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2015 J-LEAP REPORT: TAMAKI YOSHITOMEDECEMBER, 2015: BREEZE ISSUE #98
A FREE MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTER FOR FRIENDS OF JAPAN & TEACHERS OFJAPANESE

2015 J-LEAP REPORTBY TAMAKI
YOSHITOMEApple Valley High School
Apple Valley, MN
Konnichiwa. I’m Tamaki Yoshitome, and I am
currently working as an Assistant Teacher at
Apple Valley High School in Apple Valley,
Minnesota. Minnesota is a state in the midwest
that borders Canada and Lake Superior. The
state capital is Saint Paul, but St. Paul and Minneapolis together are called the “Twin Cities”
because the Mississippi River splits the two cities. You can see many souvenirs that say “Landof 10,000 lakes” in Minnesota because it has so many lakes. Coming from Osaka, I was so
impressed by the amount of nature in Minnesota. Right away, the big trees and numerous lakes
and ponds impressed me. I have learned from my Minnesota friends that the summers here areso beautiful that it makes you forget how cold the winter gets.
Apple Valley High School (AVHS) is a public high school in northern Dakota County, Minnesota.
AVHS is in the process of becoming a STEM school, which is an interdisciplinary approach that
focuses on preparing students for careers in today’s high-tech world. STEM stands for Science,Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and focuses on teaching critical thinking andproblem solving skills. Since we are a STEM school, we have many high-tech machines, andstudents can learn how to make a variety of items that normally can only be created in the mostadvanced technology companies. Additionally, AVHS teachers try to incorporate STEM learning
strategies into each of their subjects. For example, we used paper clips in our Kanji lesson toform characters on their desks. It is a way for learners to get a hands-on approach to learn
characters. Also, AVHS is strong in athletics and arts programs. We have many State
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Championships, especially in wrestling and basketball. We also have one of the top speechand debate teams, school news programs, and theatre programs in the state. Our school
focuses on the AAA philosophy of placing equal value on academics, athletics and the arts.
My lead teacher is Ms. Laura Moy (Moy-sensei). I respect her because, when I met her former
and current Japanese students and their parents, everyone said “Moy-sensei is a great teacher
and we had a great time with her.” Even after they graduate, they still love and appreciate Moysensei. I think she has good rapport with her students, and I want to learn by watching.
We have four levels and five Japanese classes
each day. There are forty-four Japanese 1students, thirty Japanese 2 students, fifteen
Japanese 3 students, and ten Japanese 4students. Our Japanese level 1 students arelearning about Hiragana, Katakana, Japanesegreetings, and culture. Their goal is to be able
to introduce themselves and their family inJapanese. Japanese level 2 students learn
more Kanji, daily activities, and describing
items and events. Their goal is to speak about
what they do in their free time, describe
events, and invite friends to hang out. This year Japanese level 3 students are earning college
credit through the University of Minnesota, so they learn a lot more grammar than Japaneselevel 1 and 2 students. Japanese level 4 students use an AP textbook that pushes them to use
advanced vocabulary and grammar. AP means Advanced Placement and it is similar to collegelevel courses. Although the AP textbook is very difficult, our students can learn more
spontaneous Japanese. Therefore, we give them many conversation opportunities to find theirstrengths and weaknesses and to bridge the differences in their Japanese levels.
Our Japanese students may also attend many Japanese activities like Japanese immersion
camp (Mori no Ike), Japanese Day at the Minnesota Zoo, and J-Quiz, where the winners go toWashington, D.C. to compete nationally at the Japan Bowl competition. Also, Moy-sensei and I
create many opportunities in and out of the classroom for students to encounter Japanesetraditions and culture. This year we have a Japanese international student in our district, andwe continually invite him to join all of our Japan related activities whenever possible. The
other students have already enjoyed getting to know him.
During my two years here, I hope to be able to share Japanese culture and language with many
people in the area. I would like to go to the elementary and middle schools in the district toteach about Japan. Also, I would like to visit other Japanese teachers’ classes and inspire theirstudents’ love of learning Japanese. In the summer, I plan to volunteer for a week or so toteach Japanese at the Japanese immersion village in northern Minnesota. On top of that, I planto learn about the American school system and specifically how they teach foreign language.
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Lastly, I am thankful for all of the support from the people around me. Especially, I want to thankmy lead teacher, Moy-sensei and my host family. Thanks to their help, I can be a Japanese
Assistant teacher here in Minnesota. Thank you very much.
Arigatougozaimashita.

Breeze #98

JF National Survey

Japanese Langauge Education Update 252015 J-LEAP Report: Kasumi Tago

2015 J-LEAP Report: Tamaki Yoshitome

2015 JET-MIP Essay: Angela Li2015 JET-MIP Essay: Taylor-Anne Kim

2015 JET-MIP Essay: Bridget Keeney

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