Friday, October 13, 2006

Elementary 1

Coming to school.




4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mr. Zwingel-
Thank you so much for taking the time to make your blogging site such a great place to learn about Japanese culture. The third graders start each day by checking the site--the pictures speak volumes.
Mrs. Gault's third graders have a few more questions.
Do the teachers wear special uniforms? Please explain why there was all those cosmetics on that desk; did the students bring things to class they weren't supposed to or was it part of the class? Are there movie theaters in Japan that are as popular as ours happen to be and do they have American movies playing? Are there any American car dealerships in Japan? Can you explain the one gym picture with the people in special uniforms sitting down with a pole of some sort next to each person?
Thank you for always answering our questions. And we enjoyed the P.S. to your first set of answers because students in third grade love to end letters or notes with P.S.

Enjoying your site,
Mrs. Gault's third graders

P.S. The wind is howling and it is cool; yesterday we had a bit of snow!

Mr. Z said...

Gault's 3rd Graders,

1. Teachers dress the same as in the U.S. except male teachers wear ties.

2. The cosmetics were brought by the girls. They did not put time into their studies.

3. Movies are popular in Japan just like the United States. The movies are Japanese or they are American movies that are dubbed into japanese.

4. There are not american car dealerships in Japan. I have not seen an american made car here. They drive on the left side of the road here so the steering wheel is opposite of our cars.

5. Kendo is a part of the regular physical education class.

Kendo (剣道 Kendō) or "way of the sword", is the martial art of Japanese fencing.

Kendo is practiced using "swords" made of split bamboo called shinai and extensive protective armour (bogu) is worn to protect specified target areas on the head and body. Kendoka also use bokuto (wooden swords) to practice set forms known as kata.

P.S. Here is a P.S. for you.
I had lunch at the elementary school today. Salmon, rice, seaweed, and tofu/seaweed soup.
Mr. Z

Anonymous said...

Mr. Z.

Looks like you're having fun with the kids. How do they handle dicipline in their schools? Do they get sent to the principal's office??? Also, what is a typical curriculum? Do they teach anything about agriculture?

We also want to wish you a happy birthday!! (Sunday, right?) Do you get to have birthday cake and some American food? By now, you are probably missing many things about home. Have a great birthday and enjoy your final week; you'll be home soon!!!!

God Bless,
Joe & Mary S.

Mr. Z said...

Joe and Mary,
Thank you for the birthday wish. My host family bought a piece of french pastry cake for each of us. It was very delicious!

They have a principal and a vice principal. Most discipline issues are taken care of by the teacher and the parents. They do have a counselor for kids that do not go to school.

Their curriculum is math, science, japanese, three years of english, social studies, integrated studies, physical education, caligraphy, music, and art. They do not have vocational education courses such as agriculture, business, or computers. They believe in teaching these basics and all other skills are learned after they get into upper secondary or university. Students must test to get into upper secondary and into the university.
Students go to Juku on Saturday to study for the exams necessary to gain admission into upper secondary and university.
Students have club activities after school. They only compete against other schools in baseball. All students are involved in club activiites. There is a picture in the junior high sections that shows the club activities. It seems that if a student is not in a club activity then they are involved in Community or School Volunteering as a club activity.
Arigato
DZ