There is a speak in Japan: 出る釘は打たれる deru kugi wa utareru – that is typically translated as “The pond that rod up, will certainly be hammered down.” If you space a carpenter structure a house, this provides sense – nails that stick out space dangerous, bring about injury or damage to assorted things that can get snagged. We mean a carpenter to lb in the protruding nail. Yet this speak is referring to people. It means that human being who stand the end – due to the fact that of their behavior, their looks, their scholastic performance (not only falling behind, but even being too far ahead) – need to be made come conform.
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One the the many extreme instances I have actually heard the recently needs to do through hair. Many schools have a rule that students room forbidden to dye your hair. Now, in the history of strict school rules, this doesn’t seem that bad. It may prevent some kids from express themselves together they would like, however it is not unheard of. Many schools, in America as well, uncover extreme hair cuts and also dye jobs to it is in a distraction to their mission that education.
But below is wherein it it s okay strange. Japanese people generally have black hair. So just how is the “no hair-dyeing” rule used to civilization that don’t right the share – foreigners, youngsters of multi-racial parents, or the rarely Japanese human with lighter brown hair? Those student are required to dye your hair black.
In order to enforce a “no hair-dyeing” rule, some youngsters are forced to dye their hair.
There is right now a court case in Osaka Prefecture brought by a Japanese high institution student end the mental anguish she has actually suffered native being compelled to dye her naturally brown hair black (Link to BBC Article). She claims that teacher told her, “If friend don’t dye your hair black, climate don’t bother coming come school.” She claims her situation has brought about her to be ridiculed by various other students and the frequent dyeing has actually caused damages to her hair and also the advancement of a decision on her scalp.
Some schools prevent this requirement by preserving a “light-colored-hair registry” (Link to Asahi Shimbun article). Student who have actually non-black hair are given a form to fill the end attesting to its herbal color. Parents must administer their seal ~ above this form, and also are sometimes required to provide pictures the their boy as an child for proof. Students with curly hair are additionally required to submit proof that it is normally occurring.
One would certainly think the parents would offer a most pushback against these rules, however schools actually think about them to it is in a benefit. V the shrinking population, competition because that students in ~ the various private and also public schools has actually grown. Strict discipline is crucial selling point.
We frequently tell world that the finest thing that helped our family’s shift to Japan to be CCSI – Covenant ar School International. CCSI is a dual-track (Japanese and also English) Christian school that was began by our team at first to provide schooling because that missionary children. Over the years it has actually grown to about 60 kids, not just from missionary families, but Japanese and also international children as well. We space truly thankful to be able to send our youngsters to a institution that is focused on the praise of Christ, no on an idol the conformity.
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As missionaries, us take the “long view.” Japan has actually been several of the rockiest soil for the spread out of the Gospel. But I truly think that the work we do with our institution – helping to raise up a generation the Christ-centered youngsters in Japan (most that whom room fluently bilingual) will bear an excellent fruit in the decades to come.