Sunday, June 29, 2008
Home
Hey folks, Just a quick note to let you know that I got home safely and am recovering from the jet lag. Gayle and the kids met me in the airport with smiles and hugs. The trip home was smooth and I have begun sifting through all that happened. I'm still not finished writing about the trip, but wanted to let you know that I made it home safely. Check back in a few days for further updates.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Home Stay
Saturday, June 21
So, today at 10:00 am, our host families arrived to pick us up from the hotel
My Home stay family has internet access and so they said I could use it this morning (Sunday). Actually, last night I got onto Kodak Easyshare and showed them hundreds of pictures so they could see my family more. This family is incredibly sweet and gracious, and very interested in American culture an the English language. The husband speaks very good English as he lived in Canada for six months when he was in the University, and each member of the family goes to an English teacher, an American friend who lives here, once a week for English lessons. The Kids went to an international preschool last year which was taught entirely in English, so they speak and understand pretty well.
After they picked me up, we came back to their house for tea, then went to pick up their children from Kindergarten, which is in a different city and prefecture, but is really only 15 minutes away.
The school is right next to a Buddhist temple, so we were able to go inside and see it. The above picture is taken with the kids and Aira's teacher. The grounds were very lush and beautiful, and we were even able to see some turtles in a pond. After that we went to a Sushi restaurant right across the street from a huge fishing port. So we had incredibly fresh fish that was very good. Here is a picture of us in front of the restaurant.
Then we went to an Aquarium nearby, saw a small but very good dolphin show, and looked at a variety of fish and sea life. It was very kid-friendly and fun. We also climbed up a lighthouse there. It only had 99 steps, but it still offered a nice view. Unfortunately, it was overcast and a bit foggy, so it was hard to see in the distance, but what I did see was a coastal landscape resembling that of Oregon: rocky, full of tide-pools, and a beach broken up by intermediate cliffs. Then we went to a supermarket, returned to their home, and I spent some time playing with their kids.
The daughter knows "I’m a little tea pot" and "The wheels on the bus" and a few other common songs for English speaking kids. They actually have books in English that they read to her and her brother as well. Before dinner I was honored with taking the first bath, which is very traditional in Japanese culture, and they gave me an outfit which is called a Jim Beh, and is kind of like pajamas. They also gave Reed and Lucy one. So, I went into the "bath room" which is like a really large shower with a bath/soaking tub in it. So you wash and rinse off first, then you soak in a bath. It was really quite nice. After that, I put on my Jim Beh, came out and we ate.
Here is Tomma-chan and I sporting said Jim-behs. For dinner we had Yakitori, which is like small shishkabobs with meat only. A difference: with chicken, they eat the cartilage too. Crunch. Crunch. I tried one, but they understood that it wasn't my favorite. There were other meats also, as well as miso soup, a sliced beef and potato dish that seemed a little like a stew, as well as rice.
After dinner the husband and son took a bath and I sat and talked with Yukio, and she was so happy that an American was enjoying Japan, and her home, and her cooking, and she got overwhelmed and started to cry from happiness. She loves American culture and movies, and since this is her first time as a home stay host, she didn't know how it would go. And since I'm enjoying everything, she was very pleased.
After the kids went to bed, around 9 or so Saturday night, they kept getting back up, much like some people I know (Reed and Lucy). Eventually they fell asleep and we talked and looked at pictures until around 12:30. I slept on a futon mattress on the floor with a small pillow. I was able to sleep until around 6 am. Then I just laid there.
So, after eating breakfast, which consisted of freshly baked bread, jam, a kind of Asian omelets, some small sausages, rice, and salad, we got onto Skype and had a webcam conference with Gayle. It was really cool, since my host family was able to meet my wife and she could meet them. I even gave Gayle a brief tour of the house with the webcam. So, that was a highlight because despite the thousands of miles, I felt very connected to Gayle and she to me and what I was doing. God bless broadband internet service!
Next, Tomma-chan took me across the street to the hospital where he works, which incidentally is across the street from both the Junior High and Senior High School that I visited. With the exception of the ER, and the patients who are already there, the hospital is closed on Sundays. For the most part, every hall we walked down was empty. I saw 6 nurses and 1 doctor on duty while there. Perhaps it was just the orthopedic wing he took me to and the rest of the hospital was hopping, but it looked like a ghost town compared to an average American hotel on a Sunday. His daughter, who is extremely cute and is named Aira, which means “love is forthcoming” or something to that effect, walked in between us and held our hands. It was very sweet. When we returned from the hospital visit, she insisted on teaching me how to make an origami crane.
She was very patient and sweet, and obviously very skilled at the art. She and her brother, whom they call Mark-o, spoke fairly good English because they had gone to an international preschool where everything was conducted in English.
