Special Feature: Thoughts of Parents

At HIS Niseko all kinds of people from all over the world gather. One thing I realised was that access to education was a major factor in relation to emigration. As I went about my interviews I noticed that some parents wanted to put their children through Niseko Elementary while others choose HIS. I wanted to learn their reasons.
As of April, 2018 an unprecedented number of students entered Niseko's elementary schools. Of the 48 new students to Niseko Elementary at least 5 had one parent or more that were a foreigner with Kondo Elementary having 1 in 12 students (at lest 20 of the total 250) having at least one foreign parent. And there are plenty of foreigners with children as well as foreign children who avail of childcare center (18 out of 149 children)
One of the main reasons for parents choosing compulsory Japanese education is that of finances. While national education from Japan is practically free, HIS's tuition is comparable to a university. However, it must be aid that HIS is one of the lowest priced amongst international schools. For other parents they feel it is important for their child to have a Japanese education, learn the Japanese language and culture.
So what reasons do people have for enrolling their children in HIS? Common reasons are; 1) Wanting to make English a cornerstone of their child's academic world given its global reach, 2) Wanting their children to interact with children from all over the world from an early age, 3) Wanting their children to develop an ability to speak their minds, while still respecting others. I interviewed several parents so please see below.
So what features makes an international school so attractive? Despite it being so present I actually found that there was plenty that is unknown about it. Niseko puts itself forward as the "International Resort Town Niseko". This is held up through the increase of foreign residents to the town as well as the setting up of a safe and accessible childcare and education system. Niseko HIS plays a vital role in this. In many major cities it is mandated that all must enter into compulsory Japanese education, but not in Niseko Town. Here, all have freedom of choice in education. This allows parents to let their children go abroad in the future or for those born in Niseko to stay and study in Niseko.

Melissa Moss (From England)
Husband: New Zealander​ ​

1. "Why did you come to Niseko?
 I went to an international school from the age of nine and later I became a teacher and worked at an international school in Botswana.
We lived in Hong Kong for more than ten years before coming to Niseko and wanted a life for our children where the air was clean and they would be free to explore the outdoors. We went to Argentine and lived there for several months but my husband, who still works in HK found it too difficult to commute. So we started to look for other options.
 We visited Niseko for a short skiing holiday and after visiting the school and in particular meeting with Mr Sinclair we decided to make a go of living here.
So friendly, safe, clean...we have met great people and made close friends. Niseko is very outward looking and accepting of people from different places. We love the food, the culture, the fresh produce, the lifestyle and of course the snow!
2. "Why did you decide not to enroll in a Japanese school?
I first stayed in Niseko as a visitor and so the option of enrolling into the local elementary school was not an option to me. After a year, I was able to enrol but my children were settled and happy in HIS so I chose not to move them.
 
3. "What is the attraction of the international school?
We are an international family - I'm from England, my husband from New Zealand and both my boys are born in Hong Kong.
An international school seems a natural choice for us. My children enjoy the child-centred curricula on offer at HIS and benefit from spending time with children from various backgrounds.
 Although I hope my boys will learn Japanese and become competent communicators in that language, I value English as an academic language for their future.
 Other. I really hope that in the future that the school grows and is able to offer education beyond the primary years!
1. "Why did you come to Niseko?"
I went to an international school from the age of nine and later I became a teacher and worked at an international school in Botswana. We lived in Hong Kong for more than ten years before coming to Niseko and wanted a life for our children where the air was clean and they would be free to explore the outdoors. We went to Argentine and lived there for several months but my husband, who still works in HK found it too difficult to commute. So we started to look for other options. We visited Niseko for a short skiing holiday and after visiting the school and in particular meeting with Mr. Sinclair we decided to make a go of living here. So friendly, safe, clean...we have met great people and made close friends. Niseko is very outward looking and accepting of people from different places. We love the food, the culture, the fresh produce, the lifestyle and of course the snow!

2. "Why did you decide not to enroll​ ​in a Japanese school?
I first stayed in Niseko as a visitor and so the option of enrolling into the local elementary school was not an option to me. After a year, I was able to enrol but my children were settled and happy in HIS so I chose not to move them.
 
3. "What is the attraction of the international school?"
We are an international family - I'm from England, my husband from New Zealand and both my boys are born in Hong Kong. An international school seems a natural choice for us. My children enjoy the child-centred curricula on offer at HIS and benefit from spending time with children from various backgrounds. While I hope my boys will learn Japanese and become competent communicators in that language, I value English as an academic language for for future. I really hope that in the future that school grows and is able to offer education beyond the primary years!

Chika Lund (Japan), Husband: Australian​ ​

1. Why did you decide to enrol in HIS, and not Niseko elementary school?
My eldest son was born in Australia, and after living several years all of us had nor problem communicating in English, but after moving back to Japan the environment shifted suddenly to all Japanese. I found I wasn't able to speak English as well and had trouble talking with my mother in law in Australia which worried me. Communitcation through English is not just a tool but allows one to be able top speak with people from all over the world and I wanted to give that choice for global work in the future.
2. What is the charm of HIS?
It respects individuality, recognizes differences, and develops the good points of the child. HIS is a type of school where you praise and grow. Every week my eldest son is looking forward to "Show & Tell". It's time to bring in themed items from home and present them to the class for about a minute. Explain in English why you chose the item, where you got it, and what memories you have about it. I expect that such practice habits will be useful when speaking in public or when I have to give a presentation at work, and I hope that the practice of speaking with the attention of all students will lead to his confidence. doing.

3. Any hopes for your children and the international school etc?
HIS Niseko is only to the primary level meaning that children who graduate must move to the Sapporo School when they enter middle school and highs school especially if they wish to continue their education in English. I hope that if the number of students in HIS Niseko rises that we may be able to expand allowing everyone to continue their English education to higher levels in Niseko.

Ruri Meikle (Japan), Husband: New Zealander

HISis the charm of HIS?
"I want to give my children every chance for the future so I enrolled them in HIS. Since English is the world's language, it is essential to be active in the world so it is important for people to be bilingual. I think that if you are able to come into contact with English from a young age that can really expand your world view."
 

Zhong Hua (China), Husband: Japanese

HISwas the reason for HIS for you?
I relocated to Niseko with my husband and family to Niseko. There were many worries I had, like financial burdens, the fact that my child cannot speak English at all. But since we live in Niseko and have tried to get into its nature as much as possible I made up my mind to enrol them in HIS. While the Japanese education system has many good points, looking at the two side by side, many parents have realised that it does not dully prepare children for the challenges they will face in the future. We also looked into studying abroad in the US, but given that just tuition is 3 million yen per year, our financial burdens were cleared.

HISis the charm of HIS?
Even if there are only a few children, the teachers take their time with each student and tailor the curriculum to each child. Completely different from the Japanese compulsory education. Even if the children have no English ability, HIS has individual lessons and support systems in place to help. Also, with all the various cultural backgrounds coming together as the do in HIS, both children and parents are able to make cross-cultural friendships.

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