School Lunch
I've known since the kids started school in February that school lunch is quite different here - but I didn't know enough to write about it - until today. I began a new assignment recently - I spend each Friday at a local elementary school where I teach 5-6 English classes throughout the day. Part of my day there is spent eating lunch with the students. Each Friday I eat with a different classroom, giving that room a little bouns English time.
Here is what lunch looks like at a Japanese Elementary school:
Every student in the school eats school lunch. There are no choices - there is one meal. The students eat in their classrooms. At lunch time the students put on a white apron to protect their uniforms from spills. Each student has a job to do - some serve lunch, some collect dishes, some clean up. The school lunch and school dishes (yes, real dishes) are delivered to each hallway in the school and students from the nearby classrooms go to gather what is needed for their classroom. The food is served in huge bowls and pans, and student servers dish the food out to their classmates. Once everyone has a tray of food, the little "thanks for the grub" saying is uttered and everyone begins to eat. The students have their own sets of chopsticks that they keep in their desk to use everyday. They are taken home on Fridays for washing.
Lunch is a quiet time. There is no playing or goofing around. Very quiet talking is allowed and only to your desk mates. Also, the students do not complain or waste. Every bit of food is eaten. If you do not like what you are served, you give it to a neighbor. It is amazing to see - clean dishes, no waste. Looking back at school lunches in the US I cannot believe the amount of food that got thrown away each day. Out of 34 students in my room today I was the only one to leave food.
Today's lunch was a very typical lunch according to the students I have talked to. A carton of milk, white rice, some type of cabbage/seaweed slaw, a piece of fried fish, and a chunky tofu soup with edamame and onions.
Watching the set up and take down of this lunch, I was impressed. The system is just right. Every kid knows what to do, when to do it. No one steps out of place. After lunch the children clean up all the dishes and then they all brush their teeth. 400 kids brushing their teeth...amazing. There is a small break following lunch, a recess. This time is completely unsupervised. Children have free reign of the school. They can go to the playground or stay in the classrooms, but there are no teachers to be found anywhere. There are no "playground aides". Just kids, playing and following the rules. After recess there is a 20 minute cleaning period. Again, every single student has a job. The entire school is cleaned, top to bottom (3 floors, big school) by students. There are kids sweeping, dusting, cleaning toilets, wiping tables. cleaning out the rabbit house, scrubbing sinks...a little army of cleaners!
You know what else I saw? Joy. They kids were having a great time - they loved the responsibility, the tasks. They loved being held to a standard. Very, very impressive.
Here is what lunch looks like at a Japanese Elementary school:
Every student in the school eats school lunch. There are no choices - there is one meal. The students eat in their classrooms. At lunch time the students put on a white apron to protect their uniforms from spills. Each student has a job to do - some serve lunch, some collect dishes, some clean up. The school lunch and school dishes (yes, real dishes) are delivered to each hallway in the school and students from the nearby classrooms go to gather what is needed for their classroom. The food is served in huge bowls and pans, and student servers dish the food out to their classmates. Once everyone has a tray of food, the little "thanks for the grub" saying is uttered and everyone begins to eat. The students have their own sets of chopsticks that they keep in their desk to use everyday. They are taken home on Fridays for washing.
Lunch is a quiet time. There is no playing or goofing around. Very quiet talking is allowed and only to your desk mates. Also, the students do not complain or waste. Every bit of food is eaten. If you do not like what you are served, you give it to a neighbor. It is amazing to see - clean dishes, no waste. Looking back at school lunches in the US I cannot believe the amount of food that got thrown away each day. Out of 34 students in my room today I was the only one to leave food.
Today's lunch was a very typical lunch according to the students I have talked to. A carton of milk, white rice, some type of cabbage/seaweed slaw, a piece of fried fish, and a chunky tofu soup with edamame and onions.
Watching the set up and take down of this lunch, I was impressed. The system is just right. Every kid knows what to do, when to do it. No one steps out of place. After lunch the children clean up all the dishes and then they all brush their teeth. 400 kids brushing their teeth...amazing. There is a small break following lunch, a recess. This time is completely unsupervised. Children have free reign of the school. They can go to the playground or stay in the classrooms, but there are no teachers to be found anywhere. There are no "playground aides". Just kids, playing and following the rules. After recess there is a 20 minute cleaning period. Again, every single student has a job. The entire school is cleaned, top to bottom (3 floors, big school) by students. There are kids sweeping, dusting, cleaning toilets, wiping tables. cleaning out the rabbit house, scrubbing sinks...a little army of cleaners!
You know what else I saw? Joy. They kids were having a great time - they loved the responsibility, the tasks. They loved being held to a standard. Very, very impressive.
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