Japan Blog Assignment

[David Nurenberg]

BLOG ASSIGNMENT

Tonight, I'd like you to visit the PBS.ORG: WIDE-ANGLE website for
"Time For School," a series that chronicles the lives of schoolkids in
countries all over the world. I'd like you to please watch the
segment on "Ken," an elementary-schooler in Japan.

1. Go to:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/episodes/time-for-school-series/full-episode-time-for-school-3/5558/

2. There are two video boxes to click. Pick the first one (the one on
top).

3. Advance to 37:40 on the clock and watch the entire segment (to
47:40).

4. Pick something SPECIFIC from the video and write a response, and/or
pose a question to our blog.

5. Then post a second time, in response to someone else's comment.

NOTE: If for some reason the PBS site won't load, here are two
alternate sites to visit. Do try and watch the vide, though, is it is
much more engaging:

http://educationjapan.org/jguide/school_system.html
http://chikushi.fku.ed.jp/kouryu/kokusai.html

Gambate! (Japanese for "go for it!")

- Mr. N.

[Kyle Calabria]

In the documentary, the teacher and the narrator mention that Japanese
students ranked among the top nations in world wide academic testing.
Later they go on to talk about how slowly the countries scores have
been slipping, and the teacher believes it is because the children are
only giving mediocre efforts in school, and not trying their hardest.
Although the narrator says school time has been reduced slightly, and
that students no longer go to school on Saturdays, this does not
account for the lessened efforts. What do you think the possible
causes of this are?

On Jan 13, 11:15 am, David Nurenberg <misternurenb...@gmail.com>
wrote:

> BLOG ASSIGNMENT
>
> Tonight, I'd like you to visit the PBS.ORG: WIDE-ANGLE website for
> "Time For School," a series that chronicles the lives of schoolkids in
> countries all over the world.  I'd like you to please watch the
> segment on "Ken," an elementary-schooler in Japan.
>

> 1. Go to:http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/episodes/time-for-school-series/ful...

>
> 2. There are two video boxes to click.  Pick the first one (the one on
> top).
>
> 3. Advance to 37:40 on the clock and watch the entire segment (to
> 47:40).
>
> 4. Pick something SPECIFIC from the video and write a response, and/or
> pose a question to our blog.
>
> 5. Then post a second time, in response to someone else's comment.
>
> NOTE: If for some reason the PBS site won't load, here are two
> alternate sites to visit.  Do try and watch the vide, though, is it is
> much more engaging:
>

> http://educationjapan.org/jguide/school_system.htmlhttp://chikushi.fku.ed.jp/kouryu/kokusai.html

[Dixie Morrison]

It seemed to me that PBS was purposely driving home how hard the
Japanese students worked ("They don't go to school on Saturdays
anymore!") to impress American audiences. That said, it was an
effective tactic; starting "school" at age 1 IS extreme, and I think
that may actually be part of the Japanese academic problem. I believe
that there is a rigorous medium teachers should aim for when teaching
children--of course half an hour of homework isn't going to teach
anybody anything, but six hours will just kill the students' "hunger
to learn." It has been my experience that a heavy workload means less
time is devoted to each task (naturally) and the student just thinks
about getting things done, not doing them well. So perhaps the
Japanese educators need to stop worrying about raising
"underachievers" (Japanese underachievers?) and start focusing on less
structured, more enjoyable tactics. For example, in CCHS juniors and
seniors can choose their English and history classes, and this added
layer of genuine interest makes us work harder.

> >http://educationjapan.org/jguide/school_system.htmlhttp://chikushi.fk...

[Dixie Morrison]

The most engaging part of the video for me (and probably the video's
main point) was the extremely rigorous schedule Japanese students are
put through: daycare from age one, afterschool activities galore, and
until recently, school on Saturdays. While this system undoubtedly
produces fine, intelligent young people, what are its flaws? Japan is
a notoriously homogeneous country, and the same educational experience
for each citizen may be responsible for this. While no system is
perfect, are there any changes Japan could make to its schools that
would hit a happy medium? Or is it, right now, the best educational
system we have? Obviously, comparisons to the West beg to be made:
individuality vs. high achievement (although they are not necessarily
mutually exclusive).

On Jan 13, 3:31 pm, Kyle Calabria <kylecalab...@comcast.net> wrote:

> >http://educationjapan.org/jguide/school_system.htmlhttp://chikushi.fk...

