I am going to Kyoto (actually Uji) for a 6-month sabbatical starting in January with my family. My daughter is 6 and we have been talking to our hosts about sending her to the local elementary school, but I have also been looking at Kyoto international School. Unfortunately it is about a 90 min commute from where we will be living, so it doesn't seem feasible.
I am hoping to hear from anyone who has experience in a similar situation. Was the local public school accommodating? did you find other options? I'm less worried about her falling behind in terms of knowledge, and mostly worried she will feel lonely and isolated. Did your child pick up enough japanese to make friends, or did they find friends who could speak english?
by fluxgradient
2 comments
We moved to Japan when my kids were 5 & 8 and they did not speak Japanese. My opinion— If you’re only going to be there for 6 months, you might not want to send her to school at all. She won’t be able to speak Japanese in that time frame… she’ll probably pick up a bit as far as what she can understand, but it takes longer to start speaking.
The school itself may be accommodating, or they may be really particular about every little thing and make your life difficult. Really just depends on the school. They may also be hesitant if it’s only 6 months but you can always ask and feel it out.
Honestly if your kid is shy/timid/quiet/sensitive etc I would seriously consider just homeschooling for that time period. It’s a big adjustment & pretty stressful not knowing the language.
If it was for a year, maybe the investment of time and energy for you and your kid might be worth it. BUT for 6 months, you’re looking at an awkward “oh no I just finally started to adjust and now I have to leave and go back” sort of situation AT BEST.
Unless you find an elementary school nearby that has a homeroom teacher/aide who can speak English at a really high level and take care of your daughter during the more complex Japanese class times (language arts class, moral education, etc anything that involves reading and writing) then it would simply stress her.
Most of her classmates likely won’t speak English, and while I’m sure they’ll try to be kind to her, the language barrier and the high level of activities that require language (elementary schools here are constantly Doing Something) will most definitely put a strain on her. And, as someone else said, if she’s already timid, it’ll be a huge hit to her self confidence.
Source: When I was teaching at a little middle-of-nowhere school, we had a family with a 2nd grader come by to see our school, mostly because we did an advanced English program. They met me, realized I could be repurposed into a full time aide/teacher for her and put their child in that school. It worked out great, because I could go to most classes with her and explain what was happening OR we could do classes separately. It still took her a solid year before we decided she could join regular classes on a normal schedule though. And even then, I went in with her as support.
So unless the local district can promise you something on that level, I don’t know that it’ll be a good idea.
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