Escort the children to and from school, organize the children to do gymnastics together in summer vacation, hold parental tasting meetings, and even parent’s decision can finally change the school building The plan… Xu Ying, who lives in Tokyo, has personally experienced the surprise and moving Japanese elementary school “Family Committee”. This article is from the WeChat official account:Mother Chuban Mama (ID: tongshuchubanmama), author: Xu Ying, editor: Xiao Li, the original title: “” train a child takes a village “,” head Figure from: vision China


Children’s mother writes in front:

When it comes to education, we often talk about school education and family education, but “it requires the power of the whole society to run a good education.” So where is this invisible third party—the power of society? It is often unclear.

For children, society is not in the TV news and Internet public opinion. A more specific and true experience is the community you live in. It is other people’s parents and grandparents. It is a tangible activity in the community and an intangible community. Rules and operating methods…

Xu Ying, who has lived in Tokyo for three years, joined her son’s “Family Committee” (PTA) a year ago. Japan’s “family committee” not only stays at home school to communicate, but also has a close connection with the community and society.

“It takes a village to cultivate a child”-this is the Japanese consensus on “education”.

Today’s personal experience of the “Family Committee” written by Xu Ying in Japan shows how the “Family Committee” in Japan treats parents, schoolsConnected with society.

Although such a “family committee” mechanism is still very new to us, it can give us a lot of inspiration.

For example, we are not only the parents of our children, but also “uncles and aunts in the community” in the eyes of other children, and part of their perception of society. When we stand from the perspective of parents, we call “education needs society” When it comes to power, we ourselves are part of the social community.

Equivalent to a national public relations company, Japan’s “family committee” is still a way for women to enter the political arena

When my son was in elementary school in China, each class had a “family committee.” The participants are basically enthusiastic, talented mothers who are willing to spend time between school and home.

They will regularly collect from the parent group the current problems in the study and life of the classmates, and give feedback to the head teacher. At the same time, they will communicate with the parents about some activities that the teacher hopes to carry out in the class to gain everyone’s understanding and support.

I will also compile and publish the children’s essay collections for the class, and make suggestions for the improvement of learning order and learning environment. When large-scale school activities are held, it is even more busy.

In short, the family committee of a domestic school gives me the feeling that those who can do more work, and a few big-class mothers’ personal operation projects, do not require detailed and clear job settings In accordance with the written rules, whether it can operate well depends on enthusiasm and experience. It is personal ability and does not require all parents to participate.

However, when I moved to Japan with my son three years ago, I had the opportunity to experience Japan’s “family committee” (PTA),< strong>I learned that the importance of the “family committee” in Japanese schools and families is almost in every aspect of the children’s school period.

Speaking of the word PTA, domestic parents may be relatively unfamiliar. It is a combination of the first letters of the three words parent, teacher, and association in English. The literal translation is “Parent Teacher Association”, and the domestic “Family Committee” They are similar, but after real contact, they found that there are still many differences between the two.

If the domestic family committee is like a private public relations company for super-powered mothers, the PTA in Japan is more like an organizational structureA state-level public relations company with strict and clear operating regulations.

Japan’s PTA can be traced back to the Meiji era, and since the restoration of economy and education after the war, it has risen to the national level with a very high starting point. The organization belongs to the pyramid structure, from school level, city level, district level, county level to the highest council of Japan PTA, and has a clear program.

▲Japan introduced the concept of PTA during the Meiji era (1868~1912) when the modern school education system was implemented. In 1945, the Japanese Ministry of Education issued the “Parents and Teachers Association” reference agreement, which became the official guideline for the establishment of Japan’s PTA. In October 1952, Tokyo held the “Japanese Parents and Teachers National Association Federation” and established the original PTA national organization.

PTA is a non-profit organization similar to NPO. The funding for activities comes from donations from alumni and membership dues paid by PTA members. (A child is about 3000 to About 5,000 yen, equivalent to 180 to 300 yuan, if the family is in financial difficulties, you can apply for relief).

In order to ensure financial transparency, PTA’s accounting department will provide a detailed list of income and expenditure for the year at the end of the year for everyone to review and monitor.

▲On the left is the PTA guide for all families from my son’s school, including the school’s PTA operation mode, operating regulations, and personnel composition. On the right is the specific operation guide for PTA members from my son’s school, including issues that need to be paid attention to as a PTA member in school and public places, and how to book public facilities in the school for PTA meetings and events.

▲The president of a certain PTA of his son’s school told everyone how they work in the form of cartoons.

Because of the importance of PTA, if you are selected as the school’s PTA officer, you will have the opportunity to participate in the “PTA Alliance” national conference and exchanges with PTA backbones from all over the country; if you join the PTA National Association, you will also have an education with the Ministry of Education Opportunity for the Minister of Science and Technology to exchange opinions face to face!

