I may have made some mistakes at the previous post.
So, I've decided to post another topic on a kind person's advice. :-)
Now, I sometimes go to an English conversation school in Osaka, Japan.
Last week the female teacher, who is fresh from Canada, asked me,
"The summer holiday for kids ended. Your children had the opening
of new semester, didn't they ?"
...Maybe she asked like this. :D
I was really confused. In Japan, the opening of new semester
is on April.
I figured out why she told such a thing.
That's just a different culture.
In North America, it's on September, you know. That's all. :D
Also, she asked me, "Do you know why it's on April in Japan ?"
Um... Another student and I thought for a couple of minutes.
And we replied.
"In Japan, there are so many cherry blossoms on April."
"It's the best season to open new semester. The blossoms smell
so fresh to us."
I was really tired from the thinking. :D
Does anyone know why it's on September in the US and Canada ?
She didn't know why.
And now, I've heard that the opening of new semester in Australia
is on January. In Mexico, it's on August.
So, I've decided to post another topic on a kind person's advice. :-)
Now, I sometimes go to an English conversation school in Osaka, Japan.
Last week the female teacher, who is fresh from Canada, asked me,
"The summer holiday for kids ended. Your children had the opening
of new semester, didn't they ?"
...Maybe she asked like this. :D
I was really confused. In Japan, the opening of new semester
is on April.
I figured out why she told such a thing.
That's just a different culture.
In North America, it's on September, you know. That's all. :D
Also, she asked me, "Do you know why it's on April in Japan ?"
Um... Another student and I thought for a couple of minutes.
And we replied.
"In Japan, there are so many cherry blossoms on April."
"It's the best season to open new semester. The blossoms smell
so fresh to us."
I was really tired from the thinking. :D
Does anyone know why it's on September in the US and Canada ?
She didn't know why.
And now, I've heard that the opening of new semester in Australia
is on January. In Mexico, it's on August.
|
|
|
|
コメント(15)
hey there Prowler7010,
yeah good question! I'm not sure why, but the semester starts in september in the UK too (we call them 'school terms')...I guess Australia is in the southern hemisphere, so their summer holiday ends in January - so they are using the same idea as other western countries in that the new semester starts after the summer holidays....Maybe for westerners the end of summer means the end of being able to play, and we should get serious for the winter to come...
I'm not sure, hopefully someone will be able to answer this one and enlighten me too : )
yeah good question! I'm not sure why, but the semester starts in september in the UK too (we call them 'school terms')...I guess Australia is in the southern hemisphere, so their summer holiday ends in January - so they are using the same idea as other western countries in that the new semester starts after the summer holidays....Maybe for westerners the end of summer means the end of being able to play, and we should get serious for the winter to come...
I'm not sure, hopefully someone will be able to answer this one and enlighten me too : )
>> 1: ... san:
I guess like you said. "the end of summer means the end of
being able to play"
But I don't find out the real reason yet.
>> 2: Okum san:
>> 3: ★LEO★ san:
I confirmed what she means then.
She actually asked about "the opening of new school year".
Uh, it starts in Oct in Canada, doesn't it ?
Good to know.
I guess like you said. "the end of summer means the end of
being able to play"
But I don't find out the real reason yet.
>> 2: Okum san:
>> 3: ★LEO★ san:
I confirmed what she means then.
She actually asked about "the opening of new school year".
Uh, it starts in Oct in Canada, doesn't it ?
Good to know.
I like to think that's because of a beautiful scenery of cherryblossoms. However, if I wasn't mistaken, I was taught in school that when Japanese government undertook the modernization in order to catch up with Western countires. Hirobumi Ito, the minister of education at the moment, went to England and studied the education system there. After he came back to Japan, he introduced the education system which almost resembled the one in Britain. That was how the story went in the history class. Anyway, I'm too old to remember the detail of this story. So, I may have been mistaken...
>> She actually asked about "the opening of new school year".
Not to doubt you, but I find it surprising that someone intending to teach English in Japan doesn't know that the school year starts in April there. Besides, I don't think schools in Japan use the semeter system except for colleges / universities. Elementary and high schools use the trimester system as far as I know.
Looks to me that the current education system in Japan looks more like that of the U.S. They sure don't have O-level or A-level exams, do they?
Not to doubt you, but I find it surprising that someone intending to teach English in Japan doesn't know that the school year starts in April there. Besides, I don't think schools in Japan use the semeter system except for colleges / universities. Elementary and high schools use the trimester system as far as I know.
Looks to me that the current education system in Japan looks more like that of the U.S. They sure don't have O-level or A-level exams, do they?
I think that the U.S. starts its school year in September because
of farming. In the past, the children in a family would help
on the farm during the busy times (mostly summer months). Only
when that work was done could they go to school. So the schools
adapted to the farming year by setting a schedule around this.
Farming is the same reason that the U.S. follows Daylights
Savings Time.
From what I have seen of English teachers in Japan, they go
to Japan with very little knowledge of Japanese cultures and
customs. So, I would expect she made a simple mistake when she
asked the question - she was assuming that Japan followed a
similar school year to Canada.
of farming. In the past, the children in a family would help
on the farm during the busy times (mostly summer months). Only
when that work was done could they go to school. So the schools
adapted to the farming year by setting a schedule around this.
Farming is the same reason that the U.S. follows Daylights
Savings Time.
From what I have seen of English teachers in Japan, they go
to Japan with very little knowledge of Japanese cultures and
customs. So, I would expect she made a simple mistake when she
asked the question - she was assuming that Japan followed a
similar school year to Canada.
Here where it's hot much of the year, the semester seems to start later and later each year because the schools want to save money on air conditioning.
But I really don't think there's much of a reason to it. Changing it now wouldn't make any sense, and what grade-schooler wants to spend her free days during the winter?
But I really don't think there's much of a reason to it. Changing it now wouldn't make any sense, and what grade-schooler wants to spend her free days during the winter?
Peter is right - it's because of farming, and it's a tradition that started hundreds of years ago and is not really necessary anymore. These days a lot of school districts in the US do have school year-round. If it's not a regular term, there will at least be summer school that may be mandatory for some students and optional for other students. When I was in high school, I chose to take summer classes so that I could take fewer classes during the regular semester. When I went to college, I took a full semester of courses during summer so I could graduate earlier.
>> 8: だいはど san:
I've never heard the words "O-level" and "A-level" before.
I googled the words just now. I had the opportunity to study the words. Thanks a lot.
>> 9: ピーター san:
Aha ! farming ! easy-to-understand.
And I have to keep telling about Japanese culture...
>> 11: Jeff san:
Cool ! That's a great idea to graduate earlier.
You are very smart !
I've never heard the words "O-level" and "A-level" before.
I googled the words just now. I had the opportunity to study the words. Thanks a lot.
>> 9: ピーター san:
Aha ! farming ! easy-to-understand.
And I have to keep telling about Japanese culture...
>> 11: Jeff san:
Cool ! That's a great idea to graduate earlier.
You are very smart !
Its just my guess (I didnt read eveyones vioce....somewhere around the middle i didnt feel like reading it) all the school in USA starts school after summer vication. Southern part of USA starts July, i believe.(its been long since i lived there) Its like after all that playing around students go back to school with fresh mind....more like out of mind but hahaha whatever.
- mixiユーザー
- ログインしてコメントしよう！
|
|
|
|
☆ENGLISH ONLY☆ 更新情報
-
最新のアンケート