[Kyle Calabria]

DIxie, I definitely agree that there is a happy medium for student
workloads that produces maximum learning potential. A work load
between overkill, and nothing, that allows students to have the time
to go above and beyond, with out feeling stressed about completing
everything. The educational structure definitely plays a key role. I
also believe that social status, can play a role in how driven
students are for receiving an education. Living in Concord, with such
an amazing school system, i am certain I do not appreciate its true
value. Further, I have been raised in a nice house, always well fed,
dressed, etc. I wonder if there is any correlation between comfort, at
home an education. Education can offer the impoverished a road to a
new better life, in many cultures. Although some cultures have a more
rigid social structure. As japanese living standards have increased I
believe it could have given its culture a less diligent feel, where
people feel even if they don't score top marks, they will have a good
life.

[Lucy Fandel]

What I was most impressed with in this video segment was the
enrollement rate through secondary education in Japan: almost 100%.
The US's is lower than that with HS drop outs, even though our
education system is considered pretty good, especially at CC.I think
that this drive to educate the children fully and to train them to be
such high achievers is vestige of the reaction to colonialism by the
West when the Japanese government decided to adopt Western
technologies and to learn from them as much as possible. This
"adoption" is most easily seen by comparing the style of the system to
our own. The class rooms and schools are set up in a very similar
fashion despite being half way around the world. I also like comparing
the graduation ceremony to our own ones with the line of students
recieving diplomas and saluting teachers. The Japanese culture though
was quite present in the formality of the ceremony though, considering
it was only a middle school graduation.

[Lucas Morrill]

I was very impressed by the state-funded preschool in Japan. It seemed
to provide an incredible foundation upon which an incredibly demanding
education could be based. All the first graders came to class able to
read. Some were even enrolled in english classes after school. I feel
that we could learn from their example and set guidelines that would
have preschoolers teach reading. If everyone came to kindergarten
being able to read, our education would have a chance to grow quickly
from an early age.

[Lucas Morrill]

I was also very impressed with the enrollment rate in Japan. At CC I
would bet we have a very high enrollment rate, but at other schools,
especially city schools, I imagine the opposite to be true. In
communities with lower incomes, there is considerable pressure for the
students to earn an income. In cities, gangs hold another draw that
removes kids from school. All this put together would result in lower
enrollment rates. This makes Japan's enrollment all the more
impressive. Tokyo is a huge city, that they can keep so many of the
students in school is incredible. I don't know how they do it, but I'm
sure we could learn a lesson from their system.

[Mark Nimar]

That is an interesting point, Lucas. However, although being able to
read from an early age is of great benefit to Japan's educational
system, I think some greater points in the education system greatly
improved their academic performance. First and foremost, I was most
impressed with the community the Japanese formed inside and outside
the classroom. Cleaning your school I think gives you much more
appreciation and ownership over it, teaches you responsibility, and
allows you to work with other people. It creates a sense of
camaraderie, which is unbeatable and encourages achievement in many
aspects of a child's life. Also, the respect with which children and
adults conducted themselves was amazing. Children received degrees
with the utmost pride, worked very hard and took criticism well. I
know their rigid structure has pitfalls, but I think this mutual
respect and community formed is imperative to creating a good school
system. Just look at our school. Respect-oriented programs like
challenge day have enhanced our school greatly, and created a greater
sense of camaraderie. I even think we should clean around the school.
It would be fun, build a team and I think would improve academic
performance for children around the country.

[Mark Nimar]

I have a question for everyone. Although the children in Japan are
obviously very disciplined and educated, are they happy? The
atmosphere at the school was not terrible exuberant. Everyone worked
hard, but I wonder if the work was fulfilling, and what the children
really wanted. So I guess I'll ask this: is it worth sacrificing
childhood exuberance for doing something incredibly constructive and
beneficial to the children's future? Do the end justify the means?
What do you think?

[Maya Allen]

Dixie, I think you bring up a great point mentioning how homogeneous
Japan is compared to our school. I think on of the flaws could be
that, unlike our school, they will not have people of different races,
religions or ethnicity to bring forth their personal experiences. By
not having these people, Japan school systems seem a bit distant from
people of other countries only because they must learn from books,
movies, and tourists and make generalizations instead of actually
being involved with them. (Although I think they will encounter them
as they go into college and after college).

