Heated Toilets and Turks

It has been a busy couple of weeks--this week both boys are out of school for Fall Break...all week...ARGH!

The weather in Tokyo has taken a turn toward the unpleasant. It is rainy and very chilly.  It is even chillier because we did not expect this kind of weather so soon and I am still waiting on my coat to arrive.  But, there is one very nice thing about Tokyo in chilly weather--heated toilets!

I have mentioned bathrooms a lot on this blog, but I have to mention the Toto again.  Many restaurants and malls and apartments have gone with the Toto toilet over the traditional hole-toilet featured below. And, even in warm weather it's a great invention. But, in cold weather it is especially welcome. The Toto has a feature whereby you flip a switch and the toilet seat stays heated. So, when you sit down, it is very warm and cozy.  For a while we couldn't figure out how to get our heat to work--we still actually haven't figured it out but we found two radiator plug in heater things that at least raise the temperature inside a little bit--so I would go and sit on the toilet for warmth.  Really, I'd sit and read a book or take my computer in and check email. The Toto kept the little toilet part of the bathroom really warm and sitting on the toilet took the chill away.  It is GREAT!

We also broke down and purchased Japanese DVD players--one for the tiny television the old lady left us and one that is a portable 9 inch screen DVD/Screen combo.  It has been great. We can't get all our favorite shows, but we can get things like The Closer, Burn Notice, NCIS, and various and sundry kids' shows.  Sam has watched all of the Harry Potter movies.  It was a lifesaver when our Slingbox quit for two days and it was too cold to drag the kids out of the apartment in search of entertainment.

Sam's school had its Fall Festival last week.  It was very interesting and made me think that when it comes to elementary education the Turks have it right and the Americans are very wrong.  Sam's school is like walking into the elementary schools of my childhood.  First, the teachers are about evenly split between men and women.  Sam's teacher is a young British guy and he's a great teacher.  He makes things like Math (called Maths by the Brits) really fun with stories no woman would ever tell....Twelve students were walking through the woods.  Five fell into a giant sink hole and only two were rescued.  How many students survived the field trip?  I can't think of the last time I saw a male elementary school teacher in Fayetteville.

The teachers are also really warm with the kids--at recess they don't sit and talk to each other; they get out on the playground and play dodgeball or chase with the kids. I myself have actually witnessed the principal out on the playground picking kids up and running around like a big funny bear.  Last year when Sam was being teased at school, the teacher never even noticed because she was so busy chatting with other teachers on the playground.  We heard about it from another mother.

Maybe most importantly, the classroom is a place where the kids get to learn to like learning.  Instead of pushing all the kids to meet the same spelling or math goal, the teacher divides the class into different groups and teaches them in such a way that they learn at their own pace without feeling like they are stupid or behind.  He also takes the time to hear each student read out loud a couple of times a week. The classrooms are a little sparce. Instead of having ready-made decorations or addition charts, the walls are decorated with things the students have made or that the teacher has put together. There aren't any fancy pieces of equipment--no elmos or anything.  But, I'm really impressed with the dedication of the teachers--they even offer free after school programs three days a week (Sam takes Yoga, Sports, and Dodgeball)--they really focus on the students and work with them.  There are good teachers back home, too, but our system is set up to let technology teach the kids, to keep the teachers busy lesson planning, and to force teachers to focus on the end of grade tests. I think a lot is missed that way. In science Sam's class measured germs in various places at school--bathrooms, lunchroom, the principal's shoes. That won't be on any test, but Sam will remember it!

So, good things about Tokyo this week....toilets, Turkish schools...