I’ve now been in my new position long enough to have a general idea of what happens in my job. On Mondays and Wednesdays I go to a very nice and small junior high school. On Tuesdays I go to the (also small) elementary school next to this junior high school. It takes at least 30 minutes to drive there from work, and it takes about 10 minutes for me to walk to work from home, so the commute is a bit much. The small classes are worth it, though. A month in, I learned the names of all the seventh-graders, of which there are only eight.
In contrast, on Thursdays and Fridays I go to the largest elementary school in Shiojiri. The teacher there is new, so I’m never really sure what to expect. Plus, there are so many different classes in this school that for the first month almost all of my classes were the same—my self-introduction.
Japanese school is quite different from in the US, I think. I don’t have much experience with American schools, but there were many things that surprised me, which would indicate that I had some preconceived notions of how things should be. I don’t know exactly what time school starts, but since I have never seen a student arriving after me, I think the students are expected to be at school by 8 if not earlier. In middle school and high school there are sometimes morning club activities which probably end about this time. There are six periods in a school day, but the classes for each period change daily. There is a schedule given out at the beginning of the week, but even that changes sometimes.
Each class has their own classroom which they stay in for most classes. The teachers are the ones who rotate, and when they aren’t teaching they are usually in the teacher’s room. Students frequently come in the teacher’s room, but there is a procedure that they must follow—they knock, open the door (possibly stepping just inside the room), say “excuse me”, then announce their name and their purpose for coming to the teacher’s room. When they leave, they bow, say “excuse me” before closing the door.
Students usually eat lunch in their classrooms. Two of my schools are quite unusual in having lunchrooms. The students are given responsibilities in the serving of the meal, and nobody eats until everyone is served and seated. Then everyone says “itadakimasu” (something like “I am honored to be receiving”), and begins to eat. I have found that it’s sometimes difficult for me to eat fast enough to finish by the end of lunch time, but I’m getting better at it. At the end, everyone says “gochisousamadeshita” (which is something like “this was a feast”) and cleans up. This means wiping the table where you sat, putting up your chair, and putting your eating utensils in the correct place. Some students are responsible for returning the utensils to the preparation room.
After lunch time there is a short break before fifteen minutes of cleaning time. In elementary school everyone wears a cap while cleaning, but in junior high school they wear handkerchiefs tied on the head. Students are allocated different cleaning positions, and usually they are not allowed to talk as they work.
After sixth period, the middle schools often have club activities which can last until 6 PM, depending on the amount of daylight available. I haven't determined if clubs exist in elementary schools.
That covers most of the differences I think. More will likely be added as they appear.