On Jan 13, 7:37 pm, Mark Nimar <Rawsuga...@aol.com> wrote:

[Lucy Fandel]

This is slightly off topic but I think it is still very relevant
considering the disastrous earthquake that struck Haiti Yesterday
afternoon. Japan is, as was mentioned before, very densely populated,
but it remains quite clean and very well organized unlike many other
highly populated countries. If a disaster such as a volcano eruption
or an earthquake happened there, the effects would be bad but
certainly not as bad as they currently are in Haiti. Japan would be
able to respond very quickly to provide aid to the people who are
hurt. School systems like the one Ken is enrolled in would be set back
only for a relatively short amount of time; enough to rebuild
infrastructures. In Haiti the impact of this earthquake on the
educational system will be much worse because the country is so
underdeveloped. Children, if they did went to school in the first
place will have to wait until the society rebuilds itself with the
help of foreign countries before it can even think about educating its
children.

[Maya Allen]

Mark, that's a very good question. I don't think we can't really say
since we grew up very differently from those children in Japan. They
have whole different cultural values and expectations and they were
raised a certain way by their parents. At this time when Ken is
growing up, I think he would feel much different than a child who was
growing up twenty years ago or so. Ken is becoming more familiar with
western culture and he says he learned and read about kids in other
countries and he had access to that type of information that was not
accessible back twenty years ago. There is no more isolation from the
world since they are welcoming in new technologies. Ken may feel a
little less "happy" because he knows and learns about the ways other
than in his country. He may be more eager to explore and have more
freedom outside of the Japanese structures and expectations.

[Jon Mayer]

In response to Dixie's quesiton, I think one of the major flaws in the
lack of individuality. While in our community (CCHS) we can identify
many students who are less driven and accomplished than the Japanese
schoolchildren, and while there is definitely not the same sense of
respect and connection to the school, one looks around and sees all
types of people from many different walks of life. I am not just
speaking from the racial perspective either, also simply from the
individual personalities that arise from kids being able to make their
own choices about what they do and what classes they take. Obviously
CCHS is not analogous to the school in the Wide Angle segment, as they
were elementary schoolers, but from their uniforms to their class
rituals they seemed to be kept moving in one, consistent direction in
which every child resembled the next. They certainly have their own
hopes and desires, and their communal effort and identity may serve to
aid them in overcoming challenges and succeeding in life, but
individuality tends to breed creativity, and creativity is necessary
for innovation. Essentially, in allowing kids to be a little more free
and focus a little less on school, the US creates citizens with
incredibly varied ideas with which to solve problems and contribute to
society. This is not perfect either, as it comes at the expense of the
education of a significant percent of the population who don't manage
to remain on track or receive comprehensive schooling. Also, the
community fostered in Japanese schools promotes a more united
populace, which again could be seen as a good or a bad thing.

There will be advantages and disadvantages to both types of education,
and it is hard to quantify which is better.

[Jon Mayer]

On Mark's question, I would say yes. I don't believe that the Japanese
children's happiness is severely compromised by school; if the
community around them is focused on and driven to learn, then they
will find some pleasure in their course of studies. Also, I believe
that these children should take advantage of the privilege that they
enjoy. This is especially true because it does not appear to be a
privilege that exists at the expense of other people. Obviously Japan
has an advantage over other countries, and globalization may have
helped Japan while sinking other countries to the bottom, but there is
no direct abuse of another group (other than the Ainu, but that is
older history) that allows them to enjoy the lives they lead. Maybe it
is because of their racial homogeneity, but the Japanese do not get to
go to school because they oppress a minority group, allowing them to
assume a place of accomplishment automatically.

It is their persistence, determination, and tenacity, mixed in with a
culture that learns from others, albeit guardedly at times, as well as
its own, that has brought their country to such a successful place,
and so the citizens almost have a duty to continue this tradition and
make their contributions to society. The standard of success that has
arisen from their system justifies the continued practice of it. Also,
the teacher described how previous classes had seemed eager to learn,
and I think the culture is simply one in which kids are not as
apathetic towards school. Kids in the US work incredibly hard too, it
simply is not all focused on school, unlike many other countries. We
stretch ourselves over many extracurriculars, activities, and
interests. Often far more than is healthy, and this is what often
detracts from our learning experience. The kicker is that it is almost
expected that students will act in this fashion, and someone who is
focused solely on school in our country is regarded as strange or an
overachiever.

