[nosianu]

But that Japanese experience is not just created by the teachers, the other students and their parents are a very big part of it. I think kids around that age care most about their peers. If they didn't do as everybody else there they would really stand out negatively.

Otherwise, the problem could be solved by importing Japanese teachers to American schools, in person or just their training. I would be surprised if just exchanging for other teachers had a huge impact. That would mean it has always been the teachers fault, which I highly doubt.

[benrbray]

I'm not saying that parents don't matter, just that teachers _do_ matter. Both play an important role in setting expectations. Someone with bad parents and bad teachers is likely to have a rough start in life. Having good teachers can give children with bad parents a fighting chance.

Of course, in the US many people strongly in parental control, to the point that you need permission slips to discuss simple facts about the human body or climate change. Sometimes these cultural challenges make it difficult to be a good teacher.

[throw0101a]

> But that Japanese experience is not just created by the teachers, the other students and their parents are a very big part of it.

As an example of the different overall culture, in Japan kids clean the schools (to varying degrees):

* https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2015/04/04/396621542/without...

[bobthepanda]

Also, in Japan, teachers move from classroom to classroom, which is different from the US where the kids move between teachers' rooms. And Japanese children help serve (and clean up after) a very nutritious school lunch [0], as opposed to the US which is pinching pennies on feeding children to the point where the tomato paste in pizza is given four times the credit it should be to count as a vegetable.

And education is not without its pitfalls in Japan, like the bullying problem and the high rate of suicide in such a high-pressure environment.

[0]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fze5s1SlqB8