We then had lunch together and talked for a long time about everything from voter participation in our countries to the harvesting of cord blood from the placenta and then storing it cryogenically. I am the first person he has ever met who also opted to save his children’s cord blood. It was a cool conversation. Then I glanced at the clock. It was 2:15. I had to be back at the City Hall by 2:50, so the family and I jetted out to the car and were on our way. I had an excellent and most memorable time with them. When we said goodbye, they both seemed moved, and the Yukio, the wife, began to cry. It was touching. The experience was a memorable one that none of us will forget.
So, today at 10:00 am, our host families arrived to pick us up from the hotel
My Home stay family has internet access and so they said I could use it this morning (Sunday). Actually, last night I got onto Kodak Easyshare and showed them hundreds of pictures so they could see my family more. This family is incredibly sweet and gracious, and very interested in American culture an the English language. The husband speaks very good English as he lived in Canada for six months when he was in the University, and each member of the family goes to an English teacher, an American friend who lives here, once a week for English lessons. The Kids went to an international preschool last year which was taught entirely in English, so they speak and understand pretty well.
After they picked me up, we came back to their house for tea, then went to pick up their children from Kindergarten, which is in a different city and prefecture, but is really only 15 minutes away.
The school is right next to a Buddhist temple, so we were able to go inside and see it. The above picture is taken with the kids and Aira's teacher. The grounds were very lush and beautiful, and we were even able to see some turtles in a pond. After that we went to a Sushi restaurant right across the street from a huge fishing port. So we had incredibly fresh fish that was very good. Here is a picture of us in front of the restaurant.Then we went to an Aquarium nearby, saw a small but very good dolphin show, and looked at a variety of fish and sea life. It was very kid-friendly and fun. We also climbed up a lighthouse there. It only had 99 steps, but it still offered a nice view. Unfortunately, it was overcast and a bit foggy, so it was hard to see in the distance, but what I did see was a coastal landscape resembling that of Oregon: rocky, full of tide-pools, and a beach broken up by intermediate cliffs. Then we went to a supermarket, returned to their home, and I spent some time playing with their kids.
The daughter knows "I’m a little tea pot" and "The wheels on the bus" and a few other common songs for English speaking kids. They actually have books in English that they read to her and her brother as well. Before dinner I was honored with taking the first bath, which is very traditional in Japanese culture, and they gave me an outfit which is called a Jim Beh, and is kind of like pajamas. They also gave Reed and Lucy one. So, I went into the "bath room" which is like a really large shower with a bath/soaking tub in it. So you wash and rinse off first, then you soak in a bath. It was really quite nice. After that, I put on my Jim Beh, came out and we ate.
Here is Tomma-chan and I sporting said Jim-behs. For dinner we had Yakitori, which is like small shishkabobs with meat only. A difference: with chicken, they eat the cartilage too. Crunch. Crunch. I tried one, but they understood that it wasn't my favorite. There were other meats also, as well as miso soup, a sliced beef and potato dish that seemed a little like a stew, as well as rice.After dinner the husband and son took a bath and I sat and talked with Yukio, and she was so happy that an American was enjoying Japan, and her home, and her cooking, and she got overwhelmed and started to cry from happiness. She loves American culture and movies, and since this is her first time as a home stay host, she didn't know how it would go. And since I'm enjoying everything, she was very pleased.
After the kids went to bed, around 9 or so Saturday night, they kept getting back up, much like some people I know (Reed and Lucy). Eventually they fell asleep and we talked and looked at pictures until around 12:30. I slept on a futon mattress on the floor with a small pillow. I was able to sleep until around 6 am. Then I just laid there.
So, after eating breakfast, which consisted of freshly baked bread, jam, a kind of Asian omelets, some small sausages, rice, and salad, we got onto Skype and had a webcam conference with Gayle. It was really cool, since my host family was able to meet my wife and she could meet them. I even gave Gayle a brief tour of the house with the webcam. So, that was a highlight because despite the thousands of miles, I felt very connected to Gayle and she to me and what I was doing. God bless broadband internet service!
Next, Tomma-chan took me across the street to the hospital where he works, which incidentally is across the street from both the Junior High and Senior High School that I visited. With the exception of the ER, and the patients who are already there, the hospital is closed on Sundays. For the most part, every hall we walked down was empty. I saw 6 nurses and 1 doctor on duty while there. Perhaps it was just the orthopedic wing he took me to and the rest of the hospital was hopping, but it looked like a ghost town compared to an average American hotel on a Sunday. His daughter, who is extremely cute and is named Aira, which means “love is forthcoming” or something to that effect, walked in between us and held our hands. It was very sweet. When we returned from the hospital visit, she insisted on teaching me how to make an origami crane.