[oschultz]

"he thinks that going to school, playing with his friends is a
given....that having food is a given." To say the least, I think that
this documentary on Japanese education is very lacking when it comes
to showing the kind of education and the various types of knowledge
that you can get outside the classroom. By sheltering their children
in these conditions, they lack understanding of the outside world and
lack sympathy for those whom are less fortunate. While this statement
is very general and it is based only off of what this document has
given us, I believe that there is more to education the youth of the
world than what you can give them in a classroom. I feel sorry for
anybody whom is forced to be sheltered in these conditions and I pity
anybody that would force themselves into this kind of isolation.
Ironically, while I may say this, there have been certain point in my
own education when I myself have sheltered myself into these kinds of
conditions in order to do well in school. So when I see that they have
a 100% secondary school enrollment rate I can only say that while they
have accomplished a great feat, they have also started what seems to
be a great failure in their oversight of congeniality and
understanding of the condition of those whom are less fortunate.

[Sloane.Brazina]

The interviewed teacher remarked he was both surprised and
disappointed that his students no longer put full effort into all of
their work; he fears Japan is producing an "underachieving"
generation. I had to smirk at this comment--how could you possibly
expect twelve-yr-olds to sit at full attention almost all day everyday
(except Sundays...and now Saturdays!), excited, engaged and ready to
learn, only to go home and toil away at hours of homework? Demanding
children to fulfill even the bare minimum under such conditions is
asking a lot! I empathize with the students--there IS such a thing as
too much work, stretching yourself too thin. School is very time
consuming and draining (mentally, physically and sometimes
emotionally). Putting forth 110% effort on EVERY assignment
consistently is simply not feasible--whether you are enrolled in the
United States' educational system or in a Japanese school. Kids need
unstructured time to relax and just be kids.

[oschultz]

Lucy, you make a good point about the situation that Japan is in as of
right now in comparison to Haiti. However, we cannot forget that Japan
has it's own problems and it's own flaws. Though they may not create
as much conflict as the type of problems that we see in Haiti right
now, they are still significant. Japan has many stressful decisions
that it must make with it's military with the semi-recent surge in
military conflict. A major problem that I personally see is the lack
of individually in certain situation cause by people wanting to keep
their honor. While this is all good for society and order, it is not
very good for individual freedoms. People should be allowed to step
out on their own and do what they want to do rather than what a
general group wants them to do. To be quite honest, I fail to see
anybody that really stands out as a somebody whom is an individual.

[Sloane.Brazina]

In response to Mark's post:
I agree that Japanese school children are both very disciplined and
well educated. I would argue that the children are neither content
nor unhappy, but rather fatigued. The look in Ken's eyes during the
school scenes practically shouts "overworked." I think it is rather
upsetting that these children are pushed so hard to excel in academics
from the age of 1. Knowing no other life but one with a professor
constantly breathing down your throat and shoving high expectations in
your face, I would not be surprised if kids like Ken are already burnt
out at only 12 yrs old. It is not surprising to me that the teacher
reports his kids are barely scraping by--they have been crushed under
the foot of an educational-intensive government for their entire
lives. While it is true all their friends are in school as well and
they do have some time to themselves each day, there comes a point
when enough is enough. Although there is certainly satisfaction in
performing well in school, mounds of schoolwork does not pave the road
to happiness.

[jmcke...@colonial.net]

This may just be my Western ethnocentric view of education, but the
Japanese schooling system seems harmful to both a child's learning and
overall happiness. The main part of the video I was surprised at was
the instructor saying that it was now too easy for Japanese students,
and they don't make them go in of Saturdays any more. Being subjected
to such stress at such a young age is not natural and while it may
have not seemed to affect the student in the film, it is telling that
the government has been easing up on students as of late. This is all
conjecture however unless I find exactly why the government took the
actions it did.

[Alex Steinroeder]

What I found interesting about this segment was that although it
emphasized the rigourous schooling that these students go through, it
also showed how Ken was playing baseball and doing other things than
going to school. I sterotypically see all Japanese kids as doing work
all the time and never stopping. The video did show that the kids are
pushed hard and have a lot of work, but to see that they are at least
getting exercise and doing one activity that they love besides for
school is good to know. Ken seemed like he wanted to talk about the
baseball more than school. He mentioned that he got promoted to number
5 and that he felt it was his responsibility to play up to his number.
If more kids got this feeling that it was their responsibility to live
up to their full potential in school, maybe the scores would not be
slipping in Japan. They need a way to incorporate more entertaining
methods of learning to keep the kids interested

