high school versus high school

So the other day, I had one of my classes go to my high school website and told them to search around and see what kind of things were different from their high school lives, here in Japan.

Some of the most obvious things were:
1. no uniforms
2. students can drive
3. different types of after school activities
4. different languages spoken or learned in school
5. school dances
6. football
7. school bus

Things I had to explain to them.
1. No eyebrow inspections
2. multicultural/ethnicities (we're not all white people in America)
3. no bowing/ greetings at the beginning and end of classes
4. auto shop class
5. ESL class
6. ear piercings, hair coloring, mohawks are okay in school

So, if you actually read this, your probably wondering what the heck an eyebrow inspection is. Yea.. I did. And then you see it. Students line up and the teachers check to see if they've over tweesed, colored their hair, have the correct length bangs, not clipped their fingernails and are appropriately wearing their uniform.

I'm grateful to not be a Japanese high school students, because the I would have failed the tweesing and ear peircing one, every month! And I probably have been scolded for my hair being messy. Some of my students looked so miserable for being repremanded for having holes in their ears or over tweezed eyebrows. (dont ask me what an over tweezed eyebrow looks like.. because I couldnt tell)

I suppose its a good thing, to try to emphasize to the students that they should take care of themselves well and not try to show off in school but I have to wonder if this actually works. At my other high school, despite inspections, I see girls roll up their skirts to the point were I wonder if its even worth wearing a skirt.