2011 Volume 9 Pages 4-18
During the Meiji Era, Girls’ Miscellaneous Schools（Non-Government Controlled Schools, GMS） did not require its teachers to have a teaching qualification. Additionally, it was not necessary for a GMS to follow the curriculum set by the Girls’ High School Law. Just over half of the Japanese teachers at GMS were women. Coupled with this; almost all of the foreign teachers at GMS were women. Despite not being required to follow the Government Controlled curriculum, almost two thirds of all GMS taught Gymnastics as part of their syllabus. It is thought that the reason for this is because GMS wanted to be recognized at same level as Government Controlled Girls’ High School. Two thirds of the teachers who taught Gymnastics at GMS were women. In 1908, the Tokyo Women’s School of Gymnastics and Music produced its highest number Gymnastics teaching graduates. Due to this increase, the ratio of foreign teachers started to decrease. Female teachers who specialized in teaching Gymnastics gradually increased and eventually in 1908, the number came to occupy one third of all teachers who taught Gymnastics at GMS. GMS recorded on the List of Personnel of Secondary Schools for the first time in 1908, employed mostly female Gymnastics teachers, and of these teachers, the majority of them had graduated from Gymnastics schools. For teachers who taught more than two subjects, in conjunction with Gymnastics, Music was the most common second subject, followed by Japanese, Penmanship, Science and Sewing. All foreign teachers who taught Gymnastics taught English. In the case where three subjects were taught, Music was added. Female Gymnastic teachers were very highly regarded in the late Meiji Era. It’s thought that their existence was greatly respected by the Government Guidelines for Teaching, which recommended to Girls’ High School “to the best of their ability to have girls’ Gymnastics taught by female teachers”.
