Group conformity is highly regarded. Japanese society embraces cultural homogeneity and training for uniformity forms the heart of Japanese education. Children are trained through group life at school to master the competency to conform to the group norm which is strictly required as a member of Japanese society. Students are encouraged to develop strong loyalties to their social groups and their class. Children in preschool learn to maintain cooperative relationships with their peers and on their first year in elementary school, to value punctuality. Classroom management emphasizes student responsibility through emphasis on daily chores such as cleaning of desks and scrubbing of classroom floors. The teaching culture in Japan differs greatly from that of schools in the West. Teachers are particularly concerned about developing the holistic child and focus on matters such as personal hygiene, nutrition, sleep which are not ordinarily thought of as part of the teacher's duties in the west. Students are taught proper manners, how to speak politely and how to address adults as well as how to relate to their peers in the appropriate manner. They also learn public speaking skills through class meetings as well as many school events during the school year. Adults view children that have problems with group behavior and interpersonal relationships as the deviant ones. Adults value social cooperativeness in children because they hold this trait to be more important than individual interests. The "bad" children are those who reject the life of the group in favor of individualism. Little emphasis is placed on teaching children to think of themselves as individuals within society. Japanese children that are extremely group oriented may have acquired those values of obedience and conformity at the price of autonomy and social understanding. This is an even bigger problem when combined with modern Japanese parents' obsession with creating an academically superior child. The good child is considered to be the one who can respond to adult expectations and excel in school by receiving high grades. This has caused extreme competitiveness among Japanese students. This also contributes to other social problems such as bullying and truancy. The schools in America consist of various cultured students, whereas, in Japan, there is more of a singular trait. Compared to this fact, the Japanese schools are relatively calm and well managed. Japanese children are taught from a young age to respect their elders, as well as others who are younger than them. Japanese parents are known to be concerned more about the responsibilities of their children, rather than the rights of their children. Children attending school in America do not face such immense pressure as the children in Japanese schools. They also have fewer school days and more holidays. An advantage of the American schools is that they have access to new technology. Even though it is a fact that Japanese children perform well at school, if an American student studies hard, and receives the same line of support from their parents and teachers he or she can achieve just the same excellent results. I believe the Japanese educational system works in Japan but it would not work in America since we are an individualist culture. One thing that I see it would be beneficial for us to adapt to our educational system is the early education on public speaking skills that Japanese are exposed to. Children on the U.S. grow up to be unprepared when speaking to an audience.

References
Duiker, W. J. (2010). Contemporary World History. (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Wadsworth Pub Co.
Brayfield, April. (2013). Japan. Social Problems. Retrieved from http://www.tulane.edu/~rouxbee/japan/problems.html
N/A. (2013). Difference Between American and Japanese Schools. Retrieved from http://www.differencebetween.net/miscellaneous/difference-between-american-and-japanese-schools/#ixzz2L7LpYhwa N/A. (2013). Education in Japan. Retrieved from http://www.education-in-japan.info/sub1.html