“99% high school graduation rate”

People are amazed when I describe schools in Japan.

Every day, students go down to the kitchen, bring the food to the classroom, and serve lunch to each other (学校給食). At the end of the day, they clean the school together (blackboard, erasers, desks, floors, trash, pencil sharpeners, etc.) This teaches the importance of teamwork and treating the school with respect. By learning these important skills at a young age, combined with an emphasis on following the rules and discipline, it makes sense why Japan has an insanely high graduation rate.

We visited Joto High School in Okayama Prefecture, one of the top public schools in the country. In the pictures, you can see that students wear uniforms (even in public schools) and most schools have dirt rather than grass fields (it’s less expensive and can handle more wear and tear.)

Since it was around Valentine’s Day, students were reading a simplified version of Romeo and Juliet. I think we surprised them when eight foreigners suddenly walked in to observe the class. I’m not sure we helped their productivity that day, but it sure was fun to talk to them.

This day reminded me of the three unforgettable years I spent teaching English through The JET Programme, supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.