By Noriko Kawamura,
In schools throughout Japan, unwritten rules and procedures exist that, while not explicitly outlined, have gained acceptance among educators who believe they foster a calming atmosphere among students and facilitate smoother classroom operations.
But as society increasingly recognizes the importance of nurturing the unique characteristics and attributes of children as individuals, some are reevaluating their practices with a stronger focus on cognitive diversity.
To an outsider, some of the customs entrenched in many Japanese schools may appear a little stringent -- examples include making students maintain eye contact with their teachers when greeting them or studying quietly at their desks before the start of class. Yet many believe that change is afoot.
In a second-year class at Fukuoka City Naka Junior High School last June, the class representative instructed fellow students to engage in a brief "meditation" session before the start of the sixth period.
The students immediately stopped talking, straightened their posture, and closed their eyes, creating a tranquil atmosphere. When the school bell signaled the start of class, they declared in unison, "We are ready," and the lesson began.
Students occupy their seats three minutes before lessons begin at the junior high school, and meditation starts one minute before the bell rings. "We can be quite noisy during recess, but after meditating, we feel calm and prepared for class," a 14-year-old female student said.
According to their 42-year-old teacher, these sessions "help refresh students' minds," with the practice originating in the city's junior high schools a decade ago.
Meditation sessions before lessons have also been adopted by other municipalities. The Shizuoka Prefectural Board of Education has produced a video to promote the effectiveness of pre-class meditation among teachers.
An official overseeing the initiative stated that meditation "enhances students' concentration abilities," and the education board intends to encourage more schools to adopt the practice.
Many schools endorse meditation sessions and other unspoken customs because "teachers believe these rules make it easier to provide guidance to students," says Hiromichi Miyazawa, a 46-year-old teacher at a public elementary school in Tokyo.
Nevertheless, Miyazawa can recall a rule at a different school requiring that students maintain eye contact with teachers for at least two seconds when greeting them before class. Ultimately, he decided it was unnecessary and had it discontinued.
Miyazawa acknowledges that it is "convenient" for teachers to have students adhere to unspoken rules as a matter of routine. However, recognizing the diverse personalities of children, he fears that enforcing these rules "may exclude those who struggle to conform."
In the spring of 2022, Gifu City Shima Junior High School abolished a long-standing rule mandating that students spend "two minutes studying" at their desks before each class.
Initially intended to provide time for students to review their work, the rule was abandoned because, as Principal Nobuyuki Tsuji, 57, put it, "I felt it was not right to infringe on students' recess time."
Around a year has passed since the rule was ditched, and Tsuji reports, "We have not observed a decline in students' enthusiasm for learning or their academic performance."
Tsuji believes that such unspoken rules and practices once had their place as an effective way to manage schools at a time when maintaining group discipline and order was more of a challenge.
However, he emphasizes that his school will continue to assess both written and unwritten rules because "modern schools should respect children's rights."
Zenichiro Kato, 58, a graduate school professor at Gifu University who has worked with truant children for many years, observes that some students struggle to accept certain rules, such as raising their hands in unison or cleaning classrooms in silence.
Through conducting interviews with such children, Kato has found that some of the rules put in place by schools would also be considered "unreasonable in the adult world."
He asserts that in school classrooms, it is crucial for teachers to "empathize" with students' daily lives, pay sufficient attention to their point of view, and consider revising those procedures.
