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How many times have you complained about your schoolwork today?
If you think Canadian students have it bad, try attending a Japanese
school. I haven't personally tried it, but I have visited Japan
and talked to students who do.
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The time that Japanese students spend in school is much more
concentrated than in Canada. Many students also go to evening
classes--even kindergarteners. I rarely spend more than an hour
after school doing homework. Some Japanese schools have classes
six days a week. As soon as school is out in June, many Canadian
students throw out or even burn their papers. In Japan, they
attend summer school and take extra classes. |
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of Canada's SchoolNet |
In Asahikawa--the city where I stayed for two months--the
'rat race' was especially bad. The students' marks from exams
are posted in the newspapers for everyone to read. The school
a student attends depends on the exam marks. Here in Canada,
our public schools are open and admission is not based on a student's
marks.
These are just a few of the differences between education
in the two countries. I don't expect Canadian students to stop
complaining completely. Yet I do hope such an awareness will
help us, as Canadians, to appreciate how good we actually have
it in our schools. |
