With parents working in Japan, more children are moving from overseas. Along with the issue of how to learn Japanese, another issue has emerged, such as the “front and back of coins”. The challenge is to keep the language and culture of the “home country” for children. Many children have stress that is difficult to understand because they are sandwiched between “two words” of Japanese and their mother tongue during their growth. Searches have begun in several schools and regions.
Children who do not know the customs of their home country
In July at Shiki Elementary School in Yao City, Osaka, there was a class for five children with roots in Vietnam. The teacher was Vietnamese teacher Dong Bang Thuan (28).
“What about New Year?”
When Mr. Toan asked, Mr. Zach Goch Chau (7) picked up a peach card.
“Yeah, the New Year in Vietnam is peaches,” says Toan.
Chau, who had just come to Japan, knew that the New Year's lucky charm in Vietnam was “peach”. However, other children did not know and were surprised.
Even if there are roots in Vietnam, there are many children who are born in Japan or come to Japan as a baby and do not know the customs of their home country. In class, I taught how to count Vietnamese.
This elementary school teaches both Japanese and mother tongue to children with foreign roots. Of the approximately 800 children, about 70 have roots in foreign countries such as China, Vietnam and the Philippines. Currently, about 60 people are learning Chinese and Vietnamese.
Pride in their home country Japanese children are also “great”
Why have these opportunities ...
