Path: ccsf.homeunix.org!ccsf.homeunix.org!news1.wakwak.com!nf1.xephion.ne.jp!onion.ish.org!onodera-news!newsfeed.media.kyoto-u.ac.jp!newsfeed.icl.net!newsfeed.fjserv.net!news.maxwell.syr.edu!c03.atl99!news.webusenet.com!pc01.webusenet.com!fe06.private.usenetserver.com.POSTED!84fe297b!not-for-mail From: Raj Feridun Newsgroups: fj.life.in-japan Subject: Re: I've finally figured this puppy out Sender: Raj Feridun Message-ID: References: <3FC0A9FA.18DA4237@yahoo.co.jp> <3md1svo5irh80rphon12f3mnl68e19aint@4ax.com> X-Newsreader: Forte Agent 1.93/32.576 English (American) MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Lines: 51 X-Complaints-To: abuse@usenetserver.com X-Abuse-Info: Please be sure to forward a copy of ALL headers X-Abuse-Info: Otherwise we will be unable to process your complaint properly. NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 25 Nov 2003 03:50:58 EST Date: Tue, 25 Nov 2003 17:57:29 +0900 Xref: ccsf.homeunix.org fj.life.in-japan:8311 On Tue, 25 Nov 2003 17:34:28 +0900, Scott Reynolds wrote: >On 11/25/2003 9:55 AM, Raj Feridun wrote: > >> My wife is the one that really wants to go back to the USA at the >> moment. We do both agree that the educational system there is alot >> better for the children. I'm not the biggest fan of the Japanese >> school system for whom I often work. > >It's interesting you should say that. My wife and I have been quite >pleasantly surprised with the schools our son has attended here in >Tokyo. In particular, elementary school turned out to be a lot more >relaxed than I had expected. Of course now our son is now in the third >year of jr. high and going through the whole juken (or preparation for >juken) thing, and I'll admit that it seems to be no fun at all -- kind >of like the stereotypes we've all read about. But elementary school was >a joy. Interestingly enough, our son was under more pressure to conform >at the expensive private school he attended from age 3 through 8 in >Chicago than he has been since we moved back to Tokyo. And there were >discipline issues as well. In Chicago we were constantly being called in >to talk to the counselor or his teachers about something or other. But >since we moved back here we've had nothing but glowing reports from the >teachers. I guess it's just the whole STUDY STUDY STUDY attitude of the whole society I don't much care for. I had a U.S. public school education and in comparison to what my kids are experiencing it was one big long summer vacation. Still, my kids are in a good school here and THEY seem to enjoy it. >So you might say that I've gone from being rather doubtful about the >public school system in Japan to being a firm believer. We'll have to >see what high school is like, though. Yeah, that and junior high school are my primaries as well. I'm happy to hear that your son is having such a good junior high school experience. >My wife likes the US well enough. She had lived there about 3 years >before we got married and we were in Chicago another 6 years or so. >Still, she doesn't seem very hot on the idea of a permanent move. That >plus my job situation plus our son's education are likely to keep us >here for the foreseeable future. But I'm not complaining, really. After >all, we can always visit the US, and going there on vacation means we >can enjoy ourselves the whole time we are there. This is certainly true. I'm embarassed to say that I have not been back to the states since March, 2000. I just hate the long trip back to the east coast. If not for that I'd go twice a year (if I could afford it).