She was very patient and sweet, and obviously very skilled at the art. She and her brother, whom they call Mark-o, spoke fairly good English because they had gone to an international preschool where everything was conducted in English.We then had lunch together and talked for a long time about everything from voter participation in our countries to the harvesting of cord blood from the placenta and then storing it cryogenically. I am the first person he has ever met who also opted to save his children’s cord blood. It was a cool conversation. Then I glanced at the clock. It was 2:15. I had to be back at the City Hall by 2:50, so the family and I jetted out to the car and were on our way. I had an excellent and most memorable time with them. When we said goodbye, they both seemed moved, and the Yukio, the wife, began to cry. It was touching. The experience was a memorable one that none of us will forget.
Hasaki High School Visit
Hasaki High School Visit Friday, June 20
This morning we were greeted by the Principal of the school, above. Not only is he the Principal, but he is also a 7th dan black belt in Kendo. I really liked him alot, and he personally invited me to train with the Judo team once he found out that I was a Judoka.
The high school visit this morning was rather regimented. The high school we visited, although it offers some college preparatory programs, also has an entire industrial wing where students are trained in electrical engineering and/or mechanical engineering. 
We also witnessed students working with both computer driven and manual driven lathes, to create things like metal paperweights and small parts or components. These students will be ready for the factory workforce when they graduate at the age of 18. High Schools here kind of serve as a trade schools, vocational tech. school, or college. Pre-med students, for instance, when they graduate from high school do not go to a 4 year pre-med college; rather they go straight to medical school for 6 years, immediately beginning with the specialty they want to focus on.
So, we were given a tour of classes beginning with the industrial side and then moving to academic, general education courses such as Math, Chemistry, Japanese History, Japanese language (I saw a lesson on the tanka poem), as well as PE. During PE, actually, the students warmed up with a series of marching and formation exercises, which was really cool to watch. Then, they played basketball and badminton. A couple of us (Josh, Troi and I) wanted to play, so that PE teacher set up some full court four on four, with him on our team against 4 students. Remember now, the students were wearing shoes and we were wearing either socks or slippers. In the end I don’t know who “won” but we all had a great time, broke a serious sweat, and laughed a lot, besides making a few baskets. No one will forget that day.
We were able to participate in an English course, again, having an opportunity to interact some with the students there. In one class, I think it was Chemistry, which had 46 students, one poor guy in the back just couldn’t handle the day and had to take a nap.
In the rest of the classes, however, I witnessed a lot of note-taking and participation. For lunch we sat down with members of the student body council, who had varying degrees of English proficiency. I supposed I was a little surprised by the lack of fluency, but the students here are talk more to read and write, and understand the grammar more than they are ever talk to converse. Many of the English teachers obviously knew the grammar rules, but struggled themselves at times to convey their meaning spoken speech.
The end of the day was a lot of fun as Josh and I were able to participate in the Judo club. Although this was Josh’s first time even taking a judo class (how cool is that? The first time, in Japan, with a room full of black belts), he was a Washington state wrestling champion in high school, national collegiate wresting champion in college, and he coaches wrestling now. So, he held his own, despite getting some nasty mat burns.
I had a blast and was able to throw several of those present, as well as not get thrown except for when I went with the really big guy. In addition to the energy we were feeling anyway, right in the same room the Kendo class, with all of its screams yelling was going on, so it added a whole other dimension to the work out. All in all it was a good experience, and it was nice to see how sports and competition can bridge the gap that language barriers create.
We also witnessed students working with both computer driven and manual driven lathes, to create things like metal paperweights and small parts or components. These students will be ready for the factory workforce when they graduate at the age of 18. High Schools here kind of serve as a trade schools, vocational tech. school, or college. Pre-med students, for instance, when they graduate from high school do not go to a 4 year pre-med college; rather they go straight to medical school for 6 years, immediately beginning with the specialty they want to focus on.So, we were given a tour of classes beginning with the industrial side and then moving to academic, general education courses such as Math, Chemistry, Japanese History, Japanese language (I saw a lesson on the tanka poem), as well as PE. During PE, actually, the students warmed up with a series of marching and formation exercises, which was really cool to watch. Then, they played basketball and badminton. A couple of us (Josh, Troi and I) wanted to play, so that PE teacher set up some full court four on four, with him on our team against 4 students. Remember now, the students were wearing shoes and we were wearing either socks or slippers. In the end I don’t know who “won” but we all had a great time, broke a serious sweat, and laughed a lot, besides making a few baskets. No one will forget that day.
We were able to participate in an English course, again, having an opportunity to interact some with the students there. In one class, I think it was Chemistry, which had 46 students, one poor guy in the back just couldn’t handle the day and had to take a nap.
In the rest of the classes, however, I witnessed a lot of note-taking and participation. For lunch we sat down with members of the student body council, who had varying degrees of English proficiency. I supposed I was a little surprised by the lack of fluency, but the students here are talk more to read and write, and understand the grammar more than they are ever talk to converse. Many of the English teachers obviously knew the grammar rules, but struggled themselves at times to convey their meaning spoken speech.The end of the day was a lot of fun as Josh and I were able to participate in the Judo club. Although this was Josh’s first time even taking a judo class (how cool is that? The first time, in Japan, with a room full of black belts), he was a Washington state wrestling champion in high school, national collegiate wresting champion in college, and he coaches wrestling now. So, he held his own, despite getting some nasty mat burns.
