Preschool visit

Visiting different types of schools around Morioka is one component of the Cross Cultural Perspectives in Education course taught each year. This week, the Andy’s class visited Ueda Elementary School and Hakubai Yochien. Yochien is for children ages 3 to 5 and is equivalent to American preschool and kindergarten. Yuki knew I was interested in seeing the yochien, so I was invited to join the class too.

After meeting with the principal, a wonderful man retired from the Morioka Board of Education and long-time friend of Earlham, we spent an hour in free play with the children. The 3-year olds were adorable, and kept us entertained with playing tea party inside and tag on the playground. The 4- and 5-year olds epitomized the word genki. They chased each other (and Brooke and Precious!) up and down the hallways, built huge play houses they could go in and climb on, jumped on a large trampoline, built giant block walls, begged to be spun around like airplanes, and performed complicated dance routines while singing along with a radio. At the end of free play time, we were all exhausted and sweaty and it was only 10:30 AM! Luckily it was time for the school assembly. 

 

At the assembly, the different age classes each performed a song and dance. (so cute!!!!!!!) The SICE group sang “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”, which the yochien students promptly returned in Japanese. We then had a raucous game of Don jan ken pon (a highly active version of rock-paper-scissors) with the 5-year olds and were soundly beaten 3 to 1. After seeing what the 3-year old class brought in for Obento, we all ate school lunch with the 5-year olds. 

the SICE group watching the assembly

Don jan ken pon

3-year olds eating lunch- check out the bento!

The entire experience was fun and enlightening. Although early childhood education in Japan differs somewhat by school, the level of independence expected of young children appears to be much greater than anything I’ve seen in the US. For example, at lunch several of the 3-year olds were pealing their own oranges and they all had open cups (not juice boxes or sippy cups) and would go to the sink and fill them when they were thirsty. I am not sure what Catie would do if I packed a whole orange in her lunchbox. We were also told that the children design and choreograph their spring show entirely by themselves. Given the dances we saw during play time, this does not surprise me. The level of safety/liability concerns were also quite different. We watched 4 little girls bounce like crazy on a high trampoline at least 2 feet off the ground in front of a third floor window. Can you imagine that ever happening in a US school??? The teachers never even flinched when several of the Earlham students and Andy started swinging the children around like airplanes. Again, complete strangers manhandling a bunch of 3, 4, and 5 year olds in the US- no way! We didn’t even have to sign in to be there. I wonder if the US used to be more like this before we became such a litigious society. For now, I’m going to stand back and enjoy the kinder, gentler aspects of Japan.