Moving from Japan, kids speak minimal English. How will they cope?

[WillardD]

Hi, new here and this forum is very helpful.

I am based in Japan, just got a job offer in DC (Foggy Bottom). I've never lived in the US. My kids (elementary and middle school) speak minimal English, worried if I move them to an area school.

They are hardly the star pupils learning in their home tongue, so I am worried what kind of hardship they will encounter when I move them. It seems public schools have more support for non-English learners so at least there is that , but quite anxious. I also found out about elementary and middle schools with Japanese immersion programs where maths and science are taught in Japanese (Great Falls and Herndon area) so that seems to be a very good option, however these seem to be fairly outside of a reasonable work commuting distance to DC.

Anyone here with the same experience or know kids in similar situations? Is the distance to the Japanese immersion schools worth it?

[Anonymous]

Oh my goodness OP. I’m not sure I would take this position if I were worried about my kids. Japanese culture is very different from US culture, especially in the school years. Can you wait to move until your children are adults? Or maybe I would send them to an actual Japanese heritage school if I had to move to the US, not just a language immersion program.

[Anonymous]

I’d be more worried about the culture shock than the language itself. American schools will seem feral compared to Japanese schools. Your kids will be shocked by some of the behavior. There is a lot of support for English as a second language so I would try not to worry too much about that, just whether they could learn in such a chaotic and disrespectful environment.

[Anonymous]

I'm an expat living in Japan, and I agree with the previous responses. I'm worried for my own American children when we go back! I would recommend reaching out to the Japanese Embassy in D.C. to see where they send diplomats' children. Or reconsider your position. It will be tough for them unless they are very young.

[Anonymous]

I’m a Korean American who grew up between two countries. It’s hard but it was considered normal when I was a kid. How old are your children? The book Almost American Girl by Robyn Ha details the experience pretty accurately for an older child

[Anonymous]

The one in elementary will be fine, they should pick up English really quickly. The one in middle school will adjust too, but better to have both of them start taking English classes ASAP. They will be better at school here than in Japan, I’m guessing.

Looks like there’s a Japanese school in Rockville too, which is very commutable to DC, but you would have to pay. https://www.wjls.org/

[Anonymous]

Fox Mill ES and Great Falls ES in Fairfax County have Japanese Immersion. Both have kids moving in from Japan who speak no English and join the class. They have other students and teachers who are fluent in Japanese who can help them. The other night I had one girl translating for another at a school dance. I know it is a bit of a commute but it an option.

Both schools feed into MS and HS that offer Japanese and have kids who speak some Japanese, and a good number who are fluent because they use it at home with a parent or are from Japan like you are.

Again, a bit of a commute but there established Japanese communities and language dpeakers.

[Anonymous]

Foggy Bottom is the first stop on the Orange/Silver line in DC. You are looking at under an hour commute from any of the silver line stations in Reston, which are near Great Falls and Fox Mill. The FCPS immersion programs are done by lottery, so you don't actually have to live in the school boundary (unless you want a bus), you just have to have a way to get them to and from school everyday. You would have to see if it's possible to enter the lottery with a child who isn't a resident yet of the county.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’d be more worried about the culture shock than the language itself. American schools will seem feral compared to Japanese schools. Your kids will be shocked by some of the behavior. There is a lot of support for English as a second language so I would try not to worry too much about that, just whether they could learn in such a chaotic and disrespectful environment.

America as a whole seems feral compared to Japan at this point.

[Anonymous]

I lived in Japan so familiar with the differences in culture and my opinion is that it will be a great experience for your family! Yes, the systems are vastly different but you may find that your kids enjoy the change in environment. For language, yes, I would begin English lessons / tutoring and the schools here will have supports too. Not many people get the opportunity to live and work abroad. I hope you have a great experience (I did in Japan)!

[Anonymous]

I grew up in Japan and moved to the US when I was 12. I did already speak some English but was in Japanese schools. The culture shock was pretty extreme, American kids are very different. PP was correct, they were virtually feral and struck me (then) as incredibly mean. I also have two friends who did the same thing (moving to the US from Japan). One of them adjusted pretty well, the other ended up moving back to live with her grandmother to finish school there because she found it hard here. But she was also quite a bit older than your kids, and her father was an exec with Toyota, so they had already moved around a bit. She did tell me that of the countries they moved to (Netherlands and Austria or maybe Germany, don't recall) she found the US most challenging in terms of school culture.

Anyway, not trying to scare you off, just trying to give you perspective from others who lived it. The big difference is that I did it in the 80s, my friends in the 90s. So not that current.

GL.

[Anonymous]

PP here. Somehow I missed the part where you said you've never lived in the US. So presumably you are Japanese as well and you and your kids will return to Japan? So you are coming as an expat rather than permanently? I was thinking permanently for some reason. I would probably be more inclined to encourage you to do it as an expat rotation. I think spending a set period of time (3 yrs? How long?) in a foreign country learning the language or perfecting it is probably worth a bit of adjustment issues, knowing that you will return to your home country or come and study in a country that has the same language, opening more doors for them.

[Anonymous]

You should live somewhere close to work on the Orange Line. Arlington and Falls Church City are your best bets for a more suburban lifestyle. If you want to be in the city, West End is best for its proximity to Foggy B

I have to ask— does your expat package include an education allowance? You should begin researching private schools to determine whether or not they would be able to accommodate your children’s needs. You’d be surprised how quickly school heads will respond to your queries.

Your children could also attend Saturday school here to keep up their mother tongue:
https://www.wjls.org/eng-aboutwjls/
Washington Japanese Language School

[Anonymous]

My DD has a classmate whose family did this with their 3 kids. They joined her private school in preschool, K, and 2nd grade. The kids are shin-issei and spoke only Japanese. They had one parent who had grown up Nisei but returned to Japan for university, so that parent was familiar with both countries and educational systems.

Our school is fairly structured and has small class sizes, and minimal homework until later grades. The siblings learned English relatively quickly. They go to Saturday school and they have a lot of homework from Saturday school. We try to schedule social and Girl Scout activities around their Saturday school commitment. I think you want to consider a school with a light homework load and think about how to fit extracurriculars in if you plan to do Saturday school, because otherwise it would be hard to socialize and participate in activities that would help them settle in.

[Anonymous]

I haven’t had direct experience that can help you but I’ve taken Japanese classes with this organization and I know they also offer English language classes and story time and maybe other services to Japanese people living in DC. Might be worth contacting them to see if they have any members with similar aged kids who might be able to provide insight?

https://jaswdc.org/english-language-school/