Not understanding the value of learning English by Misako Hida

Several years ago, I heard that you came to Japan on an inspection tour related to English education and visited several public schools. What did you notice about Japanese schools?

After visiting elementary and junior high schools in several cities, including Tokyo, I found that Japanese families place more emphasis on education than American families. This includes not only school classes, but also extracurricular programs and cram schools.

The next thing I felt was the closed nature of the Japanese education system. I felt that I was very “introverted” because my vector was not so suitable for overseas universities and study abroad. I was shocked by the contrast between South Korea and China, who are enthusiastic about going abroad. It didn’t seem that the value of learning English was rooted in Japanese culture. Although there may be a kind of obligation to study English.

Also, during class, the teacher continued to talk endlessly using the textbook, and the students staring at the podium all at once left an impression on me. Of course, I think that there are some things that have changed since the corona disaster, but at least when I visited, I got the impression that the teacher was talking all the time. On the other hand, seeing the students listening intently gave me a sense of the Japanese tradition of respecting the role of the teacher.