The evolution of ESD in Japan

Today the Moriko Sasaki from the ACCU, (Asia Pacific Cultural Center for UNESCO), described the three towns that we would be visiting in Japan to study ESD in schools. She explained that the schools that were chosen were selected not because they were "special" but because the schools were "doing what they can". After we had a brief overview of the towns of Kesennuma, Matsuyama and Tobetsu, we recieved two lectures from prominent educators on the state of ESD in the Japanese School system. Dr. Laurence Macdonald from Soka University helped us to understand the cultural background behind educational reform in Japan, while Professor Shinnosuke Tama from Iwate University provided the historical context of ESD in Japan. There are two underpinnings to the success of integrating ESD into Japanese education. The first is that in Japanese education, the federal government directs curriculum and makes decisions, and therefore education reform occurs throughout grade levels and subject all across Japan. The second is that the Japanese government adopted the 1972 UN resolution which focuses on the triple bottom line of economy, social equity and environment to address Sustainable Development in its educational reform. Professor Tama listed the challenges still facing the integration of ESD into Japanese education, many of which mirror the challenges we face in the US: Teachers perceive that the curriculum is already too packed, How to network curriculum to link all subjects to ESD, How to get teachers to transition from knowledge transmission to teaching students how to learn, and how to provide time and money for teacher collaboration.

Oh the people you will meet

Just a quick note to let you know that to be a US-Japan teacher, you may need to be a little ( or a lot crazy). I thought I was bit on the manic side, but I think my new friend Marcia may have a leg up on me. She stayed up until 2:30 packing. When I asked her why so late, she said she had to spend the whole day Sunday tending to her bees. She has 5 hives of russian bees. She doesnt do it for honey but to help protect the integrity of pollinator diversity in her area.

How I got to go to Japan

If you want to learn more about the Japan-US teacher exchange program for ESD and how you can apply, here is the place to start; http://www.iie.org/en/Programs/ESD . You will need to come up with a proposal of how you will integrate both ESD and what you might learn from the Japanese experience into your curriculum. My idea was to learn how Japanese schools grow and prepare their own food. I decided to set up a cellugro garden with my students, http://www.cellugro.com/, planting vegetables traditionally grown in Japan. We would harvest the garden and prepare a Japanese feast. Just before the school year ended, I purchased the cellugro garden system with my BP grant money and my 8th grade students and I began our project. See this link for more photos of the garden set up; http://www.aa.edu/sustainability.

Good News for Japan-US program of ESD

We arrived in San Fran today and spent the afternoon re-aquainting with each other and orienting ourselves to Japanese etiquette and culture. Many of the US teachers were a bit anxious about the protocol for gift - giving, communal bathing and the upcoming stay with our Japanese host families. I gave a short presentation to the group about my previous trip to Japan and I hope I reassured my colleagues that the warmth and kindness conveyed by our Japanese hosts will no doubt overwhelm any anxiety we might experience. I told them stories about Yui, the seven year old daughter of my host family who taught me to braid flowers into a wreath and patiently showed me how to fold origami cranes, about how Sayuri taught me to prepare Japanese dumplings and Aki who shared Sake and Japanese beer with me. This evening, David Satterwhite announced that the US and Japanese governments have secured funding for a continuance of this program for next year. If you are a teacher, you might ask how do I apply for this amazing program for next year?

Get Ready and GO!

I leave on Monday for San Francisco and then all 48 of us will depart for Tokyo on Tuesday. In San Fran we will be oriented to Japanese culture and the expectations of us while we are visiting. For example we will be instructed about how to take off our shoes when we enter a house or school, we will be coached on the proper procedures for bathing while we stay with our host family (you must wash with soap and water BEFORE entering the communal bath water), and how to use chop sticks. I have been asked to speak to the group about my experience two years ago with the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund. Check out the hotels I will be staying at while in Japan - pretty swank! In Tokyo: http://www.keioplaza.com/index.html. In Hokkaido ( the north island) - I will staying at the Happy Valley Golf Resort. I seemed to be haunted by golf. If you know me well then you know that I really hate golf , my whole family plays the game - I cant get away from it, but I guess I will have to suck it up! this hotel looks pretty awesome. http://www.happyvalleygc.jp/en/index.html .

Celebrating our Joint Meeting at the Japanese Consulate

On the final day of our San Fran meeting, teachers were honored by the Japanese consulate at a banquet at the Embassy in San Francisco. A speech by the Japanese Consulate General praised our efforts to teach our countries' youth about sustainable practices and reminded us that the protection of our planet will require international cooperation and understanding. The food was superb, all manner of sushi, wine and relaxing conversation. I had the pleasure of eating dinner with a teacher who teaches at an all girls catholic school in Japan. He told me stories of how he and his students help insure the survival of endangered salamanders by inseminating the eggs with sperm collected from male salamanders. He and his students take yearly field trips to Borneo to help with reforestation projects.