Crossing the
Bridge
Maya Yoder
Walking through the small gates of the local middle school that served as our weekend campus, I entered San Francisco Japanese School (SFJS) for the last time. I bowed at the teachers greeting the students at the front gate. It still didn’t feel real that this was my last day of attending SFJS. No more cramming for the kanji test in the morning or staying up until 3am to finish my essays. No more exchanging my bento with my friends or fooling around with them during break time. When moving from their home country to a new country, immigrant kids can struggle adjusting to their new environment. Learning a completely new language is already difficult enough.
There is also the added struggle of being thrown into a new culture without any way to ease in. On the other hand, multicultural kids, kids of multicultural backgrounds, can also struggle with feeling connected to their heritage culture, as they spend more of their formative years in their new country. This situation can cause many of them to develop an identity crisis based on their confusion about habits and values influenced by their heritage culture. With constant confrontation between the mainstream culture and traditional culture, immigrant and multicultural kids can feel lost. Heritage schools like SFJS can provide a place for multicultural students that allow them to celebrate their culture and develop a stronger sense of cultural identity.
What is SFJS? Heritage schools, defined by the California Department of Education (CDE), are “Schools and programs that operate outside of compulsory education to offer instruction in the culture, traditions, or history, and language of a country other than the United States” (“Heritage Schools”). The CDE has requirements for what heritage schools must offer, like education in a foreign language, education of tradition/culture, and even culturally enriching activities. Students Returning to Class After Lunch
SFJS is a Japanese heritage school in the Bay Area with classes held every Saturday. It was founded in 1968 and was created to help Japanese kids in the Bay Area to “grow into active players in the international society”(SFJS Website) as well as prepare those who intend to go back to Japan to continue their Japanese curriculum education. SFJS follows a similar system to schools in Japan. The curriculum uses textbooks approved by the Japanese Ministry of Education and all classes are taught in Japanese. Class periods are divided into Japanese language, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. The Social Studies classes generally focus more on Japanese culture and have more of an international perspective. The Japanese classes are much more comprehensive. Subjects like Math and Science may have commonalities with the American curriculum but are taught with different tools and methods. Even though there are similarities with American schools, SFJS uses a Japanese approach in developing their students’ knowledge, thinking, and problem solving skills. SFJS tries to provide the same amount of teaching and knowledge to their students as if they were going to school in Japan. The curriculum can be difficult for its students to manage in addition to their compulsory classes at their American schools. But because of SFJS’ authentic approach, their students can get the benefit of a truly Japanese educational and cultural experience through the school.
Embracing Culture and Community SFJS not only provides a unique educational experience to their students, it also fosters an