August 2004
Tessa Whitehouse

I have been in Japan for just one month, but already have formed a strong impression of Fukuoka Senior High School, its staff and students. The first thing that struck me was the commitment to the school shown by everyone connected with it. Although August is the only extended holiday period of the academic year here, the school is bustling every day. Some students come into school to use the library and computer facilities for private study. The majority of these dedicated students are third years who will soon take college entrance tests. But perhaps more surprising and impressive is the proportion of students who use the time to participate in extra-curricular activities. The school soccer team travelled to another prefecture to play a series of exhibition matches. Because this involved representing the school in a public event, the squad trained hard for the weeks beforehand. Every day at least one group of students has come into school to gather for a sporting contest of some kind, and less co-ordinated or competitive students have been coming to school to work on art projects. The school brass band has even appeared on television.

Each teacher is connected to at least one club, so the staff spends August juggling lesson preparation for the upcoming term, extra coaching for students and supervision and coaching of extra-curricular activities. The contrast with the apathy towards school identity that I remember from my schooldays in Britain amazes me.

Please take the time to read the student’s essays – they taught me a lot about the school and town – and also consider emailing us. The students are really eager to communicate with people from other places.