Uov e,mbtft 20, 1972
THE TWIG
WIMBERLEY
REMEMBERS-
By JOY SEABORN
A pearl farm in which even
the divers dressed in immacu
late white... a factory with pa
per walls through which she
could hear silkworms hungrily
crunching mulberry leaves ...
a visit to the Buddhist shrine at
Kamakura .. all were among
the fascinating experiences
which Mrs. Cliff Wimberley of
the Education Department, en
joyed in the 1957 - 58 school
year, which she spent in Camp
Zama. (Japan’s own version of
the Pentagon) teaching in the
Army Dependent School.
Beginning with a shopping
trip to Tokyo’s renowned GIN
ZA, a stay in the swank Im
perial Palace Hotel, and a visit
to the Imperial Palace itself,
Mrs. Wimberley, through the
auspices of a principal who
really “knew his area,"’ was
able to travel weekly to many
exotic places and to see many
extraordinary sights.
Touring the countrys i d e,
Mrs. Wimberley soon lost her
self in watching raptly as
craftsmen worked painstaking
ly on jewelry, clothing, and
beautiful carvings in cherry-
wood and ivory.
Plays and the theater also
captured her interest. Though
given exclusively in Japanese,
Mrs. Wimberley nevertheless
enjoyed seeing the Kabuki and
Noh players enact dramas of
the sun goddess, historical
themes, and scenes of Japan
ese traditiion. Dressed in e-
laborate costumes, the play
ers -- even of men’s roles--
were, Mrs.Wimberley learned,
women! When not attending tra
ditional Japanese performanc
es, she indulged in a passion
for entertainment at the TAK-
ARAZARA, similar to our own
Radio City Music Hall.
Through a friendship with a
Japanese family, Mrs. Wim
berley learned even more a-
bout Japanese life and customs.
Boys’ Day, on which the boys
of the family hung their paper
carp in sizes graduated accord
ing to age and rank in the fam
ily, took place in May. The girls
got their chance for a holiday in
March with HINA MATSURI, the
doll festival. At that time, they
ceremonially displayed their
lovely handmade dolls (on seven
steps covered with red silk) and
entertained their friends. The
whole family, however, had a
chance for a holiday at the lu
nar New Year, which comes in
February, at which time rice
cakes, made in a special cere
mony, and the pine bough took
on special significance.
Visits to industrial sites,
such as the silk factories and
the pearl farms, were equally
diverting for Mrs. Wimberley.
The silk factory was particu
larly fascinating for her,since,
through the rice paper walls,
she could hear the silkworms
munching their way toward ev-
er-larger cocoons. The pearl
farms, where little beads ir
ritate oyster’s flesh to produce
iridescent jewels, had a rigor
ously high standard of clean
liness -- even the divers wore
white!
For girls who would like to
enjoy similar experiences,
Mrs. Wimberley recommends
the armed services’ various
schools for the dependents of
servicemen and women. These
girls will need a teacher’s cer
tificate and the personality re
quisite of adaptability. So,those
of you who are interested, pol
ish up your smiles and be pre
pared to laugh at yourselves
when Interview time comes!
A MEMOIR
(Continued from page 2)
chers peddling intellectual
hand-me-downs. Our students
are looking for absolutes and
certainties; text-books furnish
these. Hopefully, in some fu
ture there wdll be the curricu
lum daily created to meet the
daily needs of children. The
curriculum -will no longer be
like the crinoline dress that
covered everything and touch
ed nothing. Our teachers may
learn, somehow, that the jour
ney from A to B can be more
meaningful than the journey
from A to Z.
“Ways of working with stu
dents’’. At tlie bottom of the
scale Kilpatrick placed ridi
cule. Only slightly above ridi
cule was sarcasm. Next on the
ladder was coercion, followed
by fear of disapproval and de
sire for approval. Next to the
top he placed reason. At the
fop he placed democracy,work
ing with people on a basis of
true equality, sharing likes and
differences so that each learns
from the other. What a blow to
intellectual snobbery!
“The life situation”. William
Faulkner evidently learned
about mules in a life situation;
“The mule will draw a wagon
or a plow but he will not run a
race. He wUl not try to jump
anything he does not indubiatly
know beforehand he can jump.
He will not enter any place
unless he knows to his know
ledge what is on the otlier side.
He will work for you patiently
for ten years for tlie chance to
kick you once." Children learn
best in a situation that approx-
imatt's tlie use of the learning.
Any situation, really, can be a
life situation if it has meaning
and purpose to the student.
When you are alone witli a child
tie will almost always talk to
you and talking to you is a life
situation.
.More than anything about Kil
patrick I remember his great
pride of profession. To be a
teacher was a way of life. It
was a good way of life. It was
th(' best w’ay of life. Especially
to be a teacher of teachers.
Heroes wear out so fast these
days. People must be remem
bered otherwise they were nev
er lii-re at all, could become.
lik(> the characters in GODOT,
“notliing people waiting for no
thing.” If we ever reach the New
Jerusalem in education we must
keep alive the memories of
those who knew the way.
Heolth Neivs
Swimming pool eyes . . . Every
one who swims often in fresh
water, whether it is chlorinated
or not, tends to develop itchy red
eyes — conjunctivitis. This hap
pens even to those people who are
not especially sensitive to chlor
ine (as people sometimes are)
and even if the level of chlorine
in the swimming pool is kept at
the normal level required to kill
germs in the water. Although it is
irritating at the time, there is no
evidence that this sort of conjunc
tivitis can lead to permanent eye
damage, even in professional
swimmers. As a preventive mea
sure before swimming and as a
soothing one afterwards, a few
drops of methylcellulose in the
eyes often help.
mPORTANT NOTICE
All Meredith Students,
Faculty & Employees
25% Discount
on all Dry Cleaning
until further notice
Our Expert Service Includes Hand Cleaning
JOHNSOITS
LAUNDRY & CLEANERS
RIDGEWOOD SHOPPING CENTER
Christmas
shop
Shop Nights Until 9:30 Phone 787-8800
PAGE 3
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NOVEMBER 20
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IN THE FOUNTAIN!
pirs RACK]
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833-4632
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