Two weeks ago, the Asahi Shimbun ran opposing editorials by an assistant professor at Kanazawa University and the president of a municipal board of education in Akita Prefecture. The two educators faced off over a program that had been proposed by an idealistic elementary school teacher.
The teacher's idea was to have his fifth-grade class raise chickens from birth and then, after they reached maturity, kill the birds and use the meat in a curry that the students would prepare and eat.
Though the teacher's plan was radical by normal school standards, his purpose was very plain. Young people have no real idea of where the food they eat comes from, and having them experience firsthand the process by which that package of meat reaches the supermarket shelf would make them appreciate it better and, thus, give them a greater sense of responsibility about their consumption habits.