I had a blast and was able to throw several of those present, as well as not get thrown except for when I went with the really big guy. In addition to the energy we were feeling anyway, right in the same room the Kendo class, with all of its screams yelling was going on, so it added a whole other dimension to the work out. All in all it was a good experience, and it was nice to see how sports and competition can bridge the gap that language barriers create.Monday, June 23, 2008
Junior High School Visit
Junior High School Visit
Thursday
Although today wasn’t as fun as yesterday, I still had a wonderful experience getting to know the students here at the junior high. In Japan, by the end of the Junior high year (9th grade) students have to decide, in general terms what they want to do for the rest of their life, and then they have to pass an entrance exam in order to get into the caliber of high school which will help develop them on their path towards a particular type of University as well as profession. So, according to the 4 teachers we had a panel discussion with, that is why junior high is in many ways the most challenging and the most important school age, since it affects their future so completely.
Today, like yesterday, we witnessed pretty much perfect behavior, school uniforms, complete participation in every class despite an average class size of around 40; we watch art, participated in calligraphy, music, English class, Science class, Japanese class, as well as eating lunch with the students in their classrooms and then observing their after school club activities. Like yesterday we found out that there is not a cafeteria, nor are their janitors: the students take care of bringing the food to the classroom for lunch, cleaning up after lunch, and then after school (at least at the Junior High) the students all clean the school before they go to their activity. Some of the activities we saw were table tennis, basketball, volleyball, baseball and soccer, although I did find out that in the winter they do also train in Judo during PE. They have tatami mats stored in a kind of indoor shed, and bins of judogis. So, I was pleased to here that, although I wasn’t able to play. Participation in club activities (sports) appears to be compulsory. I did not see anyone abstaining, but rather saw everyone full of joy and demonstrating a lot of athletic ability.
The day on the whole was very enjoyable and inspiring, and we all were able to participate a lot and interact with the kids. My Japanese skills are advancing, and I am able to converse, or at least get my point across with more ease than most of the students who attempt to speak in English. Two students in particular, pictured here, were very skilled in English and were very outgoing and interested in trying to speak. On the whole, most of the students didn’t understand much English, nor did they attempt to speak it, which I suppose is typical for that age.
A couple of humorous highlights: During my very first class I observed, which was an art class, a student was rinsing out his brush a bit to create a lighter shade of color. They were working with India ink. His brushed accidentally flicked some drops on my dress shirt, so now I have a different kind of souvenir. I contemplated letting all of the kids sign their name in Japanese writing on my shirt, but couldn’t find a Sharpe. Perhaps I’ll bring the shirt with me tomorrow to the High School where I’ve been invited to train with the Judo team, and then after practice have all of them sign the shirt. It’s already ruined anyway, so why not make something special out of it?
The other interesting thing that happened was during the school assembly they had in honor of us. They had us play this game where the students formed 16 groups, one for each of us, and then they had to ask us a series of questions in English and then write down the response. The winner was the group that had the most questions answered, and then the prize was having their picture taken with what are apparently the school mascots: they look like Power Rangers to me, but that’s what they were. In fact, I’m almost sure that’s what they were. The Power Rangers were originally created almost 30 or 40 years ago in Japan, so it would make sense.
It was another great day and I feel blessed to have experienced another level of the Japanese education system. My impression thus far is that not only do the students behave better, they also seem to work harder as a whole because they realize the consequences of not doing so early on. At this junior high they have never had a suspension and have no concept of in school suspension. If our schools could only be that way. I think we have more creative kids in many ways, and we allow them more freedom to explore, but our kids don’t understand the term respect as well as they could, nor do they always value school. Of course, this sweeping generalization is just that, a generalization, and it is not true for everyone. I have had many students who were and still are incredibly respectful, diligent, and mindful of what a gift an education is.
A note on uniforms: Although school is both compulsory and public, the parents must purchase the uniforms. So, the public education is free, but at a cost. Also, absolutely everyone eats lunch in the classroom during lunch time. No one brings a sack lunch, but everyone must pay for the lunch. This, of course, is different from us.
I’m looking forward very much to the High School visit tomorrow and to training with the Judo team. One of my colleagues here is a wrestling coach, and was actually a collegiate national champion in wrestling, so we’re going to get him on the mat too.
Thursday
Although today wasn’t as fun as yesterday, I still had a wonderful experience getting to know the students here at the junior high. In Japan, by the end of the Junior high year (9th grade) students have to decide, in general terms what they want to do for the rest of their life, and then they have to pass an entrance exam in order to get into the caliber of high school which will help develop them on their path towards a particular type of University as well as profession. So, according to the 4 teachers we had a panel discussion with, that is why junior high is in many ways the most challenging and the most important school age, since it affects their future so completely.
