Eager to broaden the horizons of second-grade students, drama teacher Kineta Massey and art teacher Suzuko Davis traveled to Japan this past summer to learn about the country’s culture and incorporate it into the Lower School classroom. The second-grade curriculum used to be Greek-based, but last year, Massey and Davis wanted to change it to incorporate folk tales from around the world and foster creative curriculum that will expand kids’ cultural knowledge at a young age.
Starting with African folk tales the year before, the teachers showed their blend of creativity and collaboration during the second-grade fine arts evening, a night where the students showcase the art, music and drama projects that they have worked on all year.
“We told African folktales, and Mr. Kheshtinejad (the Lower School music teacher) did African drumming with the boys,” Davis said. “We also did some African textile weaving and used that to help make the backdrop of the play.”
While African culture was already a unique addition to the curriculum, this year Massey and Davis wanted to take it to another level. In Japanese culture, they decided to take a trip there to experience and observe the country’s culture firsthand. After experiencing different art workshops and watching plays throughout the trip, Massey and Davis felt inspired to bring pieces of Japan back to the school.
“We are going to do some shabori dying with the kids and some Japanese print making,” Davis said. “We are also going to do some oniara, which is like the Japanese version of a gargoyle.”
Massey is also using her takeaways from the trip to not only foster fun and creativity but also to help connect boys to the Path to Manhood mission. These plays aren’t just folk tales; they also serve as a cautionary tale for the younger generation to learn from.
“There is the Terrible Eek, which is a play about miscommunication and people misinterpreting each other,” Massey said. “Urashima Taro is another story where a boy goes down under the sea to live there, and when he comes back, 300 years have passed. It’s a tale of the passing of time.”
While these stories serve as guidelines on how to deal with certain issues, such as miscommunication and growing up, there are other Japanese tales that teach different lessons.
For example, the tale of Momotoro is about a family who wants a baby, and a peach boy is born instead. The boy helps protect people who have had things stolen from them, giving the younger marksmen a lesson on ethics.
The last play, “The Boy Who Drew Cats,” is about a boy who is obsessed with drawing cats and isn’t able to find his place in the world. He ends up at a temple where there is a rat goblin that has to be fought, and he uses his skill of drawing cats to fight the goblin and save the town.
Massey and Davis hope that boys will learn that every person has a unique talent or value, and that being different has benefits.
The main point of the trip may have been to add to this year’s curriculum and learn more about Japanese culture, but the two teachers enjoyed the sightseeing as well.
“You can see the ocean, and the landscape is just different,” Davis said. “I had one of those ‘Aha!’ moments where I could see the way Hokusai (a renowned Japanese artist) depicts water while it’s hitting against the shore. It was incredible.”
Additionally, the teachers were impressed with the cultural tradition of people doing good deeds. On their visit, Massey and Davis noticed how astonishingly safe and clean Japan was.
“You’re very safe. People leave their bags and their stuff will still be there when they come back,” Massey said. “It’s incredibly clean. There’s really no trash anywhere, and you will see people out in the street cleaning up things.”
The teachers were impressed by the sense of community and plan on implementing it in the classroom. A whole community putting forth their best efforts and radiating good throughout the world is something they admired. Massey and Davis hope to imitate Japan’s cultural values and spread them throughout the school.
“Japan has the character and leadership we talk about here—everybody doing what helps the entire society,” Massey said. “They do it for the good of all.”
After a successful trip full of eye-opening experiences that gave a new sense of cultural awareness, Massey and Davis hope to expand the curriculum even further in the future, not just by introducing new projects but also by combining Japanese culture and The Path to Manhood.