Sarah Dickson is currently studying at an all-girl's high school in Osaka, and she helped me get in contact with the English teacher there to set up a special meeting at the school. So we left the rest of the EF group and took a train to this High School.
In Japan you can't drive until you're eighteen, so most students ride their bicycles to school or ride the bus or train.
The students are in charge of cleaning their own high school every day after school. This includes the bathrooms! In the process they learn responsibility and to respect their surroundings. If they make a mess, they're the ones who will have to clean it up afterwards! This concept definitely needs to come to America.
After we took off our shoes at the front entrance way of the school and put on slippers, Carl the English teacher gave us a short tour of the school. School had just been let out, and we could see students cleaning the campus and starting their after school clubs. Class electives we Americans take for granted like art, band, dance, etc. are all afterschool activities. A lot of the students stay at school until 6pm practicing. Carl then led us up to a tatami room where some students learn Japanese culture like the tea ceremony.
It hurt after a while to be sitting on our legs for so long, so most of us had to shift to the side. It was amazing to see how every single movement was choreographed precisely- even down to what you had to say and how many steps needed to be taken. After the tea ceremony, we went back to the classroom and chatted with the students. They especially got excited when they found out many of the students new their favorite tv stars, singers and manga characters.
Check out this link to see photos of our little meeting featured on their school website!
http://www.takii-h.oiu.ed.jp/re-news/archives/2010/07/010824.html
