School Time is Tea Time

There is something particularly nice about going to an extrememly small school. Despite the fact that I cannot not pay attention, the small classes are very friendly-like. I particularly like my Chinese Buddhism class for this reason. I can't really understand everything, and the classroom is always freezing cold, but going to class is more like just going to visit someone. Really, the teacher, Ishiki Sensei, is the reason for this. When only one or two students have shown up by 9:10 for a 9am class, he putters around his office making tea for us, asking how our research is going, and showing us books that might possibly at one time in our lives have an interest for us. At 9:20 he begins to pull out his teaching materials, but it isn't until 9:30 that we really get started. Throughout the entire class he shuffles around his office grabbing books that he has just mentioned from his crowded bookshelf. I don't think the Japanese students realize how lucky they are that their teacher takes such interest in them and what they are doing. Especially in Japan, where undergraduate teachers are known for not ever responding to questions and never being in their offices, this is a rare opportunity. It is really appalling that in a class of five students, one will be asleep and two will be holding their own private conversation while the teacher is putting so much energy into trying to help them out.