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NLR Teacher in the Land of the Rising Sun |
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Written by Shelly Jones
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Saturday, 09 August 2008 |
 Kon nichi wa (hello), my name is Shelly Jones. I am a science teacher at Lakewood Middle School here in North Little Rock. I was privileged enough to visit Japan this summer for three weeks through the Japan Fulbright Memorial Teacher Program. This program is completely funded by the Japanese government to encourage a better understanding of its culture, education, and government system. They believe that through my visit, along with the other 159 educators that were selected to travel there, we would be able to share our unique experiences with our communities, families, and most importantly our students,
so that they could then understand Japanese life a little better. It is
important for us as educators to help prepare our students to be global learners.
The more we understand about each other’s lives the more we can begin to appreciate
our differences and soon realize that we truly do have more in common than we
ever imagined.
If you want to continue click on the Read More link
 This thought
became very clear to me when I visited Chubu Nishi
Elementary school in
Yokkaichi Mie, my host city. The principal, Mrs. Suzuki, greeted the students
with open arms and a lot of love at the front door just as I have seen many
principals here in NLR do. The young students were excited to see American
visitors and they all greeted us with a bow and a friendly “ohayogozaimasu”
(good morning). They were full of energy and laughter as they quickly moved
into the building. They transferred through their routine with order and
purpose. There were so many highlights during my visit at this school that it
is difficult to pick one, but I would say that eating lunch with a group of 40
second graders would be it. For starters, they were staring at me with intrigue
because I have blonde hair and I was sitting in a sea of black hair. Then they
were amazed that I could eat with chopsticks. They commented “Sensei Jones, you
can eat very well with chopsticks!!!” then they all applauded for me and
giggled (with their mouths full of course). At the end of the day the most
amazing thing occurred. The bell chimed and the students erupted into organized
chaos. They all grabbed a broom, rag, mop, or some other cleaning tool and
began to clean their building. I was stunned to say the least. They worked like
a team of ants and before long the place was spotless and back in order for the
next day. Only after that was completed, did they go outside for clubs or other
activities.
 I also visited a
Jr. High and a Vocational Sr. High; I found this routine to be
consistent
through out each building (except for the hugs by the principal of
course.J) I did discover that in Japan the teacher to student ratio
can be as high as 40 to 1. They understand this to be a problem, but
just like
here it always comes down to money. Even though the class size is large
the
teachers and students exercise cooperation and respect for each other.
I
believe this mutual attitude allows for manageable learning to occur.
I chose to visit Mt. Fuji on my one day off
from the busy routine. I wanted to be able to tell my students that I had stood
on the dormant volcano and looked down all over Japan. It was a sight worth seeing
a thousand times over again. The elevation is 12,388 ft above sea level and it
is nearly a perfectly shaped cone volcano.
Finally, I stayed
with a host family for one full day. She and I are the same age and we both
have two children of our own. She teaches Japanese to foreigners that have come
to live there. So, you can see that we have a lot in common. That day we
traveled by bicycles to the market to purchase some eel and other local foods
so that she could teach me how to cook some Japanese cuisine. We had prepared a
feast that evening, and as I sat down to eat I kept hearing my own mother’s
words ringing in my ears “you’ll never know if you like it…. unless you try
it”. So, I ventured out with my taste
buds! Even though it was different or
even a little weird I loved it. I plan to share this food experience with some
of my students as well this year.  Through
our conversations at dinner, and the next morning I discovered that she and I
have the same concerns for our kids and our own lives. We worked hard to
understand each others language differences, but it wasn’t hard to interpret
our laughter or tears as I said goodbye the next day. What a way to learn a
culture quickly…..immerse yourself in their life for a day and you will
discover more than you could ever read in a book. I’ll never forget all that I have learned
through this exceptional experience in the beautiful country of Japan.
I could go on and
on about my trip there, so if you want to learn more you will have to come to
my class this year!! I have a lot of things planned to share with my students
in hopes that it will encourage them to be more open to discovering different
cultures that are right here in NLR as well as far away. We all inhabit the
same earth. When we learn to agree to
disagree because we do not all think or believe the same things then we can
begin to move toward a more peaceful world.
I have included some pictures of
Japanese culture and beauty for you to enjoy.
Sayonara (goodbye)
Shelly Jones NBCT
Lakewood
Middle School
 
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 09 August 2008 )
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August 09, 2008