Contents
Society and family
Education in Japan is a cult supported by family, society and the state.
Most of the population has approximately the same level of income.
Up to 5 years, the Japanese treat the child “like a king”, from 5 to 15 years old — “like a slave”, and after 15 — “like an equal”. It is believed that a fifteen-year-old teenager is already an adult who clearly knows his duties and impeccably obeys the rules.
Divorces are rare. Statistics: In 1996, it is said that there are 1000 divorces per 1,57 people in Japan.
Late marriage. The average age of marriage for men is 29,7 years, and for women — 27,1 years.
Now the Japanese are increasingly marrying for mutual sympathy. But more often than not, parental duty clearly prevails over emotional ties.
The traditional Japanese family is a mother, father and two children.
Man in family chief. The role of the father is the provider. The role of a mother is to raise children.
Subordination can be traced even in the relationship of brothers and sisters. There is no such word as brother or sister. Has a younger/older brother and a younger/older sister. The older child has more rights, but correspondingly more responsibilities.
From childhood, the house and family are perceived as a place of psychological comfort, and the mother is the personification of it.
Preschool education
upbringing mother is taking care of the child. The father can also take part, but this is rare.
For the first year, the child, as it were, remains a part of the mother’s body, who wears him tied behind his back all day long, puts him to sleep next to her at night and gives him a breast at any time he wants.
The child is not forbidden, from adults he hears only warnings: “dangerous”, “dirty”, “bad”. The period of «permissiveness» in a baby lasts only up to 5 years.
If something happens to a child, mother feels guilty herself and asks his forgiveness for not saving her.
The Japanese never raise their voice to children, do not lecture them, not to mention corporal punishment.
The Japanese woman does not argue with the will and desire of the child, but expresses her discontent indirectly: makes it clear that she is very upset by his unworthy behavior. As a rule, children idolize their mothers so much that they feel guilty and remorseful if they cause trouble for them.
When there is conflicts, Japanese mothers try not to distance themselves from children, but, on the contrary, strengthen emotional contact with them.
The heaviest moral punishment is excommunication from home or opposition of the child to some group.
Japanese supporters early child development. At different ages, education focuses on different issues: 1 year: awakening self-confidence. 2 years: applied art, handmade. 3 years: nurturing responsibilities. 4 years: good and evil. 5 years: education of leadership qualities: independence, the ability to make plans and carry them out.
Boys and girls are brought up differently. They see the future support of the family in their son. He is taught to overcome difficulties. The girls are getting ready for homework.
Usually, a Japanese mother stays at home until the baby is three years old, after which he is sent to kindergarten.
In Japan, there are nursery, but the upbringing of a small child in them is not welcome. It is generally believed that the mother should take care of the children.
In kindergartens, the composition of children’s groups and educators changes every six months. If a child started poorly in one group, there is a chance to correct the situation in another.
Features of the education system
The principle of «lifetime employment» adopted in Japan gives a person the right to only one attempt to take a worthy place in society. A good education is considered a guarantee that she will be successful.
The Japanese education system, like pancakes, bakes young people who are versed in mathematics and technology. In 1994, 97,5% of young men went to college. About 40% of young Japanese and 20% of Japanese women entered universities.
The competition for the most prestigious educational institutions is so great that newspapers use the expression «exam hell».
The main task of Japanese pedagogy is to educate a person who can work well in a team. To live in Japanese society, a society of groups, this is necessary.
Until recently, in the Japanese language and in pedagogy, an equal sign was put between education and abilities. Today, the Japanese educational press emphasizes the presence of «an urgent need for a creative personality» and the need to identify gifted children at an early age.
School principles
For a Japanese teacher all children are equal. Among them there are no weak and strong, but there are lazy and diligent. There are no special programs for both gifted and backward children.
There are no repeaters in schools either. Tutoring schools (juku) help to «align» children.
Ordinary school gives knowledge massively, Juku is more focused on individual approach. What is not understood in the morning at school, in the evening will be explained in Juku.
Principles of education at school
Children are taught avoid Direct rivalries. The victory of one may inevitably mean the «loss of face» of the other.
Singing in a choir helps to foster a sense of unity with the team. Collective sports games are also used for this purpose.
Everyone in school should be the same. Often not only clothes and school supplies are subject to standardization, but also thoughts.
Groups of children take turns cleaning their classroom, corridors, toilets and the school yard. The goal is to form industriousness, diligence, the ability to overcome oneself, to subordinate one’s feelings to the interests of the team, to manage one’s emotions.
The task of the secondary school is education, the task of the high school is the transfer of knowledge for admission to a university.
The emphasis in education is on respect for man and animals, sympathy and generosity for other people, the search for truth, the ability to feel beautiful and sublime, have self-control, preserve nature, and contribute to the development of society.
Children’s health
In Japan, each educational institution has a whole team of medical professionals: a doctor, a nurse, a dentist, a pharmacist, and a health curator.
Particularly carefully designed menu for kids. The vitamin and mineral composition of dishes and their calorie content are calculated. Advice about «tasty and healthy food» is given to parents by educators and even heads of children’s institutions.
The Japanese method of hardening is that the child should be as close as possible to the natural conditions of survival, that is, in winter, enduring cold, and in summer, enduring heat, generally justifies itself.
Children are taught to be clean. The cult of purity is manifested not only in clean hands, but also in a clean body, clean underwear and clothes, clean hair and teeth.
Culture, holidays and ceremonies
In Japan, a number of holidays are held for children, which allow them to form a sense of belonging to the traditions of their country.
Sitia — “seventh night” or “nazuke no iwai” — a holiday on the occasion of choosing a name for a child.
100 days after the birth of the child, they are carried to the temple for the first time.
When a child turns one year old, various objects are laid out in front of him (for example, abacus, a sickle, a brush for writing, etc.) And according to which thing he takes first, they talk about his future.
March XNUMX across Japan «Hinamacuri» — a holiday of dolls for girls. On this day, multi-tiered red stands appear in houses, on which graceful dolls are displayed, symbolizing the imperial family.
Fifth of May is celebrated «kodomo no hi». On this day, a large number of flags and banners are hung on the roofs of houses and in gardens, very similar in shape to a carp. Their number depends on the number of men living in the house.
April first — the beginning of the school year and a kind of «initiation» for the right to be Japanese.
Other
Recently, another wonderful tradition has been introduced in Japanese schools: to attract old Japanese and Japanese women to teach children hand crafts.
The idea of conformity to a single standard is so firmly rooted in the minds of children that if one of them expresses his own opinion, he becomes the object of ridicule or even hatred. This phenomenon is especially common today in Japanese schools and is called «Idzime» (a concept close to our army «hazing»).
There is an opinion that the Japanese education system is focused on the formation and education of performers, obedient functionaries. Skewed towards group consciousness leads to the inability to think independently.
references
- Japanese education system
- Raising children in Japanese society