Teacher says trip to Japan broadened her mind

Green Valley's Jane E. Bell participated in three-week exchange program

Green Valley High School teacher Jane E. Bell compares years of required schooling between Japan, the United States and Mexico in class on Nov. 9. She recently spent three weeks in Japan.STEVE ANDRASCIK/VIEW Advertisement

Jane E. Bell still felt the jet lag from her trip to Japan as she showed a class of English Language Learners at Green Valley High School a slideshow of her experience.

As a participant of the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program, Bell was doing exactly what the teacher program was designed for. The Japan program was started on the 50th anniversary of the Fulbright Program, which was initiated by the United States in 1946 to foster mutual understanding through exchanges of university students, faculty and researchers.

The program is fully funded by the Japanese government and administered by the Japan-United States Educational Commission. The Institute of International Education is the contracting agency that coordinates arrangements.

"It's an incredibly valuable opportunity for the teachers to get an in-depth experience with another country," said Susan Gundersen, senior program officer with the Institute of International Education.

Bell said the three weeks she spent in Japan were busy.

"Every day from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. was scheduled," she said.

The group of about 100 educators was split into groups and traveled around the country. Bell's group visited Tokyo and Shimada, where members went to schools and spoke with mayors and school board officials.

"It's very different than it is here," Bell said. "The students are more advanced. But kids are kids. They have bullying at the schools."

Bell said Japanese students are taught in a group atmosphere, which can create a problem with children taking leadership roles. She said American students are a lot more individual.

Overall, Bell said the classes were very traditional.

"I thought there was going to be a computer attached to every post, but it was pencil-and-paper learning," she said.

One thing Bell said she learned was that it was not customary for children to ask questions.

"That's good for me to know because I work with kids from all over."

Bell, who is originally from Russia, was an ELL teacher before becoming a facilitator with the Clark County School District. She works at Green Valley High School and Thurman White Middle School and said learning English is only part of what these students are dealing with.

"It's not just the subject they have to learn in another language," she said. "It's also the culture. The system is different. Everything is different."

The Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program accepts two educators per state. Participants can be teachers or administrators. Bell said educators don't have to work with students speaking English as a second language to benefit from the program. Her group had everyone from a superintendent to a physical education teacher, she said.

"It broadens your understanding so much," Bell said. "It's a great way to avoid misunderstandings. You can bring back what you learned and share with other educators and students."

The 2008 program application deadline is Dec. 10. For more information, visit http://www.iie.org/Website/WPreview.cfm?1=1&WID=194&CWID=801.