Today, like yesterday, we witnessed pretty much perfect behavior, school uniforms, complete participation in every class despite an average class size of around 40; we watch art, participated in calligraphy, music, English class, Science class, Japanese class, as well as eating lunch with the students in their classrooms and then observing their after school club activities. Like yesterday we found out that there is not a cafeteria, nor are their janitors: the students take care of bringing the food to the classroom for lunch, cleaning up after lunch, and then after school (at least at the Junior High) the students all clean the school before they go to their activity. Some of the activities we saw were table tennis, basketball, volleyball, baseball and soccer, although I did find out that in the winter they do also train in Judo during PE. They have tatami mats stored in a kind of indoor shed, and bins of judogis. So, I was pleased to here that, although I wasn’t able to play. Participation in club activities (sports) appears to be compulsory. I did not see anyone abstaining, but rather saw everyone full of joy and demonstrating a lot of athletic ability.
The day on the whole was very enjoyable and inspiring, and we all were able to participate a lot and interact with the kids. My Japanese skills are advancing, and I am able to converse, or at least get my point across with more ease than most of the students who attempt to speak in English. Two students in particular, pictured here, were very skilled in English and were very outgoing and interested in trying to speak. On the whole, most of the students didn’t understand much English, nor did they attempt to speak it, which I suppose is typical for that age.
A couple of humorous highlights: During my very first class I observed, which was an art class, a student was rinsing out his brush a bit to create a lighter shade of color. They were working with India ink. His brushed accidentally flicked some drops on my dress shirt, so now I have a different kind of souvenir. I contemplated letting all of the kids sign their name in Japanese writing on my shirt, but couldn’t find a Sharpe. Perhaps I’ll bring the shirt with me tomorrow to the High School where I’ve been invited to train with the Judo team, and then after practice have all of them sign the shirt. It’s already ruined anyway, so why not make something special out of it?
The other interesting thing that happened was during the school assembly they had in honor of us. They had us play this game where the students formed 16 groups, one for each of us, and then they had to ask us a series of questions in English and then write down the response. The winner was the group that had the most questions answered, and then the prize was having their picture taken with what are apparently the school mascots: they look like Power Rangers to me, but that’s what they were. In fact, I’m almost sure that’s what they were. The Power Rangers were originally created almost 30 or 40 years ago in Japan, so it would make sense.
It was another great day and I feel blessed to have experienced another level of the Japanese education system. My impression thus far is that not only do the students behave better, they also seem to work harder as a whole because they realize the consequences of not doing so early on. At this junior high they have never had a suspension and have no concept of in school suspension. If our schools could only be that way. I think we have more creative kids in many ways, and we allow them more freedom to explore, but our kids don’t understand the term respect as well as they could, nor do they always value school. Of course, this sweeping generalization is just that, a generalization, and it is not true for everyone. I have had many students who were and still are incredibly respectful, diligent, and mindful of what a gift an education is.
A note on uniforms: Although school is both compulsory and public, the parents must purchase the uniforms. So, the public education is free, but at a cost. Also, absolutely everyone eats lunch in the classroom during lunch time. No one brings a sack lunch, but everyone must pay for the lunch. This, of course, is different from us.
I’m looking forward very much to the High School visit tomorrow and to training with the Judo team. One of my colleagues here is a wrestling coach, and was actually a collegiate national champion in wrestling, so we’re going to get him on the mat too.
I'll post more pictures later. There were server errors.
Friday, June 20, 2008
Elementary School Visit
Wednesday, June 18
I have always been a high school kind of teacher, shying away from hanging out with the younger ones in elementary school. I don’t know why. When Reed and Lucy were born, of course, my attitude towards the younger ones changed completely. Now that I am a father, I am much more able to relate to the younger ones and appreciate their stages in development. Today was the first time I had ever actually spent an entire day with elementary school kids, and it was an incredibly wonderful and special time. Maybe all elementary school kids are like the ones I met today in Kamisu-City, but the children I met today were incredibly fun to hang out with. Today was just the sort of day I imagined I would have when I applied for the JFMF program.
When we arrived, we met the Principal and Vice Principal and did some of the formal stuff, and then we waited at the entrance of the school: In Japan students are not bussed to school. They may be dropped off by a parent, but generally speaking, all students walk to school in groups. After meeting the children, we took a commemorative photo, while the entire school assembled in the gym. Once we arrived, we took our seats of honor up on the stage, and then after introductions, and a variety of formal presentations that were done in Japanese by several children who had obviously been chosen in advance, and which we could not understand because their speeches were not translated, they all then stood up and sang us a song of welcome. 500 kids singing, all on pitch and smiling. Amazing.
