Where is the Ministry of Education?

I am watching the TV program where 50 real teachers are discussing different educational issues with guests. One of the guests are harshly criticizing teachers. But I don't think it makes sense to say those criticisms and suggestions to the teachers. They lack authority to initiate any systematic educational reforms. Instead of lynching teachers alone, I think the program should have brought some bureaucrats from the Ministry of Education and interrogated them. (But they wouldn't come anyway.)

So where is Japanese education going?

Focus!

Yesterday my father suggested that I write up a report to summarize what I have found so far and what I want to study further. He made the suggestion because he thought that I was becoming lazy lately. (And he was right!) So, today I started making visual charts to conceptually map out findings, questions, hypotheses, and so on. After I'm done with it, I will send the report to my committee members.

I should think more seriously about implications of the fact that I won't have my parents forever.

The Purpose of Life

I have less than 6 months left for my fieldwork in Japan. This also means that I have only 6 months to be with my aging parents.

This fieldwork has been helpful to me in clarifying what I want to make of my life. (I don't think my life has any pregiven purpose. But, if I say that, I sound like existentialist.)

The Athletic Festival II

I went to see the Athletic Festival at the junior high school today. This year's festival had a cheerleading component, which we hadn't had in my old days. Students made props (e.g., flags) and organized cheerleading activities for themselves.

Although the students were the center of the Festival, I didn't fail to see how teachers were taking care of logistics of the event. (Of course, I didn't notice their effort when I was a junior high school student.)

Sumo and Deconstruction of Japaneseness

Sumo is one of the national sports in Japan. And it is probably the most internationalized.

Right now a professional tournament is being held in Tokyo. It is either Koto-o-shu or Asa-sho-ryu who will win a champoinship at this tournament. The former is from Bulgaria and the latter from Mongolia. I think they symbolize deconstruction of Japaneseness.

The Expo Sucks

My parents, brother, and I went to the so-called World Exposition today. We went to the following foreign pavilions: France, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Czech, UK, Nordic Joint, Caucasus Joint, Egypt, Africa Joint, Turkey, India, Nepal, Central Asia Joint, Iran, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Suri Lanka, China, Mongolia, Butan, Central America Joint, Dominica, Andes Joint, Cuba, and UN. They were awful except for the India pavilion (and perhaps the Caucasus joint) that showed a lot of effort to introduce various aspects of "Indian culture" (e.g., yoga, food, religion, etc.) to visitors. At the other pavilions that we visited, they showed only visual images and sound effects without any linguistic descriptions whatsoever. (When they provide descriptions, they are so rudimentary that I wasn't enlightened about their countries.) I wish the foreign pavilions had been more museum-like.

Okay, I must become a good professor in the future, so that I may be invited to go to different countries.

Love and Hate

It's been almost a month since the fall term began at the elementary and junior high schools. Of course, I can't win trust and goodwill from every one of the 2nd and 6th graders. But I wonder what differentiate between students who are willing to chat with me and those who are not.

Japanese Teachers and Moral Education

There is a certain tendency among the teachers at the schools that I have been visiting. They expect students to "guess" what they expect. For example, one male teacher remained standing in front of students in the schoolground today. The students kept chatting, but he remained silent. When another teacher yelled at students "Be quiet!" the students stopped chatting. The male teacher gave them a "moral speech" concerning how the students failed to meet his expectation, to become quiet when he came up in front of them.

This kind of moral lesson permeates school life.

Japanese Diplomacy

I don't think Japanese politicians and bureaucrats are good at diplomacy. The reason is probably their subordination to the US since the end of WWII. They don't have to use their own brains to envision the future of the country in the international context, for its framework is given (or forced upon) by the US.

My Cousin's Restaurant

My parents, my brother, and I went to my cousin's restaurant today. I remember going to his restaurant occasionally when I was small. We always ate there for free because my father had tutored him when he was a student. I hope I will be able to do something for my cousin's children to repay his kindness to have served us tasty food for free.

Don't Piss on Me

A 3-year-old boy sat on my lap with his pants wetted. I sort of detected the odor of pee, but I was able to understand fully what it was when the preschool teacher said to the boy that he must have wetted his pants.

Two 6-year-old girls were chatting. One of them looked at me and said to the other, "I want him to become my dad." "Why don't you ask your mom about it?" responded the other. "If my mom and dad got into fight, maybe he could become my dad." But I don't think I am ready to become a father, though I very much appreciate her affection.

Obsessed with Long Life

I think there are too many (older) Japanese who are obsessed with long life. Instead of being absorbed in extending their lives, I hope they will pay more attention to social problems.

BTW, I don't understand why they don't teach politics to 8th graders in social-studies classes. During a geography lesson today, the 8th graders studied France in terms of its climate, agriculture, and culture; however, they didn't cover social and political situations of the country. So, the 8th-grade girl whom I talked with after the class, didn't even know who the current president of France was.

But I'm sure that she knew who the president of the US was. Even my 2nd-grade friends knew him, for recently Mr. President appeared on Japanese news programs that extensively covered the hurricane Katrina.

