Teaching Values - ?

I've heard of patriotism and learned valued being taught in Japanese public schools, but to be honest, I haven't really witnessed any of it firsthand since I've been working in the school system.

One of our reading assignments this week, however, caught my eye and I thought I should share. I retyped the textbook excerpt below, but first go through the reading and then look at the true or false questions afterward.

Does anyone else think it's strange that there are correct and incorrect answers to the opinion section about values?

Lesson 18, Family Values

Read the story below about an accident that happened at a home party. A fter reading thnk about the answers to the questions below.

I was in the kitchen helping my mother when I heard the crash. I knew at once what had happened. I started to run toward the room where the guests were, but my mother stopped me.

"Wait," she said. "Let's return to our guests as if nothing has happened. Do not show how upset and angry you are."

"But mother, how can you say that? Our family case has been broken."

My mother smiled at me and replied, "Yes, I know. But we mustn't let our guests know how valuable it is." With that, she picked up the tea , and we returned to our guests.

When we entered the room, I saw at once that my worst fear was right - the priceless vase was in pieces on the floor. And standing next to the vase was the four-year-old son of Mrs. Kim.

Mrs. Kim has a horrified look on her face. The boy looked very guilty. "I... I... well, somehow...," Mrs. Kim began to explain. My mother quickly said, "Oh, that's all right. It was an old vase. I t was not valuable. Don't worry about it."

After our guests had gone, I asked my mother. "Why did you say that the vase was worthless?"
"What else could I say?" my mother replied. "Could I say it was our family's most precious treasure?"

"Well, I said, "It's the truth. We should always tell the truth."

"Not always," explained my mother carefully. "Sometimes we must not tell the truth. Sometimes it is best to hide our true feelings."

GIVING AN OPINION

～Are you FOR (F) or AGAINST (A)?～

Note: Correct answers in parentheses.

Part 1
1. We should be careful of other peoples' feelings. (F)
2. We should be faithful to our own feelings. (A)
3. It is wrong ot decieve other people under any circumstances. (A)
4. It is not always important to be honest. (F)

Part 2
a. Deceoptful acts will cause many problems. (A)
b. Telling the absolute truth sometimes embarasses other poeple. (F)
c. Supressing our feelings will cause a lot of stress. (A)
d. A frank attitude is essential for keeping a friendship. (A)
e. Hiding our true feeling can help us maintain a good relationship with others. (F)
f. Showing our true feelings hurts other people in some cases. (F)
g. We will lose trust by deceiving others. (A)
h. There are times when we don't want to tell someone bad news. (F)

I think the general idea of the lesson is good. It's great preparation for having students do debates in class and the concept of manners (saving face) is culturally appropriate, but it sort of rubbed me the wrong way that there are right and wrong answers to the true/false section. Kids were getting points taken off for disagreeing that they should always be polite, even if they are not truthful.

In Japan, teachers hold much different roles than they do in other countries, sometimes taking on responsibilities that parents would otherwise own. This includes discipline for things that happen outside of school (like smoking or stealing), but I still consider values to be something private...