I have always been a high school kind of teacher, shying away from hanging out with the younger ones in elementary school. I don’t know why. When Reed and Lucy were born, of course, my attitude towards the younger ones changed completely. Now that I am a father, I am much more able to relate to the younger ones and appreciate their stages in development. Today was the first time I had ever actually spent an entire day with elementary school kids, and it was an incredibly wonderful and special time. Maybe all elementary school kids are like the ones I met today in Kamisu-City, but the children I met today were incredibly fun to hang out with. Today was just the sort of day I imagined I would have when I applied for the JFMF program.
When we arrived, we met the Principal and Vice Principal and did some of the formal stuff, and then we waited at the entrance of the school: In Japan students are not bussed to school. They may be dropped off by a parent, but generally speaking, all students walk to school in groups. After meeting the children, we took a commemorative photo, while the entire school assembled in the gym. Once we arrived, we took our seats of honor up on the stage, and then after introductions, and a variety of formal presentations that were done in Japanese by several children who had obviously been chosen in advance, and which we could not understand because their speeches were not translated, they all then stood up and sang us a song of welcome. 500 kids singing, all on pitch and smiling. Amazing.
One member of my group, Kathy from Rosaline, Long Island, was weeping she was so moved. It was a very special moment. After that the students rearranged to take a commemorative photo with us. They way they moved was phenomenal; it was like watching groups of soldiers in a military parade, or members of a marching band, moving into formation. Kids weren’t running around crazy or not paying attention. Well, that’s not totally true. There was this one student who was clearing struggling with some ADHD issues, but in the end, he did what was expected.
After the photo, we were greeted by the principal, vice principal and the director of Curriculum and instruction for the school with more formality. Afterwards, we made our first visits to classrooms. The school is designed in a very open way, and although there are walls dividing individual classrooms, for which the average class size is 40, all of the classes are connected with an enormous open area. So, if one class is teaching reading or writing and is quiet, and the other group is chanting a song, all rooms hear the song.
The intention is to help develop concentration skills and foster a sense of unity among all classes, but I couldn’t teach in an environment like that.I was able to watch and participate in a 1st grade Japanese class, which was a lot of fun. They were learning katakana or hiragana characters, both saying them and writing them. So, I worked on a worksheet as well, although I had no idea what the symbols meant. I also stopped by the Art class and the Music class.
In the above picture I am participating in an English class game where all of the words are political. As I'm sure you can sure, I was was "subordinate" for a while. All subjects, including music and art, are more or less instructed by the classroom teacher. The concept of “special” where kids in our schools go to PE, music or art does not exist here. The teachers do not get a break. From 7:30 until 3:00 they are with the kids, including for lunch. The food is brought to the classroom and they eat lunch there. There is not a cafeteria.
Here is a girl in the class I ate lunch with. She was so cute and outgoing, I couldn't help but take a picture. Besides, if you look carefully, the hint of dimples, the cheecks, the arced eyes and the pony on top resemble Lucy a lot.
I was able to hear different groups of students singing throughout the day, and I noticed that everyone participates, everyone is on pitch and in key, and they all have the songs memorized. Now, this could just be things that they had prepared especially for our visit, but when we asked whether the behavior of the students today was typical or not, they said it was.
My favorite time besides recess, which allowed my inner child to get back on the monkey bars and back to climbing poles, was the calligraphy class. We were all allowed to participate and write the two characters that mean “future.” The student pictured with me below is a purple belt in Judo and her favorite throw is Tai Otoshi, which also happens to be my favorite.
My favorite time besides recess, which allowed my inner child to get back on the monkey bars and back to climbing poles, was the calligraphy class. We were all allowed to participate and write the two characters that mean “future.” The student pictured with me below is a purple belt in Judo and her favorite throw is Tai Otoshi, which also happens to be my favorite.Thursday, June 19, 2008
Local Industry Visit
Tuesday, June 17th
Today we had a nice visit and fruitful exchange of dialogue with 5 women who all either have children in the school district, or who have had children in the district and now have grandchildren here. The one thing I walked away from this visit with was that the schools dominate the lives of the children more than do schools here in America. One parent actually said that the teacher becomes more the parent figure, and the parent is just a support. The students in Junior High in particular are in school until almost 5, then they go home to eat, then go back out the Cram school, if the parents can afford it or if the student needs it, to try and improve skills and gain more knowledge so as to achieve a high score on the high school entrance exam, and thus find their way into a more prestigious school. Cram school is usually in the evening from 7-10 or so, and then the student returns home, perhaps does homework, goes to bed, and does it all over again the next day. These kids are 14. Then, as I mentioned before, Saturdays are often dominated by club activities, which really leaves Sundays for family time. What with the fathers staying out very late every night (or most) drinking with co-workers and bosses, which really is an extension of work and is viewed as compulsory, and the kids being gone so much, the result is a fracturing of the family. Many people have said that they are concerned with the disintegration of the family and the losing of cultural values because they aren’t spending time with one another, and I can understand why.
