2023/2024 J-LEAP REPORT
By Honoka Maegawa

The Woodlands College Park High School

The Woodlands, TX

Konnichiwa from Texas! My name is Honoka
Maegawa. I’m currently working as an AssistantJapanese Teacher at The Woodlands College Park
High School. I started my career as a cabin crew after
graduating from university and this experience made me more interested in Japanese language
and culture. Therefore, I decided to obtain my teacher certification and applied to J-LEAP
after I finished the certification program. This is my first-year teaching Japanese and I’ve beenlearning and experiencing a lot of new things every day since I came to Texas. Today I would
like to talk about the town, my school, and my life here in The Woodlands.
The Woodlands, Texas
Have you ever heard “The Woodlands” before?
I didn’t know about the town until I was told my dispatch
assignment. The Woodlands is located 28 miles away northof downtown Houston. You can visit downtown Houston bycar, and I go there sometimes on the weekends. TheWoodlands is a newer city which was founded in 1974. Nextyear is its 50-year anniversary, so the town will have aceremony which I’m looking forward to seeing. As follows
the name of the city, the town is surrounded by many trees,
very peaceful, and the people are really kind. There is a big
mall here, and you can get whatever you want. Also, The Woodlands has many lakes andwalking paths, so you can enjoy walking outdoors. I personally like to go to The Waterway andNorth Shore Park because the scenery and atmosphere are perfect.
The Woodlands College Park High School and Japanese language program
I’m working at The Woodlands College Park High School (TWCP) which was established in
2005. It is a newer school, but we have about 3,200 students from 9th grade through 12th

grade. The campus is enormous, and I still need a map when
I go to other classrooms. Our school’s motto is“Commitment, Pride, Honor, Success!”, and this year’s
theme is “Believe”. That is why you can see many Believe
slogans throughout the school. Our school colors are navy,
silver, white, and green, and our mascot is a Cavalier. I
belong to the LOTE (Languages Other Than English)
department. Hojo-sensei, the French teacher, the Chineseteacher, and I often share our lunch and it is one of myfavorite things to do because we can try something new andshare each other’s cultures. Teachers and students in TWCP
are really kind and the atmosphere makes me feel comfortable to be here.
There are five foreign languages, Spanish, French, German, Chinese, and Japanese, offeredat TWCP. All students are required to take 2 years of foreign language in order to graduate.
Currently, 89 students are taking Japanese and my lead teacher, Hojo-sensei and I teach 4levels (Japanese1/2/3/AP) each day for 46 minutes over six classes. I’m glad to see students
every day and enjoy teaching and talking with them in Japanese.
Students have various reasons to take Japanese class.
Some students have an interest in Japanese culture suchas manga and anime, and some of them would like tovisit, work, or live in Japan in the future. Also, somestudents told me that they decided to take Japanese
because no one in their family speak it, so it is more
special and unique. I always feel thankful to students
who decided to take Japanese even though it is a challenging language for them.
Hojo-sensei and I basically teach classes following a textbook, but we put authentic materials
and provide them real-life situations to learn authentic Japanese as much as possible. Also, wehave culture days in order to introduce and allow students to experience Japanese culture.
This semester, we did an origami activity and taught students how to use chopsticks.
Furthermore, we have a pen-pal program and students can interact with Japanese students
from Wakayama. I think having a real connection with Japanese students motivates them tostudy Japanese. Hojo-sensei and I often show demonstrations in classes, and we believe thatour conversations and gestures help the students feel and see Japanese culture more.

My lead teacher Elizabeth Hojo-sensei
I would like to talk about my amazing lead teacher
Elizabeth Hojo-sensei. Hojo-sensei has been teaching
Japanese at TWCP for 12 years. She has a warm generous
heart, and her cheerfulness makes me, and our students
smile every day.
Hojo-sensei is passionate about creating fun lessons forher classes, so students enjoy studying Japanese. She often includes many activities in theclass, and it engages students’ learning. Furthermore, Hojo-sensei treasures her students andlooks after them really well. I think her kindness makes students confident to study Japanese,and I always admire her attitude towards students. We usually talk about our lesson plans afterschool. This is why we can co-teach smoothly. Also, Hojo-sensei has an open mind and always
tries to draw out my opinions and listen to them. Therefore, we can share our ideas a lot andare able to try new things. I learn not only how to teach Japanese but also how to manage
classes from Hojo-sensei.
Hojo-sensei and I often spend weekends together and I think that spending this time apartfrom school time makes us closer. We usually go to Houston to get some Japanese groceries
and to eat delicious Asian food. Also, we did a road trip after finishing the arrival training inSeattle, and it is one of the best experiences I’ve ever had!
My daily life
I’ve been living with host family and enjoy spending time withthem. They really like events such as Halloween and Christmas, so
it is fun to see how they decorate the house. We usually take turns
cooking dinner, so my host family usually makes American or
Mexican foods and I make Japanese food. We always enjoy
exchanging our foods and it allows us to know each other’s culture
more.
Also, I cannot thank my host family enough because without their help I couldn’t set up mylife in the U.S. It was challenging to move to Texas because it was my first time visiting hereand everything was new to me. However, my host family always gives me a helping hand andtreats me as a member of their family. Therefore, I was able to adjust to my new life here well.

Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to people who always support me and encourage
me. I am spending a fulfilling time in the U.S. because of them. Also, I am really grateful tohave this valuable opportunity where I am learning not only effective approaches to support
Japanese language learners but also those interested in American and Japanese culture during
these 2 years. I would like to tell students how interesting it is to exchange culture and learn
Japanese. I really hope I can leave a good impression on my students and impact them toachieve their goals. I will continue to do my best during these 2 years as a member of J-LEAP.