Day 3 in Tama: Tea Ceremony and More

After a busy and tiring day yesterday at the Junior High School, today we had a very balanced schedule. We started by walking through Parthenon Tama, a cultural center at the top of a hill named after the Parthenon in Greece. We made a brief visit showing the history of Tama and then were treated to some music played by old "magic" instruments. There were various instruments that were built to play without people. We started by listening to a Large-size Disc Music Box, then a Small-size Automatic Orchestra, and finally an Automatic Piano. Tama city purchased these instruments and more from the United States and other countries. It was a treat to watch and listen to them work. Eventually, all of these automatic instruments of the 19th and 20th century would be replaced by gramophone records or radio broadcasting.

We also walked to the Tomizawa House. This house was owned by a noble family and used by the Meiji Emperor and Imperial family members to take a break when visiting this region for hunting. The house was eventually donated to Tama City, moved the current location, and then restored for use. The house is a great tool for learning about Japanese culture. We were able to experience a Japanese Tea ceremony. Some small sweets were passed around to begin with and we enjoyed them while the tea was being made. Once the tea was made we received a small cup of it. The bowl was to be partially turned two to three times. We were to put our left hand under it and bring the bowl to our mouth with the help of our right hand. Then the tea was to be drank in three-and-a-half sips. Upon completion, we were to take the napkin and wipe the very edge of the cup. The making of the tea was done with very precise movements and specific tools. The powder from the Green Tea was very dark and it is the not the same as the green tea purchased in tea bags. It was very earthy tasting, some made the comment that it tasted like grass. I enjoyed it though and wouldn't have minded some more.

After lunch, we visited with the Superintendent of Tama City Board of Education. Yesterday we had the opportunity to talk with some of the teachers from the Junior High School. We asked what some of the biggest challenges were in their school. Low pay, long hours (eat lunch with students, no prep time, and have to run an after school activity. I had this confirmed by several different sources and it sounds like they work very late everyday. The superintendent addressed this issue and said it is a very big problem and he is concerned for the teachers health. They would like more funding for more teachers so there could be some relief. The teachers also brought up the term "Monster" Parent as one of their challenge. They mentioned how these parents will bring up irrational comments and unrealistic expectations for the school. This was also confirmed by the superintendent as a major problem that has formed. He added that these "Monster" Parents are also called "Helicopter" Parents. They tend to hover over the school and as soon as something (anything) happens they quickly land and confront the teacher or administrator. It doesn't matter really what the issue is, but the parent feels they need to be heard and no matter what it is, the school needs to fix it. Many of the times the parents comments are irrational and they do not fit with what the school is and should be responsible. I have never heard the comment "Monster" Parent, but the "Helicopter" Parent has become quite common in the United States. The superintendent says that expectations at home have decreased and the parents want the school to make up for it. The parents put an incredible amount of pressure on the teachers to fix the problem when it is not something they have complete control over.

Other issues that were brought up dealt with budgeting. Schools do not go to the community to pass a referendum when they need money. The Mayor elects school board members and the superintendent and then sets the amount of the budget that the schools will get. The superintendent would like to see more technology brought to the teachers and is going to try to build this into budget in the next few years. I thought they would be years ahead of us in technology. One computer lab in the entire school. If we had consistent funding we would be light years ahead of Japan.

The superintendent asked what challenges we currently face in education. We all seemed to share the same feeling towards increased testing and political pressure to raise test scores. Not one person in our group of sixteen from around the United States thought that the current plan of the No Child Left Behind Act was positive for schools.

Finally, today we officially learned how to use chopsticks and then made our own. Eighty percent of the chopsticks are made in a company located in Obhama, Japan. Thirty percent of the world eats with chopsticks, while 40% eats with only their hands. We measured our hand, cut the chopstick to the correct length, sanded them, and then decorated them with paint markers. The company that helped us will lacquer (sap from a special tree) them and send them to our address in the U.S. Lacquer-ware used to be created in Japan and many westerners came to refer to the lacquer-ware as "Japan." This would be similar to porcelain referred to as "China." It was really fun. I didn't realize this, but the chopsticks we made were from baseball bats that had been broken in games and recycled. Eating with chopsticks is really growing on me. Enjoy the pictures.