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2016 J-LEAP REPORTMARCH, 2017: BREEZE ISSUE #113
A FREE MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTER FOR FRIENDS OF JAPAN & TEACHERS OF
JAPANESE

2016 J-LEAP REPORTBY CHIZURU IMASEGarfield High School
Seattle, WA
Hello! My name is Chizuru Imase. I have beenworking as an assistant teacher for sevenmonths at Garfield High School in Seattle,Washington. I am grateful to have this special
and unique opportunity to teach in the U.S.
Seattle is a beautiful city located in thenorthwestern part of the U.S. In Seattle you canenjoy a blend of urban living and nature. Thecity is nicknamed "the Emerald city" because ofall its greenery. There is easy access to theocean, lakes, parks, and mountains for endlessoutdoor activities. The city is fast growing andis also home to the headquarters of well-known international companies such as Amazon,Google, Microsoft, and Starbucks. Seattle is a great city for nature lovers who want to live in alarge city. The city is well-known for its wet weather, but on cold rainy days, I enjoy coffee at
my local cozy cafe while preparing for lessons.
"Ohayogozaimasu!".
My day at school begins with energetic morning greetings. Seeing the smiling faces of mystudents is a great way to start my day. Garfield high school is a public high school located in
the center of Seattle that has approximately 1600 students from a broad range of backgrounds.
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Around 150 students are taking Japanese 1, 2, 3 & AP as a foreign language this year. In
addition to the classes, we have Japanese club, Anime club, pen pal letter project, New Yearcard making contest, and study trips to Japan every two years.
I teach all levels with two wonderful teachers, Ms. Johnston and Ms. Antoncich. They helpedme settle in this new country and become part of the local Garfield community. I always
appreciate when they make time to create co-teaching lessons plans and ask my opinion
despite their busy schedules. They have taught me various language teaching methods, classmanagement strategies, and ways to build good relationships with the students. They arealways helpful when I need support and advice. I feel lucky to be able to have them as my LTs.
My LTs and I have a few teaching goals. One ofour goals is to incorporate interesting andenjoyable cultural presentations in our lessons.
My LT and I make cultural presentations everyweek. Our cultural topics include fast food inJapan, J-Pop and Enka (Japanese traditionalsong), Harajuku Fashion, Christmas Day, New
Year’s Day and Valentine’s Day in Japan and soon. At the end of each presentation, wediscuss cultural and social differences between
the U.S. and Japan with the class and ask theirthoughts and opinions. It is enjoyable for us toaddress cultural differences from different
perspectives. Sharing thoughts with the students also helps me deepen my understanding ofboth my own culture and American culture. Studying a new language and culture greatly
influenced my life in many positive ways. Therefore, I hope to encourage and help students
learn the Japanese language and culture because I want them to have the chance to have such
positive influences in their lives, too.
One of my goals is to incorporate more differentiated instructions in class because there arevarious types of students with diverse cultural backgrounds, different academic levels andstudents who need extra support at Garfield High School. As much as we support the students
in need, we also try to design lesson plans that motivate students with a high level of masteryto keep learning. I hope to be able to assist my LTs achieve this goal.
Outside of school, I have been a member of Washington Association of Teachers of Japanese. I
have been working to organize the Japanese Speech & Skit Contests and Japanese immersion
camps in Washington State, which is scheduled in the next few months. I am glad to have theopportunities to work with Japanese language teachers in the local community, the Hyogo
Business and Cultural Center, and the Consulate General of Japan in Seattle for these events inthe local community. In addition these events, I've attended conferences for language teachers
such as ACTFL, COFLT, WATJ conference and J-LEAP follow-up training. These conferences arealways helpful for me to gain more knowledge about foreign language education in the U.S.

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and to learn practical language teaching
methods. At the J-LEAP follow-training,assistant teachers had a chance to reflect andshare their experiences at their schools andreceive support and encouraging advice fromother teachers so we can succeed in theprogram.
The J-LEAP program has not only given me achance to grow as a teacher but also as aperson. Living and working in the U.S hasenriched my perspective and allowed me tobuild a better understanding, appreciation, andrespect for other cultures as well as my own. Every day is a learning process for me.
I appreciate all the support I've received from the Japan Foundation, the Laurasian Institute, myLTs, my host family, my family in Japan and friends. Thanks to them, I've had such fulfilling andrewarding 7 months. I look forward to the time I have left with my LTs and students at Garfield
High School.

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Breeze #114

Breeze #113

Japanese Langauge Education Update 40

2016 J-LEAP Report: Rikiya Kawano

2016 J-LEAP Report: Chizuru Imase

Breeze #112

Breeze #111

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