Welcome to Medaka School
Hiroyuki Ando
Welcome to Medaka School
the beginning of Medaka School
The pediatrics ward is in aged structure that is built of bloks, piping and wiring creep over the ceiling. However, unlike exterior of a building, about ten respirators or monitors always operate, and what is called, top medicare is carrid out. But, in spite of rapid progress of medicine, there surely exists the children whom bring miserable turning point.
Medaka School started by the volunteers of medical staff with residents as the central figure fifteen years before (the name of Medaka School stems from the song of Japan. Medaka is a cyprindont, it means children).Till then, children can't get out from their room and play with others on the passage under the name of "treatment" or "prevention against infection". Mothers are requested to "control" and "supervise" their own children "rather as a staff than as a mother" (our pediatic ward is premised on hospitalization with children and mathers). However, children who are in the hospital suffer from serious illness. Certainly, there is a case occasionaly that we must hold them with hands and make them cooprate with treatment. Like getting well as a resule of prescription of antibiotic, it may be practicable that we order children and mothers not to get out from the rooms under the name of treatment,if possible to cure all deseases entirely.
Most of the patient in our hospital are the children who can not live without medical appliances, or who meet their death because of malignant desease in the ward, or who are compelled to go back and forth between their home and outpatient clinic even if they are discharged from hospital. We think the children, who have the body that can not get about and talk with others and live even thouh they desire, have self-confidence for life and they are faced with their deseases, enduring daily blood-gathering or examinations, because there is "the space" where can be rather a child than a patient, and they have contact with each other in "the space". We think Medaka School becomes to be "that space" for children, who must be apprehensive for staff,even for their own mother occasionaly.
activity of Medaka School
We practice Medaka School on every Tuesday and Friday from one o'clock in the afternoon. Subject are mainly music, drawing and manual arts, cooking, athletics.
For example, time for music is singing or playing in consert, for drawing and manual arts is drawing a picture in the courtyard of pediatrics ward or decorating colored paper used for making figures by holding on the wall and windows, and one time per month young artists have kindness to perform a work of art with children togather, for cooking is preparing and eatihg lunch, such as curry and stew and so on, with children togather, for athletics is playing baseball on the ground in a site of university or going to Ueno Park to feed ducks.
And we practice monthly events in accordance with the year's regular functions.
January ; a NEW Year's party
February ; scatter parched beans to drive out evil spirits
March ; the Doll's Festival
April ; cherry blossom viewing
May ; Children's Day
June ; making a paper doll to which children pray for fine weather
July ; the Festival of the Weaver
August ; a fireworks display in the cool of a summer evening
a haunted house
Septmber ; the autumnal lunar festival
October ; athletic meeting
November ; bazar
December ; a Christmas party
rice-cake making
the meaning of Medaka School
For children who struggle hard against illness everday, the time they are themselves is that when they are in the space and time apart from the rules of hospitalization. Under the conditions of hospitalization, they are requested to be "docile" and "obedient" by medical staff. In Medaka School that seems to be "uselessness" and "irrelevance" for treatment at first sight, children are kind to youngers and lead a child who can't move by himself by the hand and draw a picture togather. They support each other. In such conditions, children become to have the courage to face with their desease and think about the meaning of life and living. It comes to the same thing for mathers.
It is a matter of course what children desire is to cure desease and leave the hospital, and then, they aren't afraid of nobody and they are themselves.
We don't regard only the activity on every Tuesday and Friday and monthly events as Medaka School. We are cared about the thinking of Medaka School by children and mothers on daily diagnosis and treatment and nursing. And we hope Medaka School becomes that of life for children, for mothers, and staff.
