芝生化奮闘記

世の中には色んな人がいるというのは分かっています。

みんなが私達と同じ考えで芝生化に取り組もうとしているのではないのも良く理解出来ます。

但し、GSTが掲げている保育園・幼稚園の園庭芝生化とは「子ども達が日々芝生の恩恵を受けることが出来る芝生化」であり、当然これは全面芝生化が条件となります。特別な事情や理由がある場合は柔軟に対応する姿勢ですが我々の基準を満たす理由がない場合は対応出来ないこともあり得る訳です。

 という前置きで広い園庭があるがこれは「教育上の観点｣から土に残し、狭い面積の園庭を芝生化したい相談が来ました。利用人数から判断してとても芝生化は無理だとの判定を先方に伝えたら、数回メールや電話のやり取りでも妥協点が見いだされずに、苗の注文が来ました。

子ども達が恩恵を受けられない芝生化計画に賛同出来ない理由で注文を拒否して、丁寧にその旨を先方に伝えたところ、この返事が来ました

「この外人
よほどのへそ曲がりか
拘りの強い高機能自閉症じゃないかな？・・」

別に言われてどうこうという訳ではないけれどもこの文書を送った方が幼稚園の園長先生です。子ども達が可哀想です。もしここの園児が差別発言した場合は園長先生が何と言って注意するのでしょうか。

I understand that it takes all kinds.

I also understand that not everyone has the same approach to grass playgrounds that we do.

However, let me make it clear that GST's basic approach to play schools and kindergartens is that all the children should receive the full benefits of a grass playground. Naturally, this incorporates converting as much of the grounds to grass as is possible. We are flexible in cases where there are special circumstances and reasons for leaving a portion in dirt but when the stated reasons do not meet our standards, we on occasion are unable to adjust to meet the request.

With that background, let me tell you about a request received recently which entailed leaving the large playground in dirt for "educational reasons" and converting only a small sub-ground that we judged to be too small given the number of kids. After several phone calls and e-mails, yesterday we received an order for grass seedlings for the initial small area.

When I refused to accept the order, politely explaining that this area would not allow the children to receive the proper benefits of a grass playground, I received the following response.

 "You bloody foreigner,

Either you are incredibly perverse or you suffer from advanced autism of some kind"

 What scares me is that the person uttering this abusive comment is the headmaster of a kindergarten. I feel sorry for the kids in his care. I also wonder how he will respond if one of the children speaks in the same manner to a non-Japanese child at the kindergarten.