[Visit Report] Teachers from Tokura Elementary School visit the museum for teacher training
On August 21st, teachers from Tokura Elementary School in Minamisanriku Town visited the Minamisanriku 3/11 Memorial as part of their summer teacher training.
This was the second teacher training session following last year, and many of the teachers were newly appointed or commute from outside the town, so they visited the center again this year with the aim of learning more about the earthquake and the local Tokura area.
First, at the entrance, we gave a talk about the general situation in Minamisanriku Town at the time of the earthquake, the reasons for building the disaster prevention building, and how the lessons learned from the Chilean earthquake and tsunami were used during the Great East Japan Earthquake.
This program teaches participants that the sense of security that comes from being in a shelter with many other people can dull their sense of danger, and also allows them to listen and think about how elementary and junior high school students and fishermen from that time have lived since the disaster.
In the Minamisanriku 311 Memorial learning program, participants are asked the question, "What would you do in this situation?"
In Regular Program 3, "Thinking about Life," questions were based on testimonies from townspeople who expressed regret over their actual evacuation behavior during the earthquake disaster, and the teachers had many discussions while thinking about the reasons for their answers.
The distinctive feature of our learning program is that participants watch the testimonial footage, discuss the various questions posed, and think about them together. It was impressive to see the participants talk about their experiences in the town at the time, and recall the everyday behavior of the children as they converse.
After the tour of the facility, we asked the teachers for their impressions.
One teacher, who is in her second year at Tokura Elementary School, said she remembered the program she saw during last year's training. "I felt that the new program I saw this year was designed more from the child's perspective. Because it is a single-grade school, I am able to interact more deeply with the children on a regular basis. I would like to come back and learn from the children I am currently in charge of."
The teacher, who is originally from inland Iwate Prefecture, said that he had visited the coastal area several times as a volunteer after the earthquake. He said, "When I watch the footage or visit the museum, I am reminded of those days. I think about the children, but I also think about my hometown. Also, surprisingly many children don't know about Tokura, so I would be happy if they could learn about my hometown as well as the earthquake."
In the museum's Everyone's Square, works from the photo book "Minami Sanriku Together," which was created by photographer Masashi Asada and local residents after sharing ideas together, are on display.
After the program, the teachers took a close look at the works of the oyster fishermen from the Tokura Oyster Production Association.
Regular Program 3 also features an episode about the efforts made by Tokura's oyster fishermen to obtain ASC certification after the disaster, but Tokura's fishermen are also often involved in regular classes. "It was impressive to see familiar fishermen talking about the disaster, and their smiling faces in the photos were lovely. This is a facility where you can really learn a lot about Tokura, so I'd like to come with my children and think about it together."
It was impressive to see the teachers continuing to talk until the very end when they left the memorial about what children could learn by using the program content and exhibits in the museum.
We hope that we can be of some help to the teachers who spend their days with children in thinking together with them.
Thank you very much to the teachers of Tokura Elementary School for visiting us.