Mothers Visit the Elementary School

Today the elementary school was open to parents. The purpose of this visit day is to let parents observe how their kids are doing at school. And parents were indeed visitors and observers, not participants. Some parents remained standing in the hallway in front of their children's homerooms. Even those who entered a homeroom stood still in the back of the room. My suggestion is that teachers include into lessons activities that allow parents to work with their kids so as to make them become partners of the school who actively participate in the education of their children.

Not so Hard Ethical Problems in the Field

For example, last week I made a 3-year-old preschooler burst into tears. He was trying to sit on my laps, and I teased him by running away from him. Suddenly, he started crying loudly and other boys gathered around him. They suggested I apologize to the boy. Well, I did while hugging and soothing him. Since preschoolers have very bad memories, however, the boy came up and climed on me soon after he stopped crying.

Today several 6th-grade girls were in tears after they were scolded for their behavior. When the teacher was not around, they started speaking ill of her in front of me. They used bad words. I listened to them quietly, hoping that they would feel okay with the teacher after they calmed down.

What if the People were Wrong

The category of "a people" is the ambiguous intersection between democracy and nationalism. This category has been used to justify election results in presumably democratic countries like Japan. But what if the so-called "will of the people" were misguided? The people is the sovereign and the dictator.

Parents and Children

According to prior research in the US (if I remember correctly), there is no significant correlation between parents' racial attitudes and their children's. I can somehow understand that in the context of contemporary Japan. In my opinion, parents influence children in terms of cognitions of and attitudes toward different national groups only through their selection of representations (e.g., in TV programs, toys, etc.) that children encounter at home. It is mostly up to children themselves who interpret, evaluate, and appropriate those representations produced via larger political, social, and cultural systems. So, parents have only an indirect influence...?

I am disappointed with the result of the general election. I don't think the long dominance of one single party is good for democracy. (Also I don't think the current campaign law is conducive to discussion of policies. The 12-day campaign period is too short for that.) Why don't we have more diversity, debate, and dissent in Japan?

Rules of the Game

I sometimes wonder whether Japanese are not very good at changing rules of the game. They always lose out to other peoples because they are content with adhering to rules that others have defined...? What is more, there are so many Japanese who can't see beyond rules and frameworks given to them and they are letting incompetent bureaucrats and politicians ruin their own life.

How to Choose the Right School

I had a long chat with the high school senior whom I've been tutoring. By the end of this month he had to decide whether he will accept a sports scholarship to attend a private university outside the prefecture or apply for another university near his home. I didn't tell him which choice would be better for him not only because he should decide for himself by considering all available options carefully but also because I am not an expert in Japanese entrace exams. (I was one of those high school students who didn't buy into the so-called "war of entrance exams.")

It's kind of scary to imagine myself as being part of the student's social environment that might influence his decision. But let's not overestimate my influence.

Flags and Preschoolers

In anticipation of the Sports Festival, flags of different countries are hanged on walls of the preschool. (This flagging is customary in Japan.) When I asked a 3-year-old boy, "What is this?" by pointing at the Japanese national flag, he said, "Hmm... it's a circle." It's only 5- and 6-year-olds who can identify the Japanese flag. But even they are unable to identify flags of other countries. In short, preschoolers are not very interested in the foreign.

Shoot it for Yourself!!!

I watched the soccer match between Japan and Honduras tonight. Initially, I was very much frustrated with Japanese players who passed a ball instead of shooting it for themselves when they came close to the goal line. Typical of Japanese...?

I was scheduled to visit the junior high school today, but the school was canceled due to the typhoon. For now the typhoon blew away people's attention from the general election.

Getting over the Summer Vacation

For some reason I was unable to have access to the server to update my blog yesterday.

Today I went to visit the 2nd grade for the first time after the school resumed on September 1st. I noticed some students who looked at me with blank faces, so I wondered whether they had forgotten me after the summer vacation... I will have to re-establish rapport with them before I give them another survey sometime in the fall.

Ms. S, one of the 2nd grade teachers, told me that the kids were still getting over the vacation and it would take a few more days before they become fully ready for learning.

Less Than 7 Months

I have less than 7 months left for my fieldwork. I wonder how much I can understand the nature of (post)nationalism in Japan by next March....

It's funny to watch politicians debating policies on TV. They keep trying to avoid what they don't want to talk about.

Lately national newspapers have been publishing pre-election surveys, all of which indicate that the LDP will win the majority. I cannot but wonder why these newspapers do not show us more detailed statistics of their surveys; for example, do all age groups support the LDP? Well, I hope there will be a surprise on the election night. Otherwise, the future of Japan will be....

Katrina

I took a walk with my 7-year-old neighbor this evening. He told me that he saw Mr. Bush on TV and asked me whether I had met him. We also talked briefly about the upcoming election. He knew about it because his grandfather is an active supporter of the Social Democratic Party. Yes, the zone of proximal development....

I cast my vote today.

Junior High School Students

I have interviewed about 10 junior high school students so far. In terms of logics or structures of their reasoning about national groups, junior high shcool students are pretty much the same as college students. However, in terms of political consciousness, they are much less developed than college students.

Lost Voices of Japanese Politicians

Is it only I who is wondering why most candidates for the upcoming general election have already lost their voices? Are their microphones working properly? (Or have they all caught cold?) Why do they have to keep yelling when using microphones?