I was looking at my classroom full of students the other day and wondering — where did I go wrong? Most of them were asleep and the few who weren't were unconscious. I stopped talking, looked out the window and pondered the science of teaching. I came to the conclusion that science is indeed to blame: Gravity is pulling our students down.

I suspect that Japanese gravity is stronger than Western gravity and that as a result, Japanese students experience a stronger gravitational pull. Haven't you noticed how Japanese students tend to slump over and rest their heads on their arms? How they drag their feet and have a hard time standing up straight? Or how they find it very difficult to get out of bed in the morning?

This is Japanese gravity. This is why Japanese people look down more than Westerners, have less eye contact and why there is no Japanese expression for "Keep your chin up!"