Kathleen Becker

Monthly Salon Presentation

My elementary and junior high school

 Introduction
Nice to meet you! I’m the Wada ALT and I’ve been in Japan
for over a year.

I’m from rural Illinois in the United States.

I graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.A. in

Comparative Literature.

I’ve traveled throughout Japan and East Asia.

After my time as an ALT, I plan to become an ESL Teacher

in the USA.
 Education

School Lunch & Uniforms

Teachers

Academics

Discipline
School clubs
School lunch and Uniforms

In the United States, many kids bring lunch to school and the
teachers do not eat with the kids. The food is very different too, of
course.

In the United States, usually only private schools have uniforms.

Some public schools have uniforms, but it is not as common.
 Teachers
I was really shocked by how much teachers work in Japanese schools. In
the US, teachers usually work from 8 AM to 4PM.

There are more male teachers in Japan. In the United States, especially in
elementary school, most school teachers are women.

Teachers have a lot more respect in society in Japan. We have no term for
“Sensei” in English.

Teachers are much more responsible for their students than American
teachers.
 School Discipline

Students are disciplined very differently in Japan.

If a student is disrupting class, she or he can be kicked out of class

or even expelled from school.

If a student’s grades are bad they can’t do clubs or participate in

fun activities at school.

Parents are more responsible for a student’s discipline than

teachers.
 Academics

I think Academics are a lot more intense in Japan than the United States.

The testing system is very different in the United States compared to Japan

We have standardized testing, but it only decides how much funding a school gets. Test results
do not affect the students’ future.

High school entrance exams exist, but are fairly rare.

Math and science are done at a higher level,

 Extracurriculars
Club activities are a big part of life in Japanese schools. It is not like that in
the United States.

Not all junior high school students do club activities.

Club activities do not practice everyday and are not done on the weekends.