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Toriu Elementary School
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Principal Harumi Tange made
us feel very welcome. This is the bulletin board that greeted us upon our arrival. |
| This is an art class. |  |
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This is a Home Economics class.
Notice that both boys and girls are in the class. Today's lesson is how to make a rice cake with sweet bean red bean paste in the center...Yum! |
| This is a Moral Education class where students are presented a story and asked how they would have reacted in a similar situation. |  |
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This is a math class...long division.
Maybe math really is the "universal language". |
| This is a Japanese language class where the students learn to read the complex Japanese language system. |  |
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This is the 5th grade classroom
where I ate lunch. Students eat a prepared lunch in the classroom. They take turns serving each other. All wear caps, masks, and smocks. |
| Although there was a language barrier, there
was one thing upon which we all agreed... |
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No matter what the language,
or where the country, kids are kids! |
Chikami Junior High School
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| Each year Chikami Junior High School student create a can mural by painting discarded soda cans and stringing them together. They then hang the strings of cans from the balcony to create a mosaic for the community to see. This year's mosaic depicts the Kurushima bridges. |
Imabari Higashi High School
| Students in Japan either take public transportation
to school, walk, or ride their
bicycles. Students are not allowed to drive to school. |
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While in the school building, students wear indoor slippers. This helps keep the floors clean. |
| This is the courtyard of Imabari Higashi High School. It and the rest of the school are kept so immaculate because the students do the cleaning. Everyday there is a "cleaning" period where students are assigned specific tasks around the school--everything from raking and sweeping to scrubbing the toilets and mopping. The Japanese believe that this inspires ownership and pride in the school. |  |
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This is a Japanese literature class.
Notice all of the public school students in uniform. |
| This is a math class. Students are required to wear their complete uniforms all day everyday no matter what the temperature. It was cold during this visit...the classrooms had no heat or air conditioning. Students are also required to wear their uniforms after school in town unless they are accompanied by a parent. |  |
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Martial Arts class. |
Tokyo Metropolitan Koumei School
for the
Physically Handicapped
| I was fortunate enough to be one of the twenty FMFers chosen to visit Koumei Special Education School. |  |
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Koumei both day and residential services
for children in the metropolitan Tokyo area. |
| Koumei is well-equipped with computer technology for student use. |  |
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Koumei students enjoy exchanges with
other local public school children. |
| Koumei students have the opportunity to participate in Sports Festivals... |  |
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As well as Cultural Festivals. |
| This is orginal artwork done by a Koumei high school student and reproduced on a color printer. |  |
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