Today we had a nice visit and fruitful exchange of dialogue with 5 women who all either have children in the school district, or who have had children in the district and now have grandchildren here. The one thing I walked away from this visit with was that the schools dominate the lives of the children more than do schools here in America. One parent actually said that the teacher becomes more the parent figure, and the parent is just a support. The students in Junior High in particular are in school until almost 5, then they go home to eat, then go back out the Cram school, if the parents can afford it or if the student needs it, to try and improve skills and gain more knowledge so as to achieve a high score on the high school entrance exam, and thus find their way into a more prestigious school. Cram school is usually in the evening from 7-10 or so, and then the student returns home, perhaps does homework, goes to bed, and does it all over again the next day. These kids are 14. Then, as I mentioned before, Saturdays are often dominated by club activities, which really leaves Sundays for family time. What with the fathers staying out very late every night (or most) drinking with co-workers and bosses, which really is an extension of work and is viewed as compulsory, and the kids being gone so much, the result is a fracturing of the family. Many people have said that they are concerned with the disintegration of the family and the losing of cultural values because they aren’t spending time with one another, and I can understand why.
After the meeting with the parents, we went to a very nice lunch reception attended by the Mayor, the Superintendent, other officials, and at least one member of our host families that we will be staying with this weekend. Here is a picture of the wife in my family.
The husband is a 33 year old Doctor, she was trained as a nurse, but is staying home with the kids right now, and they have a 5 year old girl and a 4 year old boy.
After this, we went on a 45 minute boat tour of the Port of Kashima, to see the industries, and then were allowed to tour one of the KAO plants.
They make chemicals and products such as toner ink for printers (1 out of every 3 pieces of paper printed on in the world has their toner on it), as well the super-absorbent and non-biodegradable stuff in diapers. They also make detergents or the ingredients for detergents like Tide. They own the company Jergens, so if you have any of those products, they are really Kao’s products. I would have taken pictures of the factory, but no photography was allowed.We completed the day with a visit to a futuristic looking observatory in Minato Park, which gave us a bird’s eye view of not only the Port we had just toured earlier, but also of the city itself.
Visit to Ibaraki University
June 16th
Ibaraki University
Ibaraki University
Today was one of the most interesting so far, because for the first time we were able to gather with Japanese students at the University level and engage in discussion about teaching practice, differences between US schools and Japanese schools, and discuss the state of affairs in the School of Education at the University level that trains the incoming teacher workforce.
At first we met with the President of Ibaraki University, who gave us an overview of the programs of study available. We were then privileged to be met by a group of professors who all work in the school of Education at Ibaraki University, though they came from disciplines as diverse as English, Biology and Social Science.
After listening to their overview of what Ibaraki University has to offer, we then had the opportunity to break off into 3 sub groups that then were each met by around 15 college students, studying both at the undergraduate and graduate level. In our group then, we broke it down even further and I was able to speak with these two girls, Rie (to my left) and Hakazuki (to my right). 
We wandered through all sorts of topics ranging from foreign language opportunities in High Schools (there are none, or rather only one: English), as well as behavior issues, suspensions, and why they wanted to be teachers (all of the students who came to us were in the School of Education and planned to be teachers some day).Of the professors sat in with us, and he wanted to know what strategies I use to pique interest in students who don’t want to be in class, or who hate my subject. So, after I explained some of the activities I do or approaches I use to get students involved, he said, “Oh, you are like an actor. You are very entertaining. I can tell you must be an excellent teacher.” This of course was a very nice compliment coming from one of the professors from the School of Education’s teacher training program. Earlier in the presentation by the Professors they noted that the education of teachers is moving in the direction of learning how to better inspire interest in students who lack motivation or desire to learn. They are trying to branch out from the traditional lecture based form of dissemination of information, absorption of information and regurgitation of information to a model that piggybacks on some of the creative ways in which teachers in America engage their students.
One significant difference between University teacher training programs in the US and Japan is the student teaching. Most US teacher programs require a semester of student teaching as well as an internship; in Japan, however, they only have two 2 week teaching practicum that they are required to do. The amount of academic credits they have to take are higher, but the time in the classroom is less.
Much like in our country, Japan is reforming its teacher education programs. For instance, it used to be that you would get your license and then you would keep it for the rest of your career. Now, they are moving to more of a system such as ours which requires teachers to reapply every 10 years, and in the meantime they must also take 30 credits of course work to qualify for licensure renewal. The teachers will have to do all of this at their own expense, or they will lose their jobs.
A few interesting notes for my colleagues out there: The average class size is around 40. club activities and sports are supervised by the teachers after school, but then they also have compulsory practice on Saturdays and sometimes on Sundays, which the supervising teacher must attend; the average teacher doesn’t leave school to go home at night until around 7 pm; the average teacher works very hard and has little time to spend with his or her own family if he or she has one.
