I am seeking advice on how to prepare my child to enter into a private or international elementary school in Japan. My family and I just moved here in Yokohama, and we want to make sure our child is well-prepared for this new chapter in their education.
I would greatly appreciate any advice on what to expect and how to best prepare my child for the transition to a new school system and culture. Some specific areas that I am looking for advice on include:
1. Language skills: What level of Japanese proficiency should my child have before entering a Japanese school? Are there any recommended resources or language programs that can help my child prepare?
2. Cultural norms: What are some key cultural differences that my child should be aware of when entering a Japanese school? Are there any customs or manners that my child should be familiar with?
3. Curriculum: How does the curriculum in Japanese schools compare to that of private or international schools? Are there any particular subjects or skills that my child should focus on?
4. Socialization: How can I help my child make friends and adjust to the social environment in a new school?
Thank you in advance for your advice and suggestions. I am looking forward to hearing from those who have experience with this transition.
3 comments
1. your child will learn quickly enough even if they start from zero, but is your Japanese good enough to communicate with teachers in Japanese?
2. your child will be fine as long as they know how to walk and wait in line
3. have you taken a look at the Japanese curriculum? ~~I don’t know where you’re from so I can’t say how different it would be from what you’re used to~~ edit; both private schools and public schools follow the same general curriculum but private schools tend to focus more advanced things within it and also more on sports and experiences. International schools follow the curriculum of the home country depending on who they serve and what they aim at.
4. don’t worry too much about it, children are children and adapt to the new environment and make new friends soon enough. however, will you be able to make friends with other parents if you send your child to a Japanese private school? Do you speak enough Japanese for that?
To sum it up, how well you’re prepared matters mor than what your child happens to know.
I can understand your concerns. I am American. My wife is Japanese and she is near native in English so we speak English almost 100% in our household. We were nervous when our son entered public school.
So, I’m not sure how much this will help since we use a public school, but FWIW…
First thing I would say is if you are doing international, I am sure you will be vetting the school and you’ll have an orientation and/or a preparatory discussion. English is going to almost certainly be the language you’ll use and the language of instruction, so I can’t see a major issue.
Public school – which is what we do – is a different animal. Everything is in Japanese. Instruction, directions, etc., There’s zero English comms because…well…we’re in Japan. If your kids don’t speak any Japanese at all, I don’t think this is a really good option for them. There are some schools that cater to “returnees” but that’s not you. Private Japanese schools you’d have to vet. There is a range. It’s not 1 size fits all as I understand it but if it is all Japanese all the time (which I suspect is common) you’d want to see if they have any sort of bridge classes to help your child transition in.
Culturally, there are some differences, but I don’t find them particularly jarring. There are a number of required items. E.g. you need a landoseru and pencil case and art bag and inside shoes, etc. There is school observation like 1x per month on a Saturday. You’re expected to do some sort of parent task (I opt for neighborhood patrol). But otherwise, it isn’t really all that different as far as I’m concerned.
I’m going to restrict my comments to international schools. Be warned: just because a school incorporates the word “international” in its name doesn’t necessarily make it one.
Over the past 15 years or so (perhaps even longer) there has been a steady cheapening of the “international school” concept in Japan. 20 years ago there were perhaps a dozen legitimate international schools in Japan but there has been an explosive proliferation of them since.
It’s important to remember that these are private schools, and as such are not forced to adhere to the same standards such as public ones, like following the Japanese National Curriculum, for example. The staff they hire, in many (if not most) cases have little to no background in education, particularly if they are teaching subject areas outside of English. An exception are Filipinas/Filipinos, which the majority of (in my experience) come from properly trained backgrounds (BEd, home country licenses, usually years of proper teaching experience.
But these are the exceptions, not the rule-many teachers who teach in supposed “international schools” have a mish-mash of ALT/JET/random TESL certificate combination, with the odd IB certificate thrown in if they were lucky enough to work at a place that paid for it. I’m sorry, but this is not just being on the same planet as trained and licensed teachers, it’s not even in the same solar system. For what it’s worth, I have a degree in Education and a teaching license from my home country and work in a faculty of education at a Japanese university where part of my job is to train elementary school teachers and I can tell you the amount of training and effort the students go through to get qualified by passing the teacher certification examination is substantial and by far and away exceeds what the majority of foreign teachers in Japan have.
Concerning curriculum, many “international” schools use any number of possibilities: vague or relatively unheard-of foreign varieties or ones they’ve cooked up on their own. I know the IB is much ballyhooed here in Japan but I’ve seen that up close a few times at schools I’ve either visited or the private high school I worked at a couple of chapters back, and I am not impressed. Then again, it might have helped if the people trying to teach it were actually properly trained to use it. (And about the IB’s training: if other people reading think that comes anywhere near to that of a four-year degree program at a university you’re completely ignorant. It’s an augment to a skill set that should already been well-entrenched-not a substitute.)
“International” schools can operate out of poorly-maintained and/or old buildings, which may not seem like a big deal but for the fact you’ll probably be shelling out well north of a million yen in tuition a year per child for the privilege of attending. Many “international” (and even private) schools don’t even follow basic professional procedures that you would take for granted in your home country, like requiring criminal record checks of all employees.
With all that said, concerning international schools, here’s a checklist for you:
1.) Has the school been accredited by the Ministry of Education (MEXT) or an external accreditation body like WASC? The IB also has accreditation but again, it seems to handing that out like free Big Macs these days so I’m not sure what it’s worth is.
2.) Is the facility new, and if not is it clean, well-maintained and stocked with plentiful student resources?
3.) Curriculum: does it follow a curriculum not just with name recognition but one that you think will actually benefit your child? Does it even follow one at all, or are they just making up sh*t in-house? Any school worth anything would willingly allow you to look at their curriculum and should be in a position to comfortably explain any questions about it you may have. Are they willing to do that or not?
4.) Teaching staff: how many of them have a) degrees in Education, b) licenses from their home countries, and c) teaching experience commensurate with the job they have now? (And if it’s ALT/JET experience only, I’d really have my doubts. And before any ALTs or JETs come in howling with protest, you were/are focused on one subject area only. You didn’t/don’t teach Math, Sciences, History, etc. nor were you trained to so you’d probably be incapable of doing so and not even realize it.)
5.) School protocols/policies: does the school have policies governing student/teacher interactions inside and outside of the classroom? Do they have internal policies or reporting mechanisms regarding bullying, etc? How thoroughly do they screen teacher applicants? How often do they practice fire or evacuation drills? Is there a school nurse on site? Do they even have a school nurse?
That’s about all I can think of concerning international schools, but a lot of that checklist could apply for private schools as well. If you want more info, message me privately. But never forget, public schools are providing a government deemed and funded essential public service and private schools (international or otherwise) are for-profit enterprises trying to make a buck.