From The Golden Pavilion to Ryoanji Temple and the Flea Market

 Though it was raining slightly, we could first go to the Golden Pavilion by the city bus and enjoy how shiny it was. We walked to Ryoanji Temple from the Golden Pavilion to enjoy its famous rock garden. 

After visiting Ryoanji Temple, we had a lunch break at one of the cafeterias of Rotsumeikan University where Shingo was graduated from.

After lunch, we chose to walk to Hirano Shrine and Kitano Tenmangu Shrine where its monthly flea market.

Japanese Teaching Workshops in Chicago!

After unexpected two-day Blizzard off, this coming Saturday and Sunday have workshops for Japanese education. Two worshops will be held at Japan Information Center (attached to Consulate General of Japan in Chicago). Saturday one is for K-16 Japanese teachers in the area (mostly IL, IN, WI, IA) and Sunday one is for teaching Japanese as a Heritage language. Teaching Japanese, to second-generation Japanese-Ameican kids as well as to those who has a Japanese-speaking parent, has a different meaning for them so we have to focus some effective methods. Oh, well writing about this will need 20-page paper so I should just prepare two workshops. Good thing is that I am just a organizer and the facilitating specialist will come from California! I hope flight from Los Angeles would arrive on time and have a welcoming dinner here!

Japan Fest at OPRFHS!

Annual Japan Festival was held at Oak Park & River Forest High School on Saturday and GTS with his entire family was joined by several COD students and their family! GTS daughter, EMA at the age of 4 was always tuned into Japanese Taiko Drum Performance which also attracted another daughter Rina at the age of 10-months! Ema had a pink care bear face painting and also concentrate in the Aikido demonstration! OPRFHS has been offering nice Japanese language program for years and GTS has been attending its festival over the past few years as well. There are a student who graduated from OPRFHS and currently entertaining GTS 1102 class! 2202 test is coming up this Thursday and Spring Field Trip to Japan is also just around the corner!

GTS voice goes into National Japanese Exam for high schoolers!

GTS often works as a voice actor for Japanese male voice making and dubbing. This tme GTS's voice has been used for National Japanese Exam ready for high school Japanese learners. Not completely recovered from Jet lag but the recording was well done and many high schoolers in the U.S. will hear GTS voice during the exam. Sounds fun, right? January is soon ended so the JCC/GTS dinner is coming up on Friday this week (1/29)! New Year and GTS birthday greeting at the same time!

Japanese class for parents at the Dooley School began!

The Dooley Eelementary School (K-8) in Schaumburg, IL has dual language program (12 Japanese native speakers and 12 English native speakers in one class are learning everything in both Japanese and English). This is the only program at the public school in the United States available. GTS began teaching Japanese language and culture to parents so that they can learn Japanese together with their kids and help homework, etc. The class is basically on every Friday night (5:30~7:00pm). Well the first class went well and I am sure everyone could enjoy GTS! Due to this class, GTS/JCC dinner will begin at 7:00! Next dinner will be on Oct. 2!!
By the way, the Application for Summer Study Abroad program began coming in!

Annual Japan Fest at OPRFHS!

The annual Japan festival was held at Oak Park & River Forest High School. Students in Japanese class there are really involved with its preparation and teachers and community members are also put utmost effort in it. Ema enjoyed two Taiko/Drum performances and Japanese traditional dance. She got her Doraemon face painting while doing brush calligraphy writing of Kanji (Kawa or 川). There are many other booths: California role booth, Yakisoba booth, Japanese snack booth, Origami booth, Nintendo booth, etc. From GTS classes, a few from 1102 and 2202 showed up with their friends and parents. I hope some will make it next year!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Japan imported the idea of 'Valentine's Day' long time ago as a day for woman to be able to confess her feeling for the particular man in 'male-oriented/initiated' traditional society.' Then it became almost the day for woman giving 'chocolate' to every man who is somehow supportive or supposedly-supportive besides the real man in her mind. The survey of this year shows that over 70% of men are thinking of gift giving for this day from man to woman. Change seemed to come! Well, I did conduct the workshop for all Japanese language teachers of the Chicago Public Schools on Friday the 13th! Next week is the week of JET interview at the consulate. Good luck on your interview if you are a candidate! 1102 is wrapping up Chapter 8 and ready for the test. 2202 is as we modified the way of testing having usual rather big quiz again every class and moving into Lesson 3. WCC 102 is finally getting into Chapter 7. Spring break Japan trip is going to be a small-sized (11 people) this time reflecting the worsening economy. Summer Study Abroad is still accepting applications!

Workshop after Workshop, Test after Test!

Illinois Association of Teachers of Japanese had its Annual Fall Workshop at Elk Grove High School where some 20 teachers gathered. Teachers were mostly from Chicagoland area but teachers showed up from South Bend in Indiana and Urbana as well. GTS mainly talked about what is gong on about K-16 Japanese education in our area but also assisted the presentation about new development of AP Japanese test for high schoolers. In the officer election (which will be held every two years), GTS was elected as a President (though GTS rather wanted to work behind the curtain!! and did insist that way). Vice-President is from Walter Payton Magnet HS in Chicago CPS, Secretary is from Streamwood HS, and Treasurer is from Andrew Jackson Language Academy in Chicago CPS. GTS likes to be "KUROMAKU (黒幕)" as most GTS lovely students know but GTS can be front in local while being Kuromaku in national level. Ahhh, global classroom (JAPAN 1100) paper from Hiroshima came in, so I have to put them into English by Thursday(10/16). Huh? 2201 Test and Waubonsee Chinese 101 Test is on Monday(10/13) and 1101 Test is on Wednesday (10/15). Ooops! I almost forgot. I am one of organizers of Annual Professional Conference for ICTFL (organization for all foreign language teachers of our state) beginning on Thursday (10/16) through Saturday (10/18). Free time? What, in the world, are you talking about?
Hey! I love MY JOB and MY STUDENTS and MY COLLEAGUES. Just in case you wonder GTS family contribution, I would say Japanese people should never talk about it. GTS is now telling you that a little EMA's sister/brother is coming in May 2009! So GTS will be bankrupted and 'energy-rupted' Life Goes On. mmmmmm.

K-12 Japanese Education

Japanese has been taught in K-12 (Kindergarten through 12th grade) public schools for about 30 years in Chicagoland area. Learning Japanese in K-12 schools and in colleges and universities are fundamentally different. . In college-level teaching, we are more or less assisting students in acquiring an extra skill, namely, the ability to communicate in Japanese. In K-12 school settings, on the other hand, what we teach and how we teach it will directly affect the children’s character formation have an impact on how they view themselves as members of society.
K-12 Japanese language teachers, therefore, must become familiar with the cultural and socio-educational environment of children in the U.S. If there is any short-cut to becoming a knowledgeable, effective K-12 teacher, it would be to take courses in teacher education in the U.S.