It was previously reported that more than half of the female councillors in Nara and Kanagawa prefectures have experience serving as PTA presidents in elementary or middle schools. It seems that PTA is also a way for Japanese women to enter the political arena.

The Japanese “Family Committee” interacts closely with the community, and education is not only a school matter

So, what does PTA in Japanese schools do?

Mainly to organize activities and publicity to ensure the sharing of information resources between schools and families, to help parents further understand the school’s educational policies and concepts, and to provide assistance for the smooth progress of children’s school life. The biggest feature is There is very close communication with the community where the school is located.

In Japan, public education is not just a school matter, but a common matter for residents living in this area. “It takes a village to cultivate a child.” Children’s education requires everyone to work together. The family, school, and society are indispensable. ThisIt is the Japanese consensus on “education”.

I used to “Children’s summer homework, Japan has done it with a nationwide effort! “ It is also mentioned in the article that for summer homework, Japan is almost a “general mobilization of the whole people and society” to help children complete it. This shows that the entire society attaches importance to and participates in children’s education.

Moreover, compared to only learning cultural knowledge in school, how to communicate with everyone from an early age and how to establish good social connections are also part of education. Both parents and the community have unshirkable obligations and responsibilities in this regard.

Therefore, compared with the domestic “family committee” that only shuttles between home and school, PTA builds home, school and community.(Social) bridge.

The one-year calendar (recording various arrangements and activities) of the Japanese school is determined by the school and the PTA. The PTA district committee contacted the community to determine this year’s activities and sent the corresponding notice to the school to let the children and parents know.

Because of its close linkage with the community, many activities of PTA will receive strong support from community volunteers.

Like the annual sports meeting of the son’s school, the community will help the school arrange the venue, provide shade tents, and provide security around the school on the day of the sports meeting.

In Japan, the sports meet is a big event for the whole family. In many families, grandparents, uncles and aunts will set aside a time slot half a year in advance according to the time of the sports meeting, and come to participate in it from their hometown.

At the same time, the school also welcomes nearby residents, especially children who will be enrolled in the future, to enter the campus and feel the atmosphere of the sports meeting with the adults. In addition to the competitive nature of sports, the entire Games is more like a happy parent-child gathering.

▲Son’s school sports meeting, a white shade tent provided by the community.

Usually, it is also a task of PTA to ensure the safety of children, especially those in the lower grades, on their way to and from school.

Japanese elementary school students go to school on their own. The community will arrange patrol schedules and design patrol routes with the PTA district committees, help everyone intercept passing vehicles at various intersections, and promptly report to nearby patrols if suspicious persons are found.

I remember that when I went to patrol for the first time as a PTA volunteer, I put on a vest printed with the word patrolman, greeted the children on the way to school, and at the same time looked at their bright smiles and accepted their tender and sweet responses. The whole day became better.

▲PTA volunteers are at various intersections to ensure the safety of lower-grade children to and from school.

At the same time, basically every community in Japan has a children’s house to provide corresponding activities for children of different ages.

For children whose parents are dual-employees, there will also be a schoolchildren club after school(a bit like our domestic after-school care class). The school children’s club in my community is a joint collaboration between the Children’s Hall and PTA, located in the school. In addition to completing their homework with the help of volunteers, children can also use the school’s playground facilities to play freely.

▲ Schoolchildren’s club, 4,000 yen per child per month, equivalent to about RMB 240.

On the other hand, some community activities also require the participation of PTA.

For example, during summer vacation, in order to encourage children to maintain a regular schedule during the holidays, the district committee and the PTA district committee of the community where they live organize everyone to do gymnastics together in the morning. Mom, Dad, and grandparents also participate every day. There are rewards for insisting on a summer vacation. Generally responsible for clocking in.

There is also a summer temple fair, PTA will also participate in it. When my son was in the fifth grade, he went to a nearby shrine to attend a temple fair, and he actually ate fried noodles made by the principal and class teacher. Seeing the other side of my teacher’s teaching, I feel closer to my teacher.

And as PTA volunteers participated in the summer temple fair to sell cold drinks. I also experienced the first time in my life setting up a stall to sell goods. It was very unforgettable. I learned how to pour freshly squeezed beer to reduce frothing, how to use an ice cream machine, and how to quickly cool down the drink. I also learned Japanese hawking. I enjoy this activity more than my son.

Of course, PTA is not just about holding “joy and harmony” events, but it has the real power of change.

Some schools with a long history often have “classmates reunion” and “father reunion” (nonprofit organization formed by graduate fathers) etc. Although these members have been graduating for a long time, because they have been living in this community, they have a deep affection for the school and a strong sense of participating in school construction.

My son’s school, which is 135th anniversary this year, plans to renovate the school building. Originally, the district had sent a special person to design the school building, but a professional architect among the members of the “Fathers’ Association” believed that the construction plan given by the district was unreasonable, which affected the winter lighting of the teaching building and playground and was not conducive to children’s outdoor sports activities in winter. , I re-drawn the design and made an animation, explaining why the plan provided in the district was unreasonable, and discussed it at the PTA meeting, hoping that PTA would coordinate with the district board of education.

