You CAN Get There From Here!

Yesterday and today in third and sixth grade library classes we took a digital trip from Lawrence School to Tokyo and back in mere moments! Using the powerful Google Earth program (downloadable free from the Internet; just Google "Google Earth"), we hovered above North America, zoomed in on the United States, then New England, then Massachusetts, then Boston and Brookline, ending with a close rooftop view of Lawrence School. Then after entering "Tokyo Japan" in the "Fly To" box, we lifted off, as if in a space shuttle perhaps, and zoomed west across the continent, across the grand Pacific Ocean and zoomed in on the heart of Tokyo. We meandered west along the streets a bit to view the Imperial Palace, noticing its moat and gardens. The photographic satellite images in 3-D were amazing; one could almost reach out and touch the terrain and tall buildings. The flying time was less than a minute for a journey that will take 17 hours in a regular plane. However, tonight as I think about it with my trip just a few days away, what a remarkable experience it is to be able to fly aloft and travel long, long distances quickly (even seventeen hours seems quickly in the scheme of things, doesn't it?).

A Week and Counting

It is hard to believe that a week from today I will join 199 other American educators in San Francisco for the first step in our Japan adventure! We will perch briefly on the western shore of the United States, ready to board a plane the next day to fly across the Pacific Ocean to Tokyo, Japan's capital city. Judging by the flurry of emails among us, our group is a very lively and interesting group of teachers -- all kinds of teachers (art teachers, classroom teachers, English and history teachers, physical education teachers, librarians like me) and administrators, from all over the United States -- who have read and studied and planned for months and are now really ready to go. Well, almost! I for one still need every moment of this week to attend to details at home and school, but nothing diminishes the excitement of the trip. My friend Jamie knew her bank could exchange dollars for yen on the spot, so I have some Japanese money (pictured below), and I have my new "indoor slippers" (you probably know that street shoes are not worn into Japanese homes and special places). Of course, I have had my passport ready for a while, and I just received yesterday the bilingual business cards we are expected to carry with us -- English on one side, Japanese on the other. Pretty cool.

Traveler

I am Librarian at the Amos A. Lawrence School in Brookline, Massachusetts USA. Lawrence is a K-8 public school in a community adjacent to the city of Boston. Reading about Japan in advance of my October trip has been fun and informative. I know that actually being in Japan will be even more exciting. Enjoy following my travels with the JFMF group!

What is a JFMF Scholar?

Each year the Japanese Fulbright Memorial Fund (JFMF) Teacher Program, sponsored by the Government of Japan, awards a number of American educators the opportunity to travel and study in Japan for three weeks. Almost a year ago, I wrote a proposal describing what I hoped to learn about Japan and how I would integrate my study and travel experience into the library curriculum and classrooms at Lawrence School. Six months later I received word that I had been selected as a JFMF Scholar! I deeply appreciate the support of Brookline Public Schools administrators and others who encouraged me to apply. Designed to increase understanding between the people of Japan and the United States, the program will be intensive and very exciting, filled with visits to different kinds of schools, cultural institutions and government groups -- and, of course, historic sites. For me, it is especially exciting because our elementary school is home to Brookline's Japanese English Language Learners Program. We have many children in our classrooms and families in the community who share my excitement about traveling in Japan and will welcome my increased understanding of Japanese culture and education.

To paraphrase JFMF's program description: The Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program was established to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Fulbright Program — a U.S. government-initiated project created in 1946 to foster mutual understanding through exchanges of university students, faculty and researchers. Many Japanese recipients of Fulbright scholarships became government, business, and academic leaders instrumental in the post-war redevelopment of Japan. To show the Japanese people's appreciation for the Fulbright Program, the Government of Japan established the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund, now in its tenth year. Its focus on primary and secondary education reflects the value of internationalizing curricula at early levels, and of providing opportunities for international experience to those who teach young people.