part1

PROLOG


A teacher is a privileged person. He has access to minds still in
formation. If he's good, and if he cares, he nurtures those young minds-and makes them grow.

This teacher is good. and he does care. Two of his charges are
at critical moments in their young lives. They urgently need his
help.

In a moment, you'll see how a Japanese teacher responds to such
adolescent crises. You'll see him going the extra mile, "Beyond
The Classroom," on his students' behalf.


STORY


Hi. I'm Dick Cavett. Welcome to Faces Of Japan. These are the
Faces Of Japan's future. These are the kids inside a junior high
school-KOKO WA CHUGAKKO DESU-junior high school in
Tokyo. and they're 13, l4 and l5 years old. And there's a
freshness and spontaneity about them that most of us Americans
like to see in teenagers. But although they wear uniforms, their
behavior, I would say, more informal, less regimented than we
might expect.


Much more than their American counterparts, the fate of these
youngsters rests with their teachers. When a Japanese teacher

speaks, his pupils really listen. And so do their parents.
SHIZUKA NI SHITE KUDASAI; where was I? For long after
school is over, the teacher in Japan is still at work-calling at
home, looking into family lives, counseling on personal
problems. And teachers, in other words, have a major say in
shaping the character of Japan. In fact, some people feel they
may have too much say.


Ryo Kikuchi is short only when measured in feet and inches. In
the minds of his pupils, he stands very tall indeed.

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