Kawachi. Getting Serious inTsuruta - Ellington...
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By LISA KAWACHI Coordinator of International Relations (Editor’s note: Hood River native Lisa Kawachi is cur- rently about six months into her term as the Hood River- Tsuruta Sister City program’s Coordinator of International Relations. The job has existed for more than 20 years and places a Hood River resident in Tsuruta full-time to live and work among the towns- people. A big part of the job is teaching English to the town’s children.) I have now passed the six-month mark of my time here in Tsuruta, Japan, as the Coordi- nator for International Relations for the Hood River-Tsuruta sister city program. While living and working among the people of Tsuru- ta, my job is to facilitate and help foster the relations be- tween Hood River and Tsu- ruta. Along with that, one of my chief responsibilities is to teach English to the chil- dren of Tsuruta. I teach at six elementary schools and seven kindergartens in total, and the more I teach, the more I continue to be sur- prised with Japanese stu- dents and the methods in which the schools operate. There are of course signif- icant differences between our educational systems when it comes to subject matter, requirements and the like, but even just the day-to-day happenings take me by surprise. The children I teach range in age from 3 to 11. Japanese children are taught formalities and eti- quette that I’ve never seen in children at such a young age. They exude so much re- sponsibility and sense of re- spect. On a normal day, my Eng- lish classes officially begin with the student leader set- tling the class into place and addressing the teacher to announce that the class is ready to begin. The stu- dents’ desks are cleared and they sit in their chairs, feet together and hands kept neatly folded on top of their desks. If a student is un- ready for class or sitting in- appropriately, the lesson comes to a halt and everyone waits patiently in silence for that student to correct him- or herself. When I collect papers, they are straightened and presented to me with two hands and a courteous bow from the students. At the end of the lesson, they erase the blackboard for me and help me gather my coat, magnets, flashcards and anything else we have used. Sometimes as I’m rushing to cram all my materials in my bag, I have the distinct feel- ing they are looking at me with amazement at my dis- regard for order and neat- ness. I try not to let it faze me too much as I scurry on to my next class, papers and stickers trailing behind me. The order, neatness and cleanliness of things are very important to Japanese culture and students learn at very young age that they are ultimately the ones re- sponsible for the state of their classroom and school. A great example of this is the fact that elementary school students are required to clean the school daily. Stu- dents are each assigned sec- tions of the school and there is a special time allotted in the afternoon for cleaning. The students clean every- thing from the classroom backboards to the bathroom floors. There’s no squab- bling or attempt to get out of the cleanup; everyone sim- ply does the work they are expected to do. For the most part there is no school employee who has cleaning responsibilities. A custodian is in charge of maintenance issues and groundskeeping, but does not clean as part of his or her daily tasks. Another responsibility the students have is to serve their own lunch. Meals are made by the kitchen staff, but when it’s time for lunch, four or so students from each classroom report to the kitchen dressed in white kitchen uniforms to carry the food back to their class- rooms. Students do not eat in a cafeteria. No such room exists in a Japanese elemen- tary school. The students bring a pot of rice, other containers of food and dishware into their classroom and then evenly divide and serve lunch to their classmates. After everyone has finished, the class cleans up and returns the dishes back to the kitchen. One thing I really com- mend about the culture here is the relationships between the younger and older stu- dents. Japan puts high im- portance on fostering big brother/big sister relation- ships. These student elders are called “sempai” in Japanese. All the students within the school know one another and there is a clear sense of community within the school. The younger children (kouhai) show their respect to their senpai and in return the senpai look out for and provide guidance to the kouhai. The establishment of this relationship starts almost immediately as the first- graders begin their school careers. At the entrance cer- emony for elementary school, a representative from the sixth-grade class delivers a speech and offi- cially welcomes them to the school. First-graders also receive a special yellow case to cover their book bag and a yellow hat. These two items are meant to recognize the first-graders and to tell oth- ers that these children are young and just starting out, so please support them when you see them. This support that the stu- dents get from their peers is apparent everywhere. Wher- ever you look the ages of the groups of students are al- ways intermixed. Yes, the students are all divided by grade, but yet they are all there talking and playing to- gether and helping one an- other out. The differences between Japanese and American cul- tures become extremely ap- Wednesday, February 20, 2013 B1 Inside: B2, Maija Yasui on a poignant discovery ■ B3, Happenings ■ B6, Classifieds ■ B12, Neighbors in Tsuruta STRAIGHT LINES by well-behaved students in one of Tsuruta’s elemen- tary schools who (at right) bow out of respect to a speaker at a gradua- tio ceremony. Below, pic- tures show young stu- dents in daily school life, from visits to farms and Mayor Kenji Nakano’s office to physical educa- tion and English class with Hood River’s Lisa Kawachi. Submitted photos Host a Tsuruta exchange student Host families are needed for Tsuruta’s annual junior high school student visit to Hood River. The group will be in town March 15-23 and will experience a variety of activities, both as a group and individually with host families. Host families should have children in middle school, as ex- change students will attend school with host brothers/sisters for two days of their stay. Hosting is a great way to experi- ence another culture and make friends from across the world. Japanese language is not required. For more information or to become a host, contact Scott Murahashi at 541-806-0781. Serious A peek inside elementary school life in small-town Japan A brief Sister City history Hood River and Tsuruta recently celebrated the 35th an- niversary of their sister city relationship. In the time since the 1977 foundation, thousands of students and adults have traveled between the two small towns to learn about new cultures, make friends and and gain a better under- standing of different ways of life. The highly successfully program was founded by Mayor Kenji Nakano (who is still mayor of Tsuruta today) and the late Ray Yasui.When looking for a sister city, Nakano real- ized that Tsuruta and Hood River had a lot in common and would make for a good match. Like Hood River, Tsuruta is a small town in an apple-producing region, next to a river, on the north side of a volcanic peak (Mount Iwaki). ‘ My experience teaching children both in the U.S. and Japan has made me realize students, regardless of their nationality, share at least one thing in common: When it comes down to it, kids are kids. They play, they laugh, they act silly and they have fun no matter what they’re doing.’ LISA KAWACHI, Hood River-Tsuruta CIR Getting See TSURUTA, Page B10 in Tsuruta Serious Getting
Transcript of Kawachi. Getting Serious inTsuruta - Ellington...
By LISA KAWACHICoordinator of International Relations(Editor’s note: Hood River
native Lisa Kawachi is cur-rently about six months intoher term as the Hood River-Tsuruta Sister City program’sCoordinator of InternationalRelations. The job has existedfor more than 20 years andplaces a Hood River residentin Tsuruta full-time to liveand work among the towns-people. A big part of the job isteaching English to the town’schildren.)
Ihave now passed thesix-month mark of mytime here in Tsuruta,Japan, as the Coordi-nator for International
Relations for the HoodRiver-Tsuruta sister cityprogram.While living and working
among the people of Tsuru-ta, my job is to facilitate andhelp foster the relations be-tween Hood River and Tsu-ruta. Along with that, one ofmy chief responsibilities isto teach English to the chil-dren of Tsuruta. I teach at
six elementary schools andseven kindergartens in total,and the more I teach, themore I continue to be sur-prised with Japanese stu-dents and the methods inwhich the schools operate.There are of course signif-
icant differences betweenour educational systemswhen it comes to subjectmatter, requirements andthe like, but even just theday-to-day happenings takeme by surprise.The children I teach range
in age from 3 to 11.Japanese children are
taught formalities and eti-quette that I’ve never seenin children at such a youngage. They exude so much re-sponsibility and sense of re-spect.On a normal day, my Eng-
lish classes officially beginwith the student leader set-tling the class into place andaddressing the teacher toannounce that the class isready to begin. The stu-dents’ desks are cleared andthey sit in their chairs, feettogether and hands kept
neatly folded on top of theirdesks. If a student is un-ready for class or sitting in-appropriately, the lessoncomes to a halt and everyonewaits patiently in silence forthat student to correct him-or herself.When I collect papers,
they are straightened andpresented to me with twohands and a courteous bowfrom the students. At theend of the lesson, they erasethe blackboard for me andhelp me gather my coat,magnets, flashcards andanything else we have used.
Sometimes as I’m rushing tocram all my materials in mybag, I have the distinct feel-ing they are looking at mewith amazement at my dis-regard for order and neat-ness. I try not to let it fazeme too much as I scurry onto my next class, papers andstickers trailing behind me.The order, neatness and
cleanliness of things arevery important to Japaneseculture and students learnat very young age that theyare ultimately the ones re-sponsible for the state oftheir classroom and school.
A great example of this isthe fact that elementaryschool students are requiredto clean the school daily. Stu-dents are each assigned sec-tions of the school and thereis a special time allotted inthe afternoon for cleaning.The students clean every-
thing from the classroombackboards to the bathroomfloors. There’s no squab-bling or attempt to get out ofthe cleanup; everyone sim-ply does the work they areexpected to do.
For the most part there isno school employee who hascleaning responsibilities. Acustodian is in charge ofmaintenance issues andgroundskeeping, but doesnot clean as part of his orher daily tasks.Another responsibility
the students have is to servetheir own lunch. Meals aremade by the kitchen staff,but when it’s time for lunch,four or so students fromeach classroom report to thekitchen dressed in whitekitchen uniforms to carrythe food back to their class-
rooms. Students do not eatin a cafeteria. No such roomexists in a Japanese elemen-tary school.The students bring a pot
of rice, other containers offood and dishware into theirclassroom and then evenlydivide and serve lunch totheir classmates. Aftereveryone has finished, theclass cleans up and returnsthe dishes back to thekitchen.One thing I really com-
mend about the culture hereis the relationships betweenthe younger and older stu-
dents. Japan puts high im-portance on fostering bigbrother/big sister relation-ships. These student eldersare called “sempai” inJapanese. All the studentswithin the school know oneanother and there is a clearsense of community withinthe school. The youngerchildren (kouhai) showtheir respect to their senpaiand in return the senpailook out for and provideguidance to the kouhai.The establishment of this
relationship starts almostimmediately as the first-graders begin their schoolcareers. At the entrance cer-emony for elementaryschool, a representativefrom the sixth-grade classdelivers a speech and offi-cially welcomes them to theschool.First-graders also receive
a special yellow case tocover their book bag and ayellow hat. These two itemsare meant to recognize thefirst-graders and to tell oth-ers that these children areyoung and just starting out,
so please support themwhen you see them.This support that the stu-
dents get from their peers isapparent everywhere. Wher-ever you look the ages of thegroups of students are al-ways intermixed. Yes, thestudents are all divided bygrade, but yet they are allthere talking and playing to-gether and helping one an-other out.The differences between
Japanese and American cul-tures become extremely ap-
Wednesday, February 20, 2013 B1
Inside: B2, Maija Yasui on a poignant discovery � B3, Happenings � B6, Classifieds � B12, Neighbors
in Tsuruta
STRAIGHT LINES bywell-behaved students inone of Tsuruta’s elemen-tary schools who (atright) bow out of respectto a speaker at a gradua-tio ceremony. Below, pic-tures show young stu-dents in daily school life,from visits to farms andMayor Kenji Nakano’soffice to physical educa-tion and English classwith Hood River’s LisaKawachi.
Submitted photos
Host a Tsuruta exchange student
Host families are needed for Tsuruta’s annual junior highschool student visit to Hood River. The group will be in townMarch 15-23 and will experience a variety of activities, bothas a group and individually with host families.Host families should have children in middle school, as ex-
change students will attend school with host brothers/sistersfor two days of their stay. Hosting is a great way to experi-ence another culture and make friends from across the world.Japanese language is not required. For more information or tobecome a host, contact Scott Murahashi at 541-806-0781.
SeriousA peek inside elementary school life in small-town Japan
A brief Sister City history
Hood River and Tsuruta recently celebrated the 35th an-niversary of their sister city relationship. In the time sincethe 1977 foundation, thousands of students and adults
have traveled between the two small towns to learn aboutnew cultures, make friends and and gain a better under-
standing of different ways of life.The highly successfully program was founded by MayorKenji Nakano (who is still mayor of Tsuruta today) and thelate Ray Yasui. When looking for a sister city, Nakano real-ized that Tsuruta and Hood River had a lot in common andwould make for a good match. Like Hood River, Tsuruta isa small town in an apple-producing region, next to a river,
on the north side of a volcanic peak (Mount Iwaki).
‘My experience teaching children both in theU.S. and Japan has made me realize students,regardless of their nationality, share at least onething in common: When itcomes down to it, kids arekids. They play, they laugh,
they act silly and they have funno matter what they’re doing.’
LISA KAWACHI,Hood River-Tsuruta CIR
Getting
See TSURUTA, Page B10
in TsurutaSeriousGetting
parent at school cere-monies. There are two sig-nificant events in elemen-tary school life. The first isthe entrance ceremony forthe new first-graders andthe second is the graduationceremony for the sixth-graders. These ceremoniesare of course a time of cele-bration, but they are quitedifferent from what Ameri-cans are accustomed to.As speeches are given,
there is an sense of staunch-ness and rigidity to the cere-mony. It is a joyous event,but you would be hard-pressed to find anyone smil-ing or looking overjoyed.There are strict rules of con-duct that the students mustabide by and no one straysfrom these norms.There are a great number
of speeches given at theseceremonies. The mayor of
Tsuruta and the parentteacher association presi-dent are among the honoredguests who are invited to de-liver speeches and words ofencouragement to the stu-dents. The students stand orsit in straight lines withtheir hands at their sides orresting on their laps. Theirfeet and knees are togetherand everyone looks ahead at-tentively without any idlechit-chat or whispering.It amazes me that there is
no movement from thegroup. They stand or sit mo-tionless for such a long time.There is no fidgeting and nosmiling. Everyone acts ap-propriately. This behavior iswhat I would expect to see ata military service commen-
dation or something of thatnature, not at an elementaryschool celebration ceremony.Despite the formalities
and rules, I have never beenaround a more friendly cul-ture. I get to sing, dance,play, and share my culturewith students every day.They shower me with hand-made crafts and drawingsand are constantly trying toadd Japanese vocabulary tomy repertoire.My experience teaching
children both in the UnitedStates and Japan has mademe realize students, regard-less of their nationality,share at least one thing incommon: When it comesdown to it, kids are kids.They play, they laugh, theyact silly and they have fun,no matter what they’redoing. When the time comesto have fun, Japanese chil-dren can definitely let looseregardless of their struc-tured environment.In Japan, though, there is
definitely a time and placefor such.
TSURUTAContinued from Page B1
‘Despite the formali-ties and rules, I havenever been around a
more friendly culture.’
LISA KAWACHI
NEIGHBORSB10 Hood River News, Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Photo by Andy Taylor
TWINS TURN 87Charles Bovee and his wife Edie of Sitka,Alaska arrived Feb. 8in Hood River to celebrate two birthdays – his and his sister’s.Charles “Chuck” is twins with local Hood Riverite Mel Taylor.Chuck and Mel celebrated their 87th birthday on Sunday, Feb.10 at Down Manor with their spouses (Edie and Cliff) andmost of the Taylor family and some close friends. Cliff, Mel,Chuck and Edie celebrate together at Down Manor.If you missed the “Cata-
clysms On the Columbia”presentation at SpringhouseCellear Winery on Feb. 19,here’s one more chance.One of the greatest geolog-
ical events to ever have oc-curred in North America
was given the name the Mis-soula Floods. Join the HoodRiver Watershed Group onFeb. 26 at Columbia GorgeCommunity College to learnabout one of the great forcesthat shaped the landscape ofthe Gorge, as well as the in-
credible story of J. HarlenBretz and his discovery ofthe floods.Lecturers Scott Burns and
Marjorie Burns, both profes-sors at Portland State Uni-versity, have recently rewrit-ten a book, “Cataclysms on
the Columbia: The GreatMissoula Floods.” Doors willopen at 6 p.m. and the lecturebegins at 6:30 p.m. Suggesteddonation is $5. For more in-formation call 541-386-6063 orvisit hoodriverswcd.org.
The Dalles Art Center hasannounced the 2013 awardsfor the Annual Mid Colum-bia Middle and High Schoolopen juried show.Retired art instructors
Doug Leash and Chuck Ko-rnegay were the judges thisyear. There were a total of149 high school entries andeight middle school entries.Hood River Valley High
School students won 16 of 21awards.Ernie’s Locks and Keys,
Kiwanis and Bill Noonan arethe sponsors of the cashawards that will be handedout at the reception heldMarch 2, from 3-4 p.m. TheDalles Art Center is locatedat 220 E. Fourth St.Here are the second and
third-place winners fromHood River Valley HighSchool:
Portraits: second place,“Sandals,” pencil by KayleeAsai; third place, “Beauty,”charcoal by Ahnauna An-
drews.Other Medium: first
place, “Be-You-Tiful,” collageby Avery Holyoak; secondplace, “Marlin,” oil pastel byShaelyn Francis; third place,“Octelephant,” colored pen-cil by Gannon Olmstead
3-D: second place, “Mer-maid Fishtail,” clay by Bren-da Ortiz
Honorable MentionHRVHS winners: “Christ-
mas Veggies,” digital photog-raphy, by Jen Mikkelson; “To
War,” digital photography, byJade James; “The EiffelTower-Collage,” collage byChristina Garcia; “SameLove,” Prismacolor pencilsand paint, by Natalie Wright;“Sea Flower,” mid-range clayand glaze, by Alisha Bales;“Tranquil,” clay, by JessicaWagar; “Abstract WinterSquash,” clay and iron oxide,by Sierra Johnson.For details call the art cen-
ter at 541-296-4759 or visitthedallesartcenter.org
‘Cataclysms’ lecture will repeats on Feb. 26
Mid-Columbia students honored for artwork“Forsaken”— photography first-place winner by Zoe Peterson. “Lee Min Ho”— portrait winner, pencil by Aely Sarai Gama Diaz.
Soroptimist of Hood Riveris hoping to hear from someof the dozens of women whohave received its Women’sOpportunity Award in thepast 15-20 years.“We know the women who
have won these awards aresome of the busiest peoplearound, working, going toschool and raising their fam-ilies, but we’d really love toconnect briefly just to knowhow and what they aredoing,” says Women’s Oppor-tunity Award CommitteeChair Kate Dougherty.Three awards are given an-
nually to women financialheads of household who
have chosen to get moretraining and education inorder to better their families’future.The cash awards of $500 to
$1,000 each can be used foranything the recipient needsto make it a little easier toget her education, such aschild care, gas, car repairs,food or books.“We also want to invite
them to help us honor thisyear’s three recipients at aSoroptimist event on March6,” said Dougherty.Former recipients are
asked to contact her at 541-386-3850 or [email protected].
Soroptimist seeks past‘Opportunity’ awardees
The Gorge Technology Al-liance invites the communi-ty to a Feb. 26 gathering for adiscussion on higher educa-tional initiatives to supportscience, technology, engi-neering and math (STEM)opportunities in the Gorge.Networking starts at 6:30
p.m. at the White Buffalo,4040 Westcliff Dr., HoodRiver.Cost is $10 for non-GTA
members; appetizers are pro-
vided.Oregon State University
Open Campus CoordinatorsDani Annala (Hood RiverCounty) and Lynette Black(Wasco County) will join Co-lumbia Gorge CommunityCollege faculty Dr. Kevin Mc-Cabe to discuss their initia-tives.OSU is working on estab-
lishing an Open Campus inour region to further developthe universities’ resources
available in our community,especially those with aSTEM focus.CGCC is looking to create
a two-year engineering certi-fication that will support theregion’s businesses at manylevels. The presenters hopeto engage in a conversationwith the community aboutthis process, the needs in ourregion, and business work-force requirements to ensurethat their efforts prepare our
residents for jobs availablehere.The Gorge Technology Al-
liance supports, connectsand develops the technologycommunity of the ColumbiaRiver Gorge. It meets eachmonth with networking andeducational opportunities.For questions about theGTA, contact Executive Di-rector Jessica Metta at 541-296-2266 or [email protected].
GTA looks at Gorge technology education
HoodRiverNews.com
