| My Japanese Experience: |
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Why Japan? |
As a first year teacher in 2002, I applied for a grant: The Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program (FMF) in Japan. The program, which is funded by the Japanese government, invites a select 600 American teachers a year to travel to Japan on a three-week study visit. The FMF program was created in 1996 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Fulbright International Program that was formed after World War II to improve relations between Japan and the United States. The FMF teacher program was created to reciprocate the hospitality that Americans have shown Japanese students who have studied in America on the Fulbright program.
I was thrilled when I received the wonderful news that I had been selected for this amazing program. Columbia County and Greenbrier were wonderfully supportive as I prepared for this once in a lifetime opportunity.
My journey began on November 16, 2003 in San Francisco for the pre-departure orientation. It was there that I met the other 200 teachers from across the United States. On November 17, 2003 I departed for Tokyo where I spent five wonderful days meeting, observing and interacting with Japanese students and teachers. I also had a chance to see art museums, galleries and studios around Tokyo. My focus of interest was the ancient art of Japanese Printmaking, so I took advantage of every opportunity to see the amazing artwork of ancient and modern Japanese printmakers.
After Tokyo, I departed for Tenri in Nara, a prefecture (like a state) of Japan. In Tenri, a rural area in central-eastern Japan, I spent 10 days getting to know the natives, seeing the local industry, and visiting schools and classrooms. I also participated in a home stay, where I was hosted by a Japanese family in their home for a few nights. Then, I returned to Tokyo for another few days. Along with the other 200 teachers in the FMF program, we shared all of our different experiences in the areas of Japan that we visited and decided how our experiences would impact our teaching when we returned to our classrooms.
I returned to the United States on December 5 with a better understanding of Japanese education and a new perspective on my own teaching practices. I shared my experience with my students and faculty at Greenbrier as well as the other art teachers across Columbia County.
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