Reference
Whisper of the Heart is an animated Disney production which kids would enjoy. The story is about a schoolgirl named Shizuku follows her dreams by following her own curiosity of a cat which turns out to lead her to Seiji, a boy who is focused on following his own dreams. It turns out the cat, the Baron, turns out to be a magical cat which helps Shizuku listen to the whispers in her heart. This film also deals with schooling and the educational system in Japan through the decisions that the characters need to make at a fairly young age about their future. This movie would be useful to explain and identify some differences between the educational system of the United States and Japan. It also reiterates the importance of education in the Japanese society as compared to our own society. Furthemore, it identifies the importance of standardized testing in Japan in deciding which career path students are given the opportunity to follow. Although the testing results for the most part determine their next step with schooling, children in Japan need to consider what career path they will lead at a very young age after the equivalency of middle school in the United States. Also, not all career paths may not be available for all students even at an early age depending on their performance in school and the standardized testing. This film may be useful in relieving stress of American students that may be worried about taking state and federal standardized tests in the United States. Finally, it could be used to address boy-girl realtionships at this young adolescent age. I would recommend using this resource in an upper elementary or even middle school setting.