On Jan 13, 10:08 pm, "jmckenn...@colonial.net"

[Alex Steinroeder]

I like Jon's point about how the kids who focus solely on schoolwork
in the United States are thought of as different and strange. In Japan
it is thought of as different if a kid does not put forth maximum
effort in school. Japan has too little extracurricular activities and
the United States has too many. There needs to be a balance between
the two. With all of the time most kids spend in other activities
besides for school, this deteriorates the focus towards education.
Getting five hours of sleep due to homework and playing a sport will
lower test scores and the energy that is brought to school. Doing no
extracurriculars and only homework will cause a kid to dislike the
work and not value it as learning. If countries can find a balance,
the kids will thrive in the classroom more

On Jan 14, 12:30 am, Alex Steinroeder <alsteinroed...@yahoo.com>
wrote:

> > actions it did.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[Phil Lavely]

I agree with a lot that has been said. The Japanese students
definitely seem to work very hard. I am guessing almost all of them
work like Ken does, and have the kind of support his parents give him.
With a one hundred percent secondary education rate, clearly academics
are important to the culture. As Ken's mom said in the video, "He
understands that homework and friends are a given." Not only does he
work very hard when doing his work, he has room to play with other
kids. In the video, he has become good at baseball since they met him
six years ago. The structure of the school system seems to be very
strong and well developed. It is quite impressive.

On Jan 14, 12:37 am, Alex Steinroeder <alsteinroed...@yahoo.com>

[Phil Lavely]

One part that I liked about the video was when Ken's mom said that he
'understood' that other children his age couldn't go to school, and
had to work to live. Though he does not understand this fully or
emotionally, he realizes that not everything is perfect. In Japan, it
would be pretty easy to just focus on yourself and do what you need to
do to get by. Japan has such a strong system it seems like it would be
easy to stay focused on their culture, or be ethnocentric. Yet, in the
video, a six grader already knew that other places weren't as well
off. At one point the video talked about how the school system has
gotten a little bit more relaxed which I think is a good thing. My
impression on Japanese schools was that they were very difficult and
demanding, much like it seemed like in the video. Already, on the
second day of school, they were reciting the school's song. But the
Japanese aren't only focused on academics. My cousins, who are very
good baseball players, were recruited a couple years ago to go to a
school in Japan that was focused on baseball more than academics.
There were kids form all around the world there that came to train.
They would pay about six hours a day of baseball, and academics they
said were the second priority. It definitely helped them become fluent
in Japanese and their baseball skills improved tremendously. They got
a lot out of the experience culturally and physical for their
baseball.

On Jan 14, 12:37 am, Alex Steinroeder <alsteinroed...@yahoo.com>

[David Nurenberg]

I think its interesting that the enrollment rate is almost 100%. Also
it said that they changed Japanese education rules to make it easier
on the children. Teachers cover less material, spend less time in
class and do not have to attend school on saturday anymore. The rules
changed so that the children would not be under as much pressure and
could achieve their goals more easily.

[David Nurenberg]

Wow...I have a clone, apparently. :) (I think Sophia was
accidentally logged in to the teacher account)

- Mr. N.

[chloe]

"The pressure of the education system in Japan is great, and so much
of a child's future depends on going to the right school and
university that from a very young age (in some cases from before ten
years old)" Many in Japan may think this is a great thing, but I most
definitely disagree. I think it's wrong to pre arrange life decisions
to a thousand children at a time, and have them not have any freedom
or independence where they can experience life in a whole different
manner; if they've grown up living like this, they may not necessarily
be unhappy with their lives but if they were to live their life
knowing they can make their own decisions and make their lives
whatever they want to make of it, i think some of these children may
grow up to be even more successful and happy. If they use they're
dreams and desires just like any human would have, the universe but be
much more creative and different which is what cultures need
sometimes. It is never a bad thing to be leading your own life without
someone else's consent. You are in charge of your decisions whether
how hard your schools or parents push you, at the end of the day, you
make the decision you really want, and i think these children aren't
aware of this.

On Jan 14, 7:55 am, David Nurenberg <misternurenb...@gmail.com> wrote:

[sophia]

(that comment above is mine not Mr.Nurenberg)

In response to Dixies question I agree with Maya. There is no
diversity in their schools when there younger and growing up. Everyone
is taught the same way and told the same things which makes it seem
like each student lacks individuality. Its the opposite of CC. We have
so much diversity and we all have our own goals that we are trying to
achieve, where as the Japanese students seem to be taught a common
goal.

