Become a real human being
‘If school is the mandatory pathway for educating our children, then we need to change the curriculum.’-Yang Ping, teacher of Timur Elementary School Grade Four.
Director Sasuyu Ubalat recalled that all the education he had in his childhood was based on Chinese culture, similarly to the ‘stolen generation’ in Australia. The film explores the core values of Timur Experimental Elementary School. From the close relationships and developments between teachers, parents and students, we see the importance of the revival of ethnic languages and ethnic education. In a difficult time where the elders are ageing and ethnic cultures are rapidly disappearing, Timur Experimental Elementary School still strives to develop its own ethnic curriculum for the modern educational environment.
Previous Screenings
Directors
Sasuyu Ubalat
The director has been documenting tribal educational culture for a long time. He also currently has a child in education. Through his observations, the audience can understand that by including aboriginal knowledge in textbooks, we can see Taiwan from another angle, where our people and our world are. The documentary is centered around the school project on the Paiwan wedding ceremony. The project covers all details of the wedding ceremony, from its preparation to chopping the traditional wood-bunch and pig killing. By the end of the film, the parents are convinced of the success of the the experimental course. However, without further ethnic education of Paiwan in junior high schools, senior high schools or even universities, there will be a learning gap for the current students and this makes them sad to leave the current courses.