Obama High School

Friday, October 24, 2008
We didn’t have to be at the high school until 9:00 a.m., so I was able to take a long walk along the coast line this morning. The beach isn’t a swimming beach, although it is certainly warm enough here, the water is very cold, and it has a rocky coast line.
We visited Obama High School in Unzen City, Nagasaki. It is only a 5 minute drive from the hotel. Again we were introduced to the teachers, then we were asked to observe classrooms. We met a J.E.T. teacher from Los Angeles. JET stands for Japanese English Teacher Exchange program. The program, funded by the Japanese govt. allows American teachers to teach English in Japanese schools. They get free housing and are salaried. The program is for 2 years. She had only been in Japan since July, so she had an interpretor in the classroom with her as she worked on teaching English. I inquired whether the states has a reverse program, as I think it would be very beneficial for our students to learn Japanese – particularly if they are interested in a degree in international business. But no, we don’t have a reverse program.
I observed an English class, World history class, and a music class. Then we went out and played soccer and volleyball with the kids. The morning was long because we didn’t understand the lessons. I also observed a web design class - they were teaching html. I was surprised that they were teaching html when there are so many programs for web design that do the html for you, dreamweaver, frontpage, publisher, etc.
During lunch we met with the student council. I had lunch with two young boys who were seniors. They spoke very limited English, and my Japanese is limited to about ten phrases, so we used a lot of sign language and charades. I figured out that their favorite movies are Harry Potter. Favorite actor – Johnny Depp – although that’s also my favorite, so maybe they were just being agreeable! This school is more for students who didn’t do as well on their entrance exams, and probably won’t be advancing to University. About 70% of the students will seek employment after graduation, the other 30% will go on to college or technical trade schools.
After lunch the principal and vice principal talked with us for several hours. Of the three schools, they were very forthright explaining the positives and shortfalls of their school. Most of the other schools would not say anything negative, as to only shine a positive light on their school district. We learned that Japan also has some trouble with bullying at the high school level, and that there are some problems with parents - the principal called them ‘monster parents’ defending their child even when he/she needs to be disciplined. It was a very enjoyable session – he had a great sense of humor.
At 3:00 it was time for clubs – my students would be interested to know that in Japan, you have to specialize – all of the clubs meet every day after school – and that includes sports and the arts. So if you are in soccer, you can’t be in boxing, or band, or choir. They all meet at the same time. It was fun to go around and see what all the kids were doing from 3-5 pm, the end of the school day. We watched boxing, which was great – they have a boxing studio there. Then Judo, kendo, and track practice. The baseball and soccer teams were practicing on the field. Inside the school, we participated in a tea ceremony. The ceremony is a Japanese tradition, and many girls are taught this ancient custom so that they might be hired at a traditional Japanese inn, called a Ryoken. They also have a tourism division, where students learn to make beds, serve tea and drinks, and act as a hotel cashier. Their vocational program is doing well.
Our horticulture team would have loved all of the ‘ikebana’ (flower arrangements) that the students prepared for our visit. I have lots of pictures that I will share with you. They were beautiful.
I’ve been wanting to buy some souvenirs from my host city, but I haven’t found anything other than dried fish. It’s everywhere. Tomorrow I will be going to stay with my host family. I’m a little nervous about meeting them and whether they will speak any English, or whether we will be doing charades all weekend. They have a 5 and 2 year old girls, and I brought them some polly pockets, so I’m planning on that being my secret weapon. If nothing else, I can play. I know that they are both teachers. One teaches music, (so I’m hoping they have a piano, as I play and that will be another connection….) the other teaches industrial arts.