[chloe]

I agree with Sloane, all these different things that they are
pressuring them to do speaking school wise is already overwhelming;
but the part we don't understand is there day isn't over, after these
long hours in school and a lot of hard working, "a 12-hour day is not
unusual for the Japanese high school student (before homework)." After
school these kids have lessons to attend due to their parents pushing
and teachers, such as violin lessons,the basketball or football, kendo
or judo, archery or English, Maths or Art or any of the dozens of
other clubs that are organised at school, and which most of these kids
really do go to because they are advised to. My point is not that
these are necessarily bad but that these things isn't either the road
to success; a road to success is finding what you enjoy doing and make
a good living out of it and being happy. joining clubs and craming
work into your brain isn't going to do anything besides over work kids
and tire them out... by the time they are adults they'll be sick of
working and have nothing to look forward to. Since there independence
has already been burned out but not the kinda of independence and
person needs.

On Jan 13, 10:07 pm, "Sloane.Brazina" <sloane.braz...@gmail.com>
wrote:

[Nick Jessee]

Although this is an assumption, it seems to me that this overworking
and extreme schedule takes out the most important part of school and
learning. I feel like they focus on getting the best grade instead of
finding something in life that they could enjoy and pursue, not
because it is economically smart but just because it interests them
and they enjoy doing it. Having said that, watching the dedication of
the boy was very impressive. He sets his goals very high which will
result in great success and he is pursuing what he enjoys, which is
baseball.

[Nick Jessee]

In response to Jimmy's post, I definitely agree. Being placed into an
intensive schooling program at such a young age is damaging enough,
but such high expectations makes it much worse. It must be extremely
stressful for a growing developing mind to be constantly judged and
even looked down upon because he/she does not receive the best grade.
School and learning should be a chance for these kids to find out what
their purpose is, not to overload them to a point of insanity.

[richard...@comcast.net]

Kyle maybe before when the schools had longer hours and meet on
weekends, they had the top ranks, but when they began to teach
slightly more like the western countries, they began to slip to the
level of our ranks. Or they could be having a hard time learning like
their parents did, and the education system in Japan needs to be
redone to fit the needs of the students. Just an idea
Kyle Calabria wrote:
> In the documentary, the teacher and the narrator mention that Japanese
> students ranked among the top nations in world wide academic testing.
> Later they go on to talk about how slowly the countries scores have
> been slipping, and the teacher believes it is because the children are
> only giving mediocre efforts in school, and not trying their hardest.
> Although the narrator says school time has been reduced slightly, and
> that students no longer go to school on Saturdays, this does not
> account for the lessened efforts. What do you think the possible
> causes of this are?
>
>
> On Jan 13, 11:15 am, David Nurenberg <misternurenb...@gmail.com>
> wrote:
> > BLOG ASSIGNMENT
> >
> > Tonight, I'd like you to visit the PBS.ORG: WIDE-ANGLE website for
> > "Time For School," a series that chronicles the lives of schoolkids in
> > countries all over the world.  I'd like you to please watch the
> > segment on "Ken," an elementary-schooler in Japan.
> >
> > 1. Go to:http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/episodes/time-for-school-series/ful...
> >
> > 2. There are two video boxes to click.  Pick the first one (the one on
> > top).
> >
> > 3. Advance to 37:40 on the clock and watch the entire segment (to
> > 47:40).
> >
> > 4. Pick something SPECIFIC from the video and write a response, and/or
> > pose a question to our blog.
> >
> > 5. Then post a second time, in response to someone else's comment.
> >
> > NOTE: If for some reason the PBS site won't load, here are two
> > alternate sites to visit.  Do try and watch the vide, though, is it is
> > much more engaging:
> >
> > http://educationjapan.org/jguide/school_system.htmlhttp://chikushi.fku.ed.jp/kouryu/kokusai.html
> >
> > Gambate! (Japanese for "go for it!")
> >
> > - Mr. N.

[richard...@comcast.net]

i agree with you phil, i just wonder if all the pressure from school
and parents to get amazing grades and do very well is to much pressure
for the kids. Yet i understand like the video said, that education is
very important to the culture of Japan. But the structure of the
education system seems a bit to unbalanced between work and play. Kids
need room for indepence, and not feel crampted from all of the
pressure being thrown on them.

