| What an incredible year this has
been! From the time of my acceptance notification in December 2003
there has been a flurry of activity on my part: • attempting to learn Japanese • the March 2004 meeting of all the American and Japanese partners in Washington, D.C. • preparing for and hosting my Japanese partner educators in Ann Arbor • finishing the school year a few days early, while getting ready for a six week stay in Japan • the long flight via San Francisco to Tokyo, the bright lights and exitement of the largest city in the world • the reunion with Hashishita in Tokyo and the bullet train ride to Hatsukaichi • the four sweltering but extraordinary weeks at Ajinadai Nishi Elementary School • travel on the weekends to Miyajima, Hiroshima, Hagi, Kyoto, Osaka, and Ann Arbor's sister city of Hikone • saying goodbye to all the fellow American educators • the science and cultural projects that we were able to share via the internet with monthly video conferences • Japanese lessons for my students live from Tokyo. It has been amazing! My growth as an educator has been greatly enriched by these experiences. I appreciate the politeness, generosity, and sense of humor demonstrated by the Japanese people I have met. I also have a much better understanding of how powerful culture is as a factor in human behavior. I will always appreciate the professional partnership and friendship with my FMFMTP colleagues from Hatsukaichi, Rika Maejima, Noboru Hashishita, and Kazunobu Sako. I hope that I can continue communicating with these excellent educators. I admire the dedication demonstrated by all of the Japanese educators I have met and observed, in how seriously they treat the challenge of teaching young students. They also display a genuine warmth and a sense of play with children. It has been an honor to have the opportunity to interact and learn with so many excellent teachers and administrators. The joint science projects have lead me to develop relationships with native plant experts and community organizers from The University of Michigan and the Ann Arbor community. I will maintain this relationship as I develop plans for greater participation by Allen students in environmental projects at school and in nearby parks. I will also continue my association with The Japan Student Association at the University and will offer my assistance and support with the annual Japan Cultural Festival. I look forward to many years of providing support for the sister city exchange between Ann Arbor and Hikone, especially the annual junior high exchange of students. I will be involved with the local chapter of Friends of The Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund that is now being organized in Michigan. For my students there is a curiosity and interest in Japan that has been encouraged by my experiences and enthusiasm. They have had the experience of sharing the study of bugs and native plants with elementary students on the other side of the world. With Yahoo Messenger they have had the very exciting experience of talking with and seeing children in real time, even thought it was evening in Ann Arbor and the morning of the next day in Hatsukaichi. Thanks to the Japanese language lessons provided by teachers Hara and Morizuka students greet each other in Japanese and are interested in learning more words and phrases. They pay attention to current events and are aware and motivated when Japan is mentioned in the news. Students at Allen Elementary have an appreciation for Japanese culture that will carry over into a curiosity and awareness of different cultures throughout the world. They will take this with them as they grow older and develop a global outlook rather than just a national or regional view. I am very appreciative of the wonderful work of The Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund staff. Their support is outstanding. The Allen School staff especially thanks the Memorial Fund for the research allowance the provided excellent equipment and materials that will be utilized for student learning for many years. I thank the JFMF staff for allowing me to be a part of this extraordinary cultural and educational exchange. |