Volunteers help make sure the students learn everything they can.
The Japanese educational system has long been criticized for forcing too much information on young students and for focusing on rote memorization. As the bell rings to start the Wednesday mathematics class, six teachers march into the grade 2, class 1 classroom. The class teacher, Shigeko Suzuki, and home economics teacher, Yumiko Tamura, are joined by volunteers including both students' mothers and former teachers. Suzuki begins reading aloud problems from a handout as the students follow along. The other five adults scan the room for any children that seem to have lost their place.