SEARCH

Contact Us

Site Map

2015 J-LEAP REPORT: AMI KANEKONOVEMBER, 2015: BREEZE ISSUE #97
A FREE MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTER FOR FRIENDS OF JAPAN & TEACHERS OF
JAPANESE2015 J-LEAP REPORTBY AMI KANEKO
Maloney Interdistrict Magnet School
Waterbury, CT
Hello. My name is Ami Kaneko and I am
currently working as a Japanese Assistant
Teacher atMaloney Interdistrict Elementary Magnet
School (Maloney School) in Waterbury,
Connecticut.
Connecticut is located in Northeastern part of the U.S., known as New England. It’s bordered by
New York to the west and Massachusetts to the north. During the autumn season inConnecticut, we can see the leaves changing color, which makes the scenery beautiful.
Waterbury, which is the 5th largest city in Connecticut, is the town where Maloney School islocated.
Maloney School is a magnet school. In the U.S. education system, magnet schools are publicschools with specialized courses or curricula. Since the specialized curriculum at Maloney
School is the Japanese Language and Culture Program, all students must take Japanese class.
There are approximately 600 students in total at Maloney School. Another unique feature aboutmagnet schools is that students are not only from one school district, but also from otherdistricts. This means we have students who are from different areas.
Kazumi-sensei, my lead teacher, and I teach Japanese from Pre-K to 5th grade. All students
study Japanese 25 minutes a day, 3 times a week. Because taking Japanese is required atMaloney School, we try to make the class as enjoyable and fun as possible. We believe that if
Privacy - Terms
the Japanese class is fun for our students, then their motivation for learning Japanese will

increase. So, we try to teach in creative ways such as, singing, playing games, and acting outskits, instead of learning out of textbooks. Every grade has different content related toJapanese culture. For example, we are currently teaching 1st grade students about schools inJapan. During this class, we teach them not only school related vocabulary, but also thedifferences between Japanese and American schools. Just like in Japan, students take their
shoes off when they enter the school; they also clean the classroom by themselves. Throughthese experiences, students are able to learn about Japanese language and culture at thesame time in Japanese class.
During class, we speak in Japanese more than
90% of the time and so do the students. When I
first came here, I was surprised by thisbecause I thought that using English would
be helpful for students to understandJapanese. However, when we speak inJapanese, students try to understand what wesay. I realized that this way of teaching
Japanese, in Japanese, is sometime more
attractive for them than using English.
Furthermore, students don’t see speaking
Japanese as such a foreign concept anymore,as they often greet me in Japanese in the hallway outside of class. During these past 3 months,I’ve learned that the important thing is to not make students understand Japanese completelyfrom the beginning, but to help give them confidence in understanding Japanese first. Throughsaying Japanese words many times, they are able to understand these words naturally.
Sometimes when students have difficulty saying something in Japanese, we don’t want to givethem the answer right away or rush them to say it. We wait for them as much as we can andgive them some hints. Then, if students can answer it in Japanese, they feel a sense ofaccomplishment, which gives them confidence to speak more. These little steps encourage
students to learn Japanese. In class, I’m in charge of the daily routine, activity demonstrations,conversation modeling, and student support for those who are behind, etc.
Besides having Japanese class, there are some events such as Shinnenkai (New Year’s party)or Natsumatsuri (summer festival) celebrated throughout the year. While celebrating theseevents, students learn not only the Japanese language, but also about the culture. In addition
to these events, there is a Japanese after school program once a week. Students who want tocontinue to learn Japanese after they have graduated Maloney School attend this program.
Since I began teaching here, I heard wonderful comments from the students. In class, somestudents say, “I really want to go to Japan!” or “Japan is cool!” When I heard that, I was reallyimpressed and happy. As a Japanese teacher, I hope all students come to like Japan and wantto learn Japanese more. I believe our Japanese class will influence them in a good way.

Privacy - Terms

I set two goals for myself for the next two years: One is to keep learning. The other one is tobe a reliable teacher. For my continued learning, I’d like to absorb a lot of things from Kazumisensei, teachers in Maloney, and our students. I’ll try not to waste this wonderful experienceand not to forget the feeling that I had when I first came here. After 2 years, I hope to bringback to Japan the teaching skills I learned here. I believe the experience from team teachingwith Kazumi-sensei will make me a more trusted and reliable teacher.
I graduated from my university in Japan last March. At that time, I never thought I would beteaching Japanese in the U.S. This is my first experience teaching, working, and living bymyself. Since everything is new to me here, I’ve been learning a lot of things, and everyday has
been fulfilling. I really appreciate this opportunity that allows me such a wonderful experienceand I am grateful to all of the people who have supported me. I’ll do my best for the rest of mytime here.
Thank you.

Breeze #98

Breeze #97

Japanese Langauge Education Update 24

ACTFL 2015

2015 Teacher Training Program: Sueyon Seo2015 J-LEAP Report: Ami Kaneko

2015 J-LEAP Report: Seiji Arai2015 JET-MIP Essay: Claire Endl2015 JET-MIP Essay: Dillon Evans

2015 JET-MIP Essay: Nicholas Gallitano

2015 JET-MIP Essay: Isabelle Joyce

Breeze #96

Privacy - Terms

Breeze #95



Breeze #94

Breeze #93

Breeze #92

Breeze #91

Breeze #90

Breeze #89

Breeze #88

Breeze #87

Headquarters

New York Office

ボランティア募集

Center for Global PartnershipJapan Related Links

Volunteer

Job Openings (Updated)

5700 Wilshire blvd, Suite 100
Los Angeles, CA 90036
P. 323.761.7510

Annual Report© 2019 The Japan Foundation, Los Angeles
Web Design.

Privacy - Terms