日本小孩 課後的壓力 Japan's after-school pressures

BBC News.  9 June 2006

All work, no play

The pressures and costs of after-school activities for children in Japan are causing concern, and are even suspected of contributing to the country's declining birth rate, as parents shun the idea of having more than one child. Here, one Tokyo woman - journalist Kumiko Makihara - outlines the pressures on her young son, Yataro.

On Thursday I meet my son at the bus stop, and rush him home so that he can get ready for football practice.

We grab his sports bag, and I put a bit of chocolate in his mouth as we head off on the 15-minute bike ride. I have to tell him off for riding zigzag, as it takes more time.

Then he attends abacus class, for an hour of addition and subtraction drills, before his homework and piano practice.

On Fridays it is swimming and abacus; on Saturdays, English and judo.

These days I feel I'm back at my former job, running the mad schedule of the president of a large resort - only now, I'm keeping track of my son's after-school activities.

Along with the rest of Japan's growing number of parents fixated on their child's education, I've been swept up in lesson-mania.

We want the best opportunities for our kids - we want them to keep up with our peers. If there's even a glimmer of talent in there, we want to mine it for all it's worth.

Among Yataro's classmates, the breadth of lessons include rhythmic gymnastics, pony riding, and Lego building.

A popular book, How To Guarantee Winning In Children's Lessons, advises parents on the do's and don'ts of navigating through children's choices.

I marvel at Yataro's energy level - but I also worry that I'm running him into the ground. Exhaustion from after-school activities was one of the topics at a recent parent's meeting. Mothers bemoaned their children being groggy after school, and mixing up their various lesson bags.

By the time we get home each evening, and I coach him on his homework, Yataro's tolerance for sitting at desk is nearly gone.

Indispensable activities

Slacking off from schoolwork is not an option. He and his classmate practice sakidori - literally, "grasping ahead" - mastering writing and maths years ahead of their current grade level, which keeps the class pace intense.

When I point out mistakes, Yataro often glares at me, exposing the whites of his eyes, and then throws pencils and erasers around the room. Time for a parent-child therapy session? Unfortunately, there are no time slots left for that.

Sundays are set aside for downtime and play dates, but is one day enough?

I remember when I was his age hanging out with friends outdoors every afternoon, roller skating, playing house and daydreaming on the swing.

If Yataro even lets his mind wander momentarily, someone is always on top of him, whether it's his abacus teacher ordering "concentration" or soccer parents shouting "what's the matter with that goalie?" as he leans against the goal post watching the clouds drift by.

I know I should lessen his load, but each activity seems indispensable: he loves soccer, and it seems only as a young boy can he be so exhilarated by a sport he isn't the star of.

Piano opens up the world of music; abacus should cure his slow pace at calculations; swimming is a must at his school; and I want judo to instil a Bushido spirit in him, to compensate for the lack of male kinship he suffers from my being a single mother.

"The sooner you get there the sooner you can ... " I was saying to Yataro recently in my routine harassment to get him to abacus class, when I paused to think of yet another enticement to get him to move faster.

Instead, he surprised me with a most luxurious thought: "We might have time for a walk outside."

原文網址：http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5060848.stm