Visiting the university, speaking with students, and learning about the perspectives on teacher training at the university level were are very interesting and feel very much like the kinds of things I expected to experience when applying for this trip.
After this visit, we had a very nice lunch at what appeared to be a French restaurant, and then we met with both the Mayor of Kamisu City and the Superintendent of schools for the city.
The city has 16 elementary schools, 8 Junior High Schools and 3 High Schools. There is a prescribed script for formal occasions such as this. There is a script and almost without fail the Japanese follow it. It goes like this: Your group is seated in the office of the official; the official and his people arrive, and you stand up; greetings are shared, and then you sit down. Then there isalways a master of ceremonies figure who does introductions and runs the meeting. Everyone stands up and then a meishi, or business card exchange forms, looking like a wedding reception line. After that, a representative from the group gives an introductory speech, followed by a speech made by the most important official in the room.
Then there is a gift exchange, a commemorative photo is taken, and then the discussion or meeting occurs. Although there have been slight deviations, every meeting we have had went something like this, but this particular script is what we followed with the Mayor and Superintendent. 
After our meeting, they took us outside to view what they call Kamisu pond. The kanji character for Kami, means god, and su means pond, so this is called the God pond, or pond of God. There is a bridge there called the bridge of Communication and Friendship, and it floats on the water on wood from redwood trees cut down near Eureka, CA, which is the sister-city of Kamisu-city. 
After this, we returned to the hotel, wandered around Mito, and wound up at a restaurant that was trying really hard to be American.Unexpected Shrine visit
Sunday, June 15th
So, this morning while I updated my blog and waited for our prefecture’s bus to come, I noticed many hotel employees wearing what they call “happy coats” and standing outside. In the picture below, all of the blue coats with the kanji writing on the back are these "happy coats."
There were individuals dressed like chefs, and where the parking lot used to be were tables donned with cloths, food, and large kegs of sake. 
So, our group went outside, and sure enough here comes a parade of people carrying a portable Shinto Shrine down the street towards the Hotel. They then stopped and chanted some words, in celebration of the trees and the earth, as the land there used to be farm land, though a 40 floor hotel stands there today. No doubt, the hotel donated a large sum to that particular shrine in order to warrant such a visit.
Regardless, it allowed me a unique opportunity to exercise my extraverted self, and get into the thick of things. So, if you are ever in Japan and want to get involved in a Shinto festival, here are a few rules to follow, a la Chuck Palahniuk.
Shinto festivals and how to get sucked into one:
The first rule of how to get sucked into a Shinto festival is that you have to be present at a Shinto parade with a portable shrine.
There were individuals dressed like chefs, and where the parking lot used to be were tables donned with cloths, food, and large kegs of sake. So, our group went outside, and sure enough here comes a parade of people carrying a portable Shinto Shrine down the street towards the Hotel. They then stopped and chanted some words, in celebration of the trees and the earth, as the land there used to be farm land, though a 40 floor hotel stands there today. No doubt, the hotel donated a large sum to that particular shrine in order to warrant such a visit.Regardless, it allowed me a unique opportunity to exercise my extraverted self, and get into the thick of things. So, if you are ever in Japan and want to get involved in a Shinto festival, here are a few rules to follow, a la Chuck Palahniuk.
Shinto festivals and how to get sucked into one:
The first rule of how to get sucked into a Shinto festival is that you have to be present at a Shinto parade with a portable shrine.
The second rule of how to get sucked into a Shinto festival is that you have to be present at a Shinto parade with a portable shrine.
The third rule is that you must have a camera out and be conspicuously taking pictures, often in close proximity to happy supplicants already over the legal limit.
The fourth rule is that when those volunteers who carried the shrine all rush over to the meal spread out in honor of their service, you must stand just on the outskirts, curious, taking pictures, making eye contact.
The fifth rule is to make calculated eye contact with a wise elderly man wearing a happy coat and perhaps a sumo diaper.
The sixth rule is to be inquisitive about the square vessels everyone is carrying around, filled with a liquid substance.
The seventh rule is to accept the vessel, filled to the brim, when the old man brings it to you saying “sake, sake, Japanese wine”
The eighth rule is to drink said beverage and all compulsory future fill-ups
The ninth rule is to accept the inagi brought to you, consisting of fish flakes and rice wrapped in seaweed.
Finally the tenth rule is to mingle about, uttering words of gratitude, bowing often, and engaging all those around you, who are now curiously looking at you, in conversation about their festival, their shrine, and the significance of their activities.
Bottoms up! Kampai!
After this enjoyable experience, we had to sit on a bus for two hours driving up to Mito, where we stayed rather uneventfully at a Holiday Inn and then the next day went to Ibaraki University to visit their School of Education, meet with the President of the University, and interact with both undergraduate and graduate students. It was very informative and a lot of fun. Like Depeche Mode said back in 1986, “People are people,” and no matter where you go in the world, there will always be differences, but you can always find laughter, smiles, and common ground.
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