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    An International Learning Community in Japan
    An International Learning Community in Japan
    An International Learning Community in Japan
    Ebook94 pages1 hour

    An International Learning Community in Japan

    By John Misselhorn

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    For a time, I lived and worked in Japan in the beautiful city of Kitakyushu and taught English as a Foreign Language to the Japanese. An International Learning Community in Japan is the story of my experiences in Japanese society and also a discussion of my theories and techniques of teaching English to Japanese people. So what makes this book different from the many other books by Westerners who have lived in Japan and written about their experiences or other books about teaching English in Japan? The entire work is unified under the central theme of an international, creative learning community that my students and I created together. It is a concept that describes the relationship that evolved between my students and me. This book will be of interest to anyone with a general appreciation of Japanese culture or who desires to learn about teaching in Japan. This book is not only about how Japanese and American cultures differ, but it also offers a unique vision of international communication and understanding. So this is a story of close international friendship. Journey to Japan with an American English teacher who discovers a beautiful, gentle culture, new educational ideas and his heart!
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisheriUniverