Wednesday, October 9, 2002
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Wednesday, October 9, 2002 |
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North Fayette teacher headed to Japan When the opportunity knocked, Chrishirella Warthen of North Fayette Elementary answered and now she is among a select group of educators nationwide who will travel to Japan to learn more about the country's culture and customs. In October, Warthen, who teaches fourth- and fifth-grade reading, will depart for Tokyo as a participant in the Fulbright Memorial Fund (FMF) Teacher program. She was selected from a national pool of over 2,100 applicants by a panel of educators to earn this honor. The FMF program allows distinguished primary and secondary school teachers in the United States to travel to Japan for three weeks in an effort to promote greater intercultural understanding between the two nations. Only 600 teachers nationally are selected to participate in the program each year. "This is not just a recognition for me, it's also for the school, community and county," said Warthen. "When we have an understanding of culture, we contribute to universal harmony. This experience will make me a well-rounded educator." In preparation for Warthen's trip, she and her students have been studying the Japanese language and learning basic words and phrases. Each day they tackle a different word such as "konnichiwa" (hello) or "domo arigato" (thank you). They have also created a bulletin board in the classroom devoted to news and general information about Japan. "I'm especially excited about this trip because the students are really buying into it. It thrills me that they are so enthusiastic and motivated to learn more about the culture," said Warthen. And learn they will. After Warthen returns from her trip, she has a year's worth of lesson plans geared toward expanding her students' knowledge of the Japanese culture. During the course of the year, each student will create a giant storybook outlining the top 10 things they learned about Japan as well as create a Haiku poetry book. Warthen has also arranged for students to create Japanese masks and origami figures in art class as well as hear guest lecturers from the Japanese Consultant during social studies. In addition, for the school's community day, she is planning to give the North Fayette community a taste of Japanese culture by arranging for someone to write participant's names in Japanese characters. "The experiences that I gain from this trip will not only be incorporated into my lessons this year but from now on just like I incorporate other cultures," explained Warthen. Warthen and the other FMF participants will begin their visit in Tokyo where they will receive a practical orientation on Japanese life and culture and meet with Japanese government officials and educators. They then will travel in groups of 20 to states outside of Tokyo where they will have direct contact with Japanese teachers and students during visits to primary and secondary schools as well as a teachers college. They also will visit cultural sites and local industries in addition to a home stay with a Japanese family. The FMF program is sponsored by the Government of Japan and was launched to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the United States government Fulbright Program that has enabled more than 6,000 Japanese citizens to study in the United States on Fulbright fellowships for graduate education and research.
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