My friend and English student, Mrs. Ehara, was telling me about why she chose the kindergarten she sent her daughter to (where I teach English) and what all she had to do to get her daughter enrolled. I thought it was a very interesting situation and not all that unusual in Japan. A couple other mothers were telling me that it was difficult to enroll children in some of the other kindergartens in the city and I have heard of kindergartens in Tokyo where they child goes to preparatory class BEFORE applying to a kindergarten so that they can pass the difficult entry exams. (to KINDERGARTEN!!)
Anyway, I asked Mrs. Ehara to write me a composition and she sent along a sweet picture of herself and Mion. (I think, Mion means "Beautiful sound".)
I have one child, a daughter, and her name is Mion. Mion is 7 years old and she is in the first grade now. In Japan, most children who are preschool age, (ages 3 to 5) attend kindergarten before they go to school. Mion went to kindergarten for three years. I wanted her to attend so that she would be able to make many friends and have some "sisters and brothers". I think kindergarten is a good place for children to learn how to relate with each other.
When choosing a kindergarten in Japan, some parents send their child to the one nearest their home which makes it convenient to take the child to and from kindergarten. Some parents choose a kindergarten according to what it offers in the way of progressive education. We can choose a kindergarten freely and enroll in the school which fits the child's personality or the family lifestyle. In our case, I wanted to send Mion to a small kindergarten, one that might be like an extended family. Mion and I joined some introductory groups which were held by each kindergarten for the pre-kindergarten child. I found out a lot about the kindergartens and their policies and based on that information, we decided on a kindergarten which we thought would be suitable for Mion.
Unfortunately, that kindergarten was very popular and the enrollment was limited. I had heard that there were many people who were hoping to apply for enrollment which surprised me. However I really wanted to send Mion to that kindergarten. When application day arrived I tried to get to the kindergarten as early as I possibly could. I went on the day before the actual application day! Even so, I was the eighth person in line! I had to wait in line until the next morning! Can you believe it?! But it's true and to attend this kindergarten that was what we needed to do.
When it was evening, my husband came to the kindergarten after work to take my place in line. He stayed overnight on the kindergarten grounds in a small log house which is built there. It was a very stormy night and the windows shook whenever the wind blew. He said he couldn't sleep at all that night! Early the next morning, the director of the kindergarten came to the log house and she passed out application forms. Though the day was very long and we were very tired, we were able to enroll Mion in the kindergarten of our choice!
Mion loved her kindergarten and our family had many wonderful experiences while she was there. We have so many good memories and we are happy with our decision and efforts to send Mion to this nice kindergarten.
8 comments:
Wow! I see people doing that kind of waiting in line for concert tickets, but have never heard of it to enroll your child in kindergarten.
What an interesting story. Cultural differences are very interesting.
What a wonderful memory this family has.
Now that's what I call perseverence. My, my...
It's my belief that if only have one daughter (even one with such a beautiful name!) then it's not hard to make the sacrifice....we had 3 daughters and were blessed to get them into the private Christian elementary school they all attended...we didn't have to wait in line, but did have to make a huge financial sacrifice to send them. We felt it was worth it!
What an amazing story and what dedication from those parents to give their daughter the 'best' opportunity they could.
My word! Such dedication. Do you think this effort over the child's life is rewarded by less teen-age conflict, and less drug use as they grow?
I wish people here had that kind of dedication to education. I've waited in line for the day after Thanksgiving specials, but nothing else.
What an intriguing story. Please thank her for sharing it with you, & therefore with us. What a lovely photo of them both.
We have what are called "magnet schools" in our city. They are specialized curriculum schools (natural sciences, liberal arts, performing arts, technology, etc.) These schools can be attended by a child from any school district, but enrollment is handled by first come/first served until the limit is met. Parents stand in line before the enrollment period for DAYS to be sure to be there in time to get one of the coveted slots. But these are middle or high schools. I am not sure how much difference there is between kindergartens to go through so much. And enrollment testing for 4 year old is just crazy, and too much pressure on the poor child.
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