Japanese Educational System Demands More of Their Students
Japanese schools are quite different from American schools. At the elementary level, Japanese schools value the importance of creativity, friendship, interactive play, and reflection. When students enter middle school their education motives change. ... When students continue on to high school, the classes become even more demanding, leaving little time for anything besides studies. ... In a comparison of school systems, vast differences will be shown between American and Japanese schools with emphasis on class structure and educational requirements. ... As Japanese students advance to middle school their curriculum becomes more difficult; however, the real challenge comes after students complete their entrance exams to high school. Japanese high schools require one or more entrance exams to determine the type of high school a student may be allowed to attend. “Of the number of students that go to middle school in Japan, 95.9% of these students will continue their education and go to high school.” (Lewis) The average size for an elementary class is twenty-nine students. These students remain together with the same teacher for at least two years, which facilitates a sense of community. ... Teachers are not encouraged to correct students themselves, but to let students learn through interacting with their peers. ... The students hold these meetings as if there were no instructors present. In Nicholas Kristof’s (1997) observations in a third grade Japanese classroom, two girls led the discussion by examining, “…whether we met our goals today.