An international education

When talking to a new person about my life in Japan, including my child, I am often asked if my son attends an international school.  International schools teach kids around the world using a uniform model of the International Bachelorette curriculum or similar structure.  Classes are typically taught in English and are aimed at helping students gain a more global outlook as well as entry into English speaking universities.  A large portion of the student body is biracial or foreign born.  Many expat families in Japan choose to send their children to international schools so when they return to their home country, the move is more seamless for their children.  Of course, there are many other factors, too. 

International schools are highly respected private schools and many parents tell me they wish they could send their kids to these prestigious schools.

My husband and I intentionally sent our son to the local kindergarten.  We want him to experience as much of Japan as he can, and that includes the educational system.  We also felt that putting him into an English speaking school would not support his Japanese language skills and help him to learn more about his Japanese heritage.  We are constantly juggling to make sure he is learning in both English and Japanese.  Since I spend the most time with our son, he is surrounded by English a lot.  So, sending him to a Japanese school allows him to also be immersed in Japanese.

Another factor for us was money.  International schools are expensive.  The international school located in our town runs about ¥2,650,000 ($24,000 without English as a Second Language support, which costs an additional ¥482,000/$4,300) for new kindergarten students or ¥2,000,000 ($18,000) for returning kindergarten students per year.  Of course, rates go up with the higher grades.  Around Tokyo there are many international schools that are both more and less expensive.  It just depends on what a person is looking for.  I've heard many moms work solely to pay for their child's school fees. 

I applaud families that make the decision to send their kids to international schools.  It just isn't the right choice for our family.  Our son is very happy in his Japanese school and we like the play-based approach (which is not standard in Japan).

Although we have little to no interest in sending our son to an international school, we decided to check out the Aoba (ah-oh-ba) Spring Matsuri.  They put on the event each year and invite the community to come have a day of fun at the school.

It was abuzz with food, fun, and entertainment.  It was fun seeing all the kids hanging out with their friends, playing games and enjoying the sunshine.  We bought tickets for our son to enjoy some of the activities, like the dunk tank and picking up bouncy balls using a rice paper wand.

It was a bit discombobulating to hear many of the attendees speaking English (and a couple other languages as well), but the festive atmosphere was invigorating.  It reminded me of other school festivals I have attended over the years, but with better food options (including Italian, Israeli, American, Korean, and more).  I heard there was a big rummage sale, but I didn't even look because there was a long line to get into the gym to buy things. 

It was interesting for me to see inside the school, as I've heard such wonderful things about it.  The older students were giving presentations on research topics which gave me flashbacks to the science fairs of my day.  They even had the large cardboard displays that we used.  I guess some things really are international.

I do think international schools are an amazing option for many young people around the world.  Just because we choose not to attend one, doesn't mean it isn't a great option for those not wanting to attend local schools.