences, sometimes even going to the student's home.  This is not to say that western teachers care less about their students; it's simply that the Japanese teachers I've worked with are more hands-on and involved as a whole than any teaching staff I've encountered.  Part of that may be because western teachers are encouraged to be more hands-off in some respects of student's personal lives.  However, I think the amount that Japanese teachers care for their students, and the amount of time and work they put into that care, is remarkable and laudable.  

Never was this more apparent than two weeks ago, when one of my third year students, N-kun, died very suddenly and violently.  The faculty, the staff, the students: we were all shocked.  This young man was so kind and sweet and smart and driven; he had just been accepted to a university, and was the captain of the aikido team.  In Buddhist tradition, there was a wake held for him, and a funeral the following day.  The school immediately sprang to action, organizing a route that students could walk from a train station to the funeral home to pay their respects.  Teachers lined the route, standing for hours in the cold, guiding students.  When N-kun's classmates broke down, some of them having hysterical fits, the teachers gathered around, covering students with their coats and trying to calm them.  Other teachers were called in to drive emotional students back to their homes or local train stations.  There was lots of counseling and individual meetings and talks with parents.  As with any tragedy, the community came together, and I felt so grateful to be part of such an incredible group of people.  

**On the other hand, if you walk them through the process and then praise them for their work afterwards, they are very pleased with themselves.  The key road block to them learning English is the same of learning any language: they are petrified of making mistakes.  One of my third year students wrote me a note on her final exam that said, "I didn't like writing in English until Eri-sensei told me that mistakes were OK.  Now I can write in English."