Q: How do first graders start school life?
A: As for how you start – some schools have an open house or an orientation before school starts, so the kindies can see their classroom and meet their teacher ahead of time. Other schools do nothing – you just show up on the first day and go to class! Children usually receive their classroom assignment several weeks before school starts, so they know which room number and teacher they are looking for when the first day comes. In the past, parents would often accompany very young children to the classroom door to make sure they found the right one, but these days, most schools do not allow parents inside for security reasons.
Typically, junior high/middle school and high school have an orientation for students before the school year starts (sometimes at the end of the previous school year), because these schools are much larger than an elementary school, and students have to get used to going to a different classroom for every class period for the first time. In elementary school, students only have one classroom and one teacher, except for special things like music, physical education, and sometimes art. In the higher grade levels, you need to go to a different classroom, with a different teacher, for every class period.
（和訳）
Q: １年生はどうやって学校生活を始めるの？
A: 学校生活の始まり方は、学校の中には、入学前にオープンハウスやオリエンテーションをするところがあるわ。幼稚園児が教室を見たり、前もって担任の先生に会えるようにね。何もしない学校もあるわよ。初日にいきなり学校行って、授業を受けるの！子供たちは、学校の始まる数週間前に教室の割り当て表をもらうわ。だから初日から探している教室番号と先生wかるの。かつては、親が小さい子供たちが自分の教室がわかるように教室の入り口まで子供を送ったものだったけど、最近では、ほとんどの学校が安全上の理由で、親の立ち入りを許可していないわね。
通常、中学や高校は学年が始まる前（前年度が終わる時の場合も）に、生徒向けのオリエンテーションをするわ。中学や高校は小学校より広いし、初めて授業ごとに違う教室に行くことにも慣れなくてはいけないからね。小学校は、音楽、体育、図画工作のような特別な科目以外、一つの教室で一人の先生に教えてもらうけど、上の学年になると、授業時間ごとに、違う先生の違う教室に行かなくてはならないの。
