How to Homeschool/Unschool in Japan! (Our experience so far)
This article is for those living in Japan who wish to pursue an independent, free, and high-quality education for their children in the form of unschooling.
Contrary to what many may tell you, it is not illegal per se (it's more of a gray area, really), and it is doable!
For detailed information on the convoluted nature of the laws and regulations at work in Japan, please see two excellent articles, here and here.
Our family's approach, in simple terms.
My wife and I have been lucky enough/blessed enough/however-you-want-to-call-it enough to end up living right down the street from what is typically called a "free school" here in Japan.
These "free schools" are commonly thought of as places for "school refusers" or futoukou, in the Japanese language. The social stigma surrounding, and connotations of, both these schools and the term "futoukou," are unfortunate. In actual practice these schools often are home to some of the most brilliant minds in the country! Public schools are as well, but public schools (and many free schools as well, I am sure, due to unfortunate social attitudes regarding children) tend to smother the creative spark and natural, insatiable desire to learn.
My wife and I discovered a diamond in the rough, however, at our local free school, in the form of a brilliant woman who shares almost my exact convictions regarding education, child psychology, and the necessity of freedom of choice for the individual. She, unlike many who work at these free schools and view the children as somehow "sub-par," views her organization as superior to the public education system. I have to agree.
If you'd like to know more about why I agree, and why these kids in general seem so much brighter, happier and socially well-adjusted than their public school-attending peers, please check out my recent livestream discussing the nature of the school more in-depth, here:
Our son loves this school, and we've been advised on how to proceed with this plan for his best education as smoothly as possible. In short, this involves the relatively straightforward steps of attending a couple meetings at the local public school, and expressing our son's preference for attending the local free school, instead.
The Basics:
One general piece of advice to keep in mind is this: present yourself in as favorable a light as possible. This does not mean that one should compromise one's convictions and principles to "fit in," but rather, to take the most smooth path to unschooling in Japan, it's typically best if every best effort is made to "comply" with the extant system, and demonstrate to local school systems and "authorities" that one is not keeping their child from receiving an education.
In Japan, children have a constitutionally guaranteed right to a quality education. The good news for unschoolers, home schoolers, and liberty-minded parents who wish to pursue a path different from that of compulsory public schooling is this: the legal mess of conflicting laws and regulations seem to be somewhat open to interpretation, and in practice, governments usually do not interfere with parents choosing a different educational path for their children.
WHAT WE'VE BEEN TOLD:
- Attend the mandatory school orientation meetings with your child.
- Demonstrate through attitude, appearance, word, and action that you are not actively restraining your child from attending public school against his/her will, and that you are not a "neglectful parent."
- When the time comes, allow your child to experience the public school.
- If your child does not like it, simply tell the school and educational board that your child does not wish to go, and instead wishes to attend a different school, such as a local free school, and/or receive an alternate form of education.
As I mention in the Dlive stream linked above, our situation is unusual, perhaps, and extremely fortunate, as the public school here knows of and supports our free school.
For parents without access to a decent free school, or who simply wish to unschool/homeschool, the path through the bureaucracy and political BS may be a bit more convoluted and stressful. That said, by many interpretations, the practice is not illegal.
There are thousands of homeschoolers in Japan, and legal action is rarely taken. When it is, it seems to usually just involve paying a small fine at your local city office.
Well, I guess that's about it for now. As this process unfolds, and we attend the various meetings, etc, I will keep you guys updated on how it all goes. One thing I am very excited about, and which warms my heart, is the way that this whole thing does not have to be--as I thought it would--adversarial at all, when there is a strong, caring community involved that can see the vibrant, brilliant, and happy results that come about when children are afforded the individual freedom that nature intended for them to have in the first place!
God bless and godspeed. UNSCHOOLING FOR THE WIN! :)
~*~
Thanks for reading. If you have any questions regarding unschooling in Japan, please feel free to email me: [email protected]
Go here https://steemit.com/@a-a-a to get your post resteemed to over 72,000 followers.
I like the statement, "(it's more of a gray area, really)". It reminded me that so much of life in Japan is "more of a gray area."
The thing is, if one accepts and appreciates that fact, then one can often deal with the situation appropriately, and arrive at an acceptable conclusion.
You indeed are lucky to be right next door to such a school. While the traditional Japanese school system is productive in certain ways, there are many many drawbacks. Hopefully, your son / you will never have to encounter them.
And that's a great quote from Kubrick, especially the last sentence. I've seen homeschooled kids whose knowledge, passion, and interest is essentially like the "explosion" he described. That is, powerful.