Communication with government departments is probably not so easy in any country. This process is not easy.

In order to meet the district mayor to explain in person, the PTA committee contacted and mobilized all the school associations to organize an explanation meeting, and asked the designer father to give a speech to make everyone aware of the shortcomings of the old plan and interact with the children in winter Influencing, we call on everyone to leave a message in the district head’s forum on the district website to make the district head take this matter seriously.

After hard work, the district finally adopted this father’s design. This made me really feel how PTA can stand in the perspective of children, take care of children, and use their own power to bring actual changes.

Want to join the “Family Committee”? It turned out to be the speed of raising hands

In Japan, the most basic principle of PTA is equality and rotation. Parents must serve as PTA committee members at least once during the children’s schooling.

Since it is a must, most parents choose to do it early. Because Japanese parents who try to take the elite route usually send their children to private schools in the third and fourth grades of elementary school, the whole family will be busy preparing for the exam.

As a result, the selection of PTA committee members for the grades below the third grade started very smoothly and quickly in the new semester, and everyone actively participated. And above grade four, especially grade six, in some classes, no one volunteered, and finally had to draw lots.

When our son was in the fourth grade, we came to Japan, and the PTA committee was elected at the first parent-teacher meeting. In less than 10 minutes, all positions were “the masters”.

When my son was in the fifth grade, I had already learned some knowledge about PTA from my senior mother. I wanted to try it, but I still “lost” to the speed of raising my hand. Finally, my first experience of PTA in Japan happened when my son was in sixth grade.

Japanese public elementary schools change classes and head teachers every year. It is hoped that in this way, children will have the opportunity to meet more people and make more friends during the six years of primary school. This setting allows mothers to contact different parents and different PTA members every year.

The frequency of PTA work meetings is basically once a month. Because there are full-time mothers and working mothers among the members, the meetings are basically on weekends.

In the year I worked at PTA, sometimes I heard moms in other departments complain that their leaders are full-time moms, they have no working experience at all, and they don’t know how to guide everyone to work. One meeting can last four or five hours. In the end, there is no conclusion, it is a waste of time.

Fortunately, the chairperson of the Cultural Propaganda Committee I work for is a professional woman who usually works with PR. She is very capable in speaking and doing things and does not want to occupy too much personal time. For this reason, she has come up with many ways to improve work efficiency. .

Understand the background and strengths of each member, and assign different jobs according to their strengths. Make a discussion topic and goals to be achieved before each meeting. At the same time, it is recommended that you use an APP that can share materials and information, and list the materials and minutes of each meeting, the things to be performed and the personnel on it.

First experience of Japanese “Family Committee”: I feel the pressure and also see the value of work

I work in the cultural promotion department of PTA. My main job is to make corresponding reports based on the school calendar and edit the school journal. The interview, photography, text description and final layout, printing and distribution must be completed. Taking this opportunity, I also had the honor to participate in the school’s main activities of the year.

Because everyone is not a professional reporter and has no interview experience at all, the PTA chairperson also specially designed an interview form. I suggest you follow 4W1H(WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, HOW) format.

Together with my two mothers, I was responsible for reporting on the self-rescue activities in the fifth grade once a year, using the questions designed on this form to conduct effective interviews with participating teachers and students.

In addition to the clothes-and-swimming escape lesson mentioned earlier, the most impressive thing is to participate in the school lunch tasting session.

Japan is also a 9-year compulsory education, and public elementary schools provide nutritious lunches.

In order to reassure parents and understand childrenChildren’s food situation, the school will hold a lunch tasting party every year, inviting parents to come to the school to have lunch with their children.

As a cultural advertising committee, we have to communicate with the school’s dietitian in advance to understand whether the menu of this tasting session has any special meaning, because Japanese food emphasizes the sense of season, and the dietitian will design special meals according to the season. food.

After confirming the menu, we will also help dietitians design posters, feedback forms, send recruitment applications, and collect registration forms for the day’s activities.

On the same day, PTA staff will prepare meals for the participating parents according to the usual standards and procedures for children’s meals. After eating, they will also arrange the tableware according to the children’s usual procedures. Let everyone experience firsthand how children eat at school.

I remember a mother said at the time that today’s dishes reminded her of her elementary school life. At that time, her favorite was curry rice like today. Now her son also likes the school curry rice the most. He went home and asked her to make it too, but the taste of her cooking has never been right. This time I finally had the opportunity to eat it again. I was very happy.

Looking at the bright smile of this mother, I also felt the value of my work.

But when I first started PTA, I was very cautious about everything because I was a foreigner and I was not confident in Japanese. The pressure was so great that I didn’t speak much at first.

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