[Peter Cohen]

I think that Japans focus on early education was really interesting.
In the US, funding and attention for pre-school is chronicly lacking
and it really hurts kids development. The early years of a childs life
are the most important and and crucial for success down the road. I
think that positive stimulation of the brain at a young age is far
more important than we give it credit for. Pre-school is important not
only for academic success but social success. It is where kids learn
to play and get along; these early social foundation will ensure
proper development down the road. Japan understands this, the US
however is behind the curb and needs to catch up. Japans focus on
early education could be a reason why their students are more
successful than ours.

[Peter Cohen]

I think Jon makes a really interesting point. The japanese school
system is more rigorous and definetly pushes its students harder, but
at what expense? They produce a more homogenous type of student, but
is this a good or a bad thing? I believe that in Western schools it is
much easier for students to can rise and fall on a greater scale. You
can rise or fall to the highest or lowest denominator. This puts the
burden on the individual student, and i like that. Japan may produce a
more consistently successful student, but this can sometimes come at
the expense of happiness as not everyone was built for the same mold.
Success should be for those who want it. Japans extremely rigorous
education system has benefits like lower dropout rates but drawbacks
like a lack of individuality and mobility. I prefer the US way.

[Dominic Ryder]

What I found most interesting was that although the schools looked
very similar to the ones we are used to, there are some major
differences. One thing i probably only managed to pick out because
I've heard about this aspect of teaching in Japan from others. This
was when the teacher handed back a pice of work, and said something
along th lines of "this is wrong, try again". There was no explanation
of what exactly was wrong, or how it could be fixed. it was just "no,
try again". from a conversation I have had with someone who has worked
in the Jaoanese school system, it seemed like this kind of thing is
very very common in Japan. This is very different from what we see
here, in CC, where almost everything comes ith an explanation
attached.

[Dominic Ryder]

As a sort of general reply to all previous posts, I thought it was
interesting how the responses seem very black and white; a lot of
people think that the school system is too hard on the kids, and a lot
of people said that they thought that their system was something to be
striven towards. very few people were somewhere in between. I myself
lean more towards the idea that it is a little too driven, and too
homogenized, given that everyone learns differently, and at a
different speed.

On Jan 14, 7:55 am, David Nurenberg <misternurenb...@gmail.com> wrote:

[janzer]

I found it very exciting and relieving to see this young man that is
so dedicated and feels such a sense of purpose in his education. I
think that it is incredible to see how effective the Japanese are in
their school system, and how the students feel such a sense of purpose
surrounding their educations. I think the biggest thing is that Ken
seemed to have a vision as to what he wanted to do with his life. This
is very important in receiving a good education, because it gives him
goals to work toward, rather than doing the work just for the sake of
doing the work. Of course, his goals will change as he gets older, and
he will find new direction in his studies. The great competition in
the Japanese schools creates a strong drive in the students to find
something that they can excel at, knowing that there are going to be
intelligent people surrounding him, no matter what he does. It is very
heartening to see such a well-rounded young man with a strong sense of
purpose.

[janzer]

To respond to the general flow of discussion, I think the Japanese
school system is very effective. Yes, it can seem like a very
homogenized schooling system, but that has its benefits. As we saw
with Ken, he had specific goals for himself, which are invariably
different from many kids in the system. I think its good that children
are receiving such a complete education, so that they will be prepared
for whatever they choose to do with their lives. It helps in a working
environment to know that those surrounding you are knowledgeable about
a wide variety of things, and that people you are working with are
reliable because they have received a similar education to your own.
It builds trust between people, knowing that they are just as capable
as you are. This is consistent with many of the messages kids receive
in Japan, where there is not much ethnic diversity. Not to say that it
is better when every one is similar to each other, but it does build
trust in a workplace.

[Jake White]

I think that it is interesting how similar ken seems to be to an
American boy that this his age. They go to school monday through
friday and enjoy to play sports and dream of becoming professional
athletes. He also seems to have a slight idea of what troubles lie
outside his sheltered community such as poverty and death similar to
an American child. He loves to stay active and loves gym which is also
typical for an American boy. They start off in elementary school and
make their way through middle school to high school which is identical
to the path an American child takes in order to earn a diploma

[Jake White]

I also agree that the Japanese school system is effective. It seems to
be strict and demanding. Although our school system is also demanding
I feel like one would be able to get away with more here in an
American school system then in a Japanese school system. Although this
demanding and strict school system may produce better results and
number I don't think it is health for the children to have so much
expected of them.