"Zen" Buddhism at the school

"Zen" Buddhism at the school
    Today my son unwillingly experienced nearly three hours of "Zen". He is in the sixth grade of elementary school and he will graduate  in March. After that he has to enter junior-high school and continue the obligatory education for three more years.He goes to a private elemetary school, and I want him to enter a good junior-high school, private or prefectural one.   
    Today we went to take entering exams for a junior-high school which is attached to the University of the Ryukyu's, the only state university on Okinawa island. The University of the Ryukyu's is famous because of its faculty of education, training teachers for a very huge range, from elementary to high school positions. The university has an elementary school and a junior-high school, attached to the facility. Young teachers can try their skills in teaching kids. Future teachers conduct research on experimental educational programs, and before those programs are offered for implementation, the university might try new methods on elementary and junior-high students.
    I thought that the new educational approach might be good for my son, rather than just let him enter the ordinary public school. That's why we decided to challenge in entering that Ryukyu's junior-high.
    In the morning we went there long before they started to accept students applications, because the morning traffic is heavy,  and if you are late, you're out. We arrived around 8 am, while the reception was scheduled for 8:30. All kids and parents waited outside in the chilling air. At 8:30 the school staff opened the door, and students got in two neat lines. The exams started at 9. Parents were asked to wait at the gym, where the school provided several rows of cheap metal chairs.
    After exams kids should go to the interview. The school separated kids into three groups, because today more than a hundred students came there to take the examination. Today was a day for boys only. I think that the number of girl students also will be nearly the same, but girls exams and interviews are scheduled for another day to reduce the crowd. Unfortunately, my son went into the third group and so he had to wait the longest. All kids were supposed to wait in the classroom until the time for the interview.
    The writing test ended at 9:30. My son had more than two hours and a half to "kill" along with the other kids from the same group. He didn't know what kind of ordeal was waiting for him.
    The staff asked all students to sit down and put all notebooks and pencils inside bags. Reading books was prohibited, too. Some kids asked if that was ok just to write something on the white paper, for example, memo notes for the interview, but the answer was, "no, you may not". My son asked also, could he borrow a book or a textbook from the school's library. He got "no" again. When he asked, why, the teacher said that all students should remain in the class room to maintain the order and equality. My son continued then, "if I can't leave the room, could you, please, bring me something to read?" The young female teacher was astonished by such audacity but managed to answer, no. Because, she said, I don't know whether my choice will be good for you or not. My son didn't give up and asked again, could he go out the room and drink some water? He was asked then, how thirsty is he. When he said, just usual thirsty, he got the "no" again. So he sat down and waited for the long two hours, just like other kids did.
    When I finally met him after the interview, he was so exhausted and mad! He felt like they had stolen 2 hours from his life. I wouldn't say that, because we all could spend so much time doing nothing (just"relaxing"), watching TV or playing video games. But still it must be hard for kids to sit with nothing to read or write. I made a call to the municipal board of education and explained the situation to them. I also suggested that it would be nicer to let kids write something in their notes or to let them borrow some textbooks from the library. It would be a good chance to make children feel how it is nice to read or write. Just imagine yourself imprisoned in a cell without a single piece of paper or a pencil. And then you are suddenly allowed to read or to write. How grateful would you feel about that!
    The board of education was surprised by my call because they haven't had any precedents. Fortunately they listened attentively and seemed to understand my point, and they promised to improve the situation in the future. They also mentioned "Zen" religion, where monks should undergo many tests, including long-hour meditation, sitting in uncomfortable pose, starving and thirsting. And being beaten by a master monk, when he decides to reestablish a discipline. I think now, maybe that junior-high schools treat kids that way on purpose? To see, how they could handle imprisonment in the room with nothing to do. I doubt though, that it could serve any good purpose. For me it looks just like laziness and lack of creativity. Young teachers-to-be could interact with kids, to imrpove their teaching skills and discover personalities of students-to-be. Not just dumbly standing in the classroom with imprisoned kids and saying "no" to everything. So sad to have such a policy (?) in the school we are trying to enter. I didn't like it and I feel pity for both, teachers and kids. Teachers, because they can only follow stupid rules. And for kids, because they just obey and don't try to complain, or even just to clarify their rights and duties. My son was good at trying, I'm proud of him. He was taught a bitter lesson today.

(My friend's comment: "If it was meditation practice, they would have told the kids...". Yes, right, and they should have made parents to meditate together and see, what happens! )