Tuesday, April 19, 2011

A Return to Tradition

新学期まで「寺小屋」授業再開を待つ被災地で ("A Report From the Disaster Zone: 'Terakoya' Until the New Semester Starts")
Asahi.com, 4/15/2011

Summary and Key Points: The word 寺小屋 (terakoya) caught my eye when I was browsing headlines. These "temple schools" were some of the first public education in Japan available to those outside of the rich and ruling families. Wikipedia has a solid article about them. Students at this one demolished area are participating in an impromptu version of a terakoya; it is more likely at a community center or auditorium than at a temple, but the point is that they are making a school out of whatever building is available. The article mentions them getting back to their regular curriculum: math, language arts, and PE. The students also took a field trip that has a whole new feeling to it; they walked the mountain road designated as the evacuation route in case of tsunami. Some of them mention not even knowing that it existed.

Intended Audience: general public

Relevance: Again, kind of a personal indulgence article here! It gives me more ideas about what I might pursue for my short research project grant next summer. I think it would be really interesting to continue to follow the development of impromptu schools, and see if they end up spawning a new option for Japanese students, sort of like charter schools over here. Or maybe they will end up withering as soon as regular facilities are reestablished and students can attend their big schools again.

As a cog in the public education system, it is interesting to see just how defining it is to the lives of young people. It is everything they do, more or less, so it makes sense to get them back to it as quickly as possible. Surely it is more interesting than sitting around the shelter playing videogames (ha!).

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