english in japan

from my time in japan, i have formed a few theories on english. here's what i've observed:

- about 85% of the population here is too embarrassed to speak english, despite studying the language starting in 7th grade, and having compulsory classes until the end of high school

- younger kids (like 1st, 2nd grade) seem to treat english as something of a game, and are more likely than older kids (5th, 6th grade) to voluntarily use it. during classes at my elementary schools, the 1st graders are all about raising their hands and trying to read off all the animals i have posted on the board, as opposed to the 5th graders who are terrified of volunteering because they're afraid of being wrong. note: they haven't even officially started studying english yet!

- the vast majority of adults have a good vocab in english, especially when it's in written form. they understand a lot more english that i'm spitting at them than they're willing to admit. however, when put on the spot to use english, they'll madly shake their heads as if there's a bee in their hair and start wildly crossing their arms as if they're trying to ward off a vampire. in other words, getting adults to form and say a whole english sentence is like pulling teeth.

with these observations in mind, i've repeatedly stumbled over a puzzling question that everyone seems to have their own opinion on, and here it goes:

at what age should japanese children start learning english?

this question first came to my attention when i was being worked like a monkey at my largest elementary school. they were cramming classes in for me every period i spent at their school. at every other school, every child was receiving exactly 1 hour of english each month. why did 1st graders at the largest school deserve 2 hours of instruction each month over the junior high school-bound 6th graders at smaller schools? something in the system seemed out of whack to me.

as you may know, i've been teaching english conversation at night, once a week, to adults in the community for free. into my 10th week now (only 5 more to go!!), i felt it was finally time to teach them how to debate/express opinions and respond to other's opinions.

as the final practice topic last night, i decided to ask them this question and see what a regular japanese schmo thinks about english education in his country.

class consensus: out of 8 people, 7 agreed that english should be taught as early as possible, 1st grade being the latest.... most said starting in kindergarten would be best. the reason for starting as early as possible is because kids are like sponges.... the earlier you start them on something, the more likely it'll stick and the more confident they can be in it.

the remaining person said english should be started in 4th grade because at that age, they'll be able to comprehend what a foreign language is.

and here's my opinion:

in the case of japan, it's apparent to me that 1st grade is too soon, and 7th grade is too late. i've taught 1st graders in their first week of school as 1st graders, and you know what my impression was? that they barely understand japanese. if they can barely comprehend japanese or that they live in a place called "japan", how can they be expected to understand what a "foreign language" is? i seriously still know 2nd graders who spell piano ピヤノ instead of ピアノ. shit, I'M better at japanese than they are.

seriously, if i were those poor group of 1st graders looking up at me on that day, i would have said to myself, "who is this and why is she here?..."

i dont, however, want to take away from what those little 1st graders accomplished that day. they indeed, had excellent pronunciation, considering it was only their first time being introduced to english. they were quick to volunteer to try to repeat what i said, and they were definitely excited about my teaching them (or about my being there?..). while their response was positive, i still don't feel like they realize what i'm attempting to teach them.

one thing that makes japan vastly different from the states is that about 99% of the population grows up knowing only 1 language. in the states, it's not uncommon for people to grow up bilingual, if not trilingual. the struggle to learn english comes from needing it to survive. in japan, the struggle to learn english comes from needing to pass tests, to be able to read papers written in the scholarly world.... this is probably why so many japanese people are terrified of actually speaking any english.

so i look at the energetic 1st graders with their excellent pronunciation and confidence in english, and then i look at the shy 7th graders, terrified of making mistakes, and terrified of saying something wrong. somewhere in between is where these kids need to build their confidence in english, so that by the time they hit 7th grade, they're ready to be taught grammar and tested in a foreign language.

here's my opinion: japanese kids should start learning english in 3rd grade. this way, kids will have the first 2 years in elementary school to get a grip on japanese, and understand that the world is round and that people that live on the other side of the world in many places other than japan speak english. by third grade, there'll still be time to instill confidence in them. i'd suggest just teaching basic greetings and vocab, much like ALTs currently do.

then in 5th grade, i think they should start learning how to write the alphabet. at that time, they still have 2 years before they're tested in english, and that way, they can put in writing what they've been saying for the last 2 years.

at my special english school, kids learn english every week starting in 1st grade. despite this, they are at the same level when they enter junior high school because they can't spell for crap. and that's almost everyone's problem. so what happens to all their confidence in english that's built up since they were 6? gone. out the window. those kids who have been happily using english all those years suddenly find themselves at the bottom of the curve in english, which generates yet another japanese clone who's afraid of english.

this is why i think it's important to start writing earlier than later. for me, if i can't put a kanji to a vocab word in japanese, i can't remember what it means. also, when people can see the power of phonics and sounding out a word, they become that much more empowered in english.

this is all, of course, just my opinion. english will eventually become mandatory in elementary schools. who knows how that'll work out. most elementary school teachers are no different than the average adult: they're just as terrified at the thought of trying to pronounce english. i've seriously asked some teachers before to just say a few words in english, and they all freeze up and do the mad head-shaking-hand-crossing dance. *sigh*. teacher, if i can't use you as a role model for these kids, who can i?

if anyone else is fascinated by this question, let me know what you think. how old should japanese kids be when they start to learn english?