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YUI KIMURANOVEMBER, 2017: BREEZE ISSUE #121
A FREE MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTER FOR FRIENDS OF JAPAN & TEACHERS OF
JAPANESE2017 J-LEAP REPORTBY YUI KIMURA
Cranford High School
Cranford, NJ
Since I was in high school, it was my dream towork in the U.S. I will never forget when I
received the letter from The Japan Foundation
with the words “ACCEPTED” on it. My life here
has just started but I am sure the next twoyears will be one of the most significant partsof my life.
Konnichiwa. Hello! I am Yui Kimura. I am from Fukuoka. I am teaching Japanese with Kristin
Wingate-sensei in Cranford, NJ. It has already been three months since I arrived from Japan. Sofar, I am really enjoying my time in New Jersey.
I’ve been working in Cranford, NJ, where it only takes an hour to get to NYC by train. Cranford
is such a beautiful town with lots of trees and parks. New Jersey is called “The Garden State”.
You will agree with this nickname if you ever come here as there are so many squirrels, rabbits,and deer in the streets and parks . New Jersey is located just beside the one of the biggest
cities in the world but it is beautiful with nature and it is very comfortable.
I am co-teaching Japanese with Wingate-sensei in Hillside Avenue School (middle school) andCranford High School. In the morning we go to Hillside Avenue School first and have class withthe 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. After that, we drive to the high school, which takes only 10
minutes by car. In the afternoon, depending on the block schedule, we have one or two classes
in the high school.
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My first impression being in American public schools is that students talk a lot! In comparison
with Japanese students, I think both have good points and bad points. Japanese students listen
to their teachers more than American students do but I think they are not as good at
expressing themselves. But on the other hand, American students feel free to ask their teacher
anything in class so they good at expressing their feelings. Meanwhile, Japanese students are
more hesitant.
Secondly, I was so surprised at how much the students knew of Japan. They know so muchabout Japanese anime or games - they know more than me! Japanese food such as sushi or
ramen is also popular here. It really serves as good motivation for them to learn Japanese.
This is a great opportunity for me to see the difference between Japanese and American
schools and what the image of Japan is for Americans.
In class, Wingate-sensei and I teach together. I
assist her when we do listening
comprehension or we often show the students
a skit in Japanese. I also show the classes how
to write hiragana, katakana or kanji. I haveexperience teaching Japanese in Japan as I
taught for one year in a Japanese language
school. But Wingate-sensei has been teaching
Japanese for over 6 years in the U.S., so this isgreat experience for me to see how sheteaches her classes. We have different levelclasses from the 6th grade in middle school tothe seniors in high school so she changes how she teaches in every grade.
In high school we have one class that is a mixed-level course. So Wingate-sensei takes care oflower level students and I take care of higher level one. Now I am trying to teach only inJapanese, which is difficult for me. I have to make the students understand and they also haveto listen carefully in order to understand me. But through my experience learning a language, it
is really important to understand the target language in the target language. Also, if you wantto learn a language quickly it depends on how often you hear it and how many times you speak
it. Actually, to be honest, I currently speak too much English in our classes. So I am trying tochange my methods and I hope it will help my students.
In addition to teaching, Wingate-sensei and I run Japanese clubs in both schools. Since it is still
the beginning of the school year, we have not done any cultural activities yet, but members of
the club are all interested in Japanese pop culture such as anime, manga, or Japanesecharacters. At the first meeting they said, “I want to wear kimono,” or ”I want to cosplay!” or ”I
want to make sushi,” and it made me excited. I think that they are really having fun withJapanese culture and are enjoying it. I feel embarrassed that I was not interested in Japanese
anime so I don’t know too much about it, but I would like to learn more about it with thestudents. But I would like to share my experience too, so I’m looking forward to teaching themPrivacy - Terms

how to wear yukata, how to cook Japanese food, or how to use chopsticks properly andintroduce them to Japanese culture. I hope students become more familiar with Japan anddeepen their interest in Japan.
I came here not only to teach Japanese and the culture but also to learn English and American
culture, too. Right now, I’m staying with a host family in Cranford. During this stay I am hopingto learn American culture and improve my English.
At first that was hard to get used to the surroundings and I’m still in a continuous process oftrial and error. “Worries make you grow up.” In different surroundings sometimes it is so hardfor me but I know it make me grow up. And I would not be here without the support of myfamily, friends, lead teacher Kristin Wingate and the Japan Foundation and The Laurasian
Institution staff. Thank you so much to all who have supported me. I want to cherish my timehere for the next two years.

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Breeze #121

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