Learning for Teachers, First Hand

In March of 2007 I received a powder blue envelope in the mail. I had awaited it's arrival for nearly four months with both great anticipation and great dread. I had applied for a Japan Memorial Fulbright Fund for teachers scholarship in December 2006. As time went by, I realized how important this trip really was to me.

Beginning in January of 2008 I would begin teaching a semester course about Japan. How could I do it and do it well if I had never been immersed in the culture myself? This question became a dead weight. I needed JFMF to accept my proposal.

So, there you have it. I sat with the powder blue envelope in my hands a year ago this month, unable to open it ( It was so THIN, it had to be a rejection! ). Of course, I opened the envelope eventually and read and re-read the words, "Congratulations for being selected....."

I left for Japan on June 5, 2007 and experienced three weeks of the most amazing life lessons of a different culture, one that I had always admired from afar, and the most life changing views that have yet come my way.

This year of teaching has been a very happy and fulfilling experience for me, and I trust for my students, thanks to the opportunity I was given through JFMF. We are currently studying, creating and discussing all that we possibly can about the people, arts and culture of the Japanese.

This BLOG is dedicated to sharing those teaching experiences. For any teacher interested in being a part of Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund for teachers in the future, I encourage you with all of my heart to do so. I hope you will contact me with questions or comments about the JFMF though my Blog, perhaps I will be able to help in some way. If you are interested in lesson plans
for projects that you find on my webpage, I will be happy to share and to network with you.

This BLOG is also designed for my students to use this summer as I tour and experience Korea and it's culture. Because of the experience in Japan last summer, I applied through the Korea Society for a similar teacher travel experience. I am very fortunate to have received this award as well. I will leave for Seoul, Korea in June and return in early July.

My daily entries will be found here for my students to read and to reply to. I will hope for lots of inquiries from my classes! This will be our virtual classroom throughout the trip. I will be posting pictures and writing about the many things I learn about in Korea.