Serving, Elementary School Style

I have no doubt that as Xavier continues attending Japanese elementary school we will come across many things that are different from what we are used to in the North American school system.  One of those differences occurred during the second week of classes.

I volunteered to help oversee the kids in Xavier's class as they learned  how to be lunch otouban, or lunch leaders.  This is not the line leaders most people think of when they think of first grade in North America.  The children are served lunch in their rooms, and it is the job of the otouban to serve the food to the rest of the class.  When I arrived, each of the otouban put on their white jackets, cap, and face mask.  Meanwhile, a long, low table was brought to the front of the room.  On it were set plates, bowls, and large containers of the lunch food.  The day I went it was rice, simmered vegetables and chicken, and mabodofu (spicy tofu and vegetable stew).  There also was some grapefruit for desert and a crate full of milk cartons.

Each of the otouban stationed themselves behind the table with the helping parents behind them to help where needed.  As the rest of the kids lined up with trays, the otouban would take a plate or a bowl, dish up a serving of food and then place it on the tray.  The last otouban was tasked with passing out milk.  The kids did a very good job of estimating what a good sized serving was, although at the end they almost ran out of rice and vegetables (this would not have been good since the teacher was the last to be served).

One thing I had worried about was that there would not be enough food for the otouban, but what I hadn't realized was that one student from the group where the otouban sat went up a second time to get the food for the otouban.  All in all, the kids did a great job of serving up the food for their classmates.

Serving lunch for your classmates is a daily job for the kids in Japanese school.  The students take turns being the otouban for one week (and at the end of the week they bring the hat and jacket home to be washed and brought in the next week for some other child).  I think it probably couldn't hurt for kids in North American schools to learn how to serve lunch to their classmates like this too. For Americans it seems unusual, but here in Japan it is a normal part of school life.