華道ーーーエマ先生

On Monday, I went to Ikebana club and tried Japanese flower arrangement for the first time! It was so much fun and I really enjoyed it. I have been interested in trying Ikebana, but didn’t know anything about the theory behind it, so it was very interesting to learn more. Ikebana is so much more than just putting flowers in a vase. It is a disciplined art form with a long history and established rules. Ikebana brings together nature and humanity. The artist uses natural materials, but puts a part of themselves into the arrangement. I have always felt a deep closeness with nature, and Ikebana honors this feeling. I also like the visual style of Ikebana. It is much more simple and minimal than western style floral arrangements.  I’m quite pleased with how my first arrangement turned out, and I definitely want to try Ikebana again!

 

合唱祭（アメリカとの相違) －－－マーレン先生

This week was the Fujimura Chorus Festival. It was very exciting to see all of the students perform. For the past month and a half they have been singing and practicing after school and during lunch. It has been very enjoyable to hear them as I walk from class to class and made seeing the festival so much more fun! I was very excited to see that one of my classes won first place!

 

In the United States, only the students in the choir class would perform at a choir concert. All students, however, could perform in a Talent Show. Usually there will be a Talent Show once a year at American schools and students can audition with a song, dance, or other talent. Only a handful of people get to perform. I like that everyone gets to be involved in Japan! It’s cool to see a new spin on a familiar tradition.

日米入学試験比較ーーーエマ先生

Entrance Exams

Recently, we have had shortened or cancelled classes because of Junior High School entrance exams. This is a very interesting concept for me, because in America, there are no entrance exams for either Junior or Senior High School. Students are assigned to schools based on where they live, not on exams. The good thing about this system is that students live near their schools, within an area where they can ride a school bus for free. I was very surprised by how long some students commute to get to Fujimura each morning, and by the fact that there are no school busses. In America, some families will move in order to get their children into a certain school district. In Japan, there is more responsibility on the student, and it starts from a young age. There is pressure for students to get into a good Junior High School, so that later they can get into a good High School, so that later they can get into a good university. In America, the important University entrance tests don’t usually start until 11^th or 12^th grade. There are other standardized tests, but overall, I think that exams are more important in Japan than in America. I think that there are pros and cons to each country’s way of doing it, and I have enjoyed learning more about the Japanese system.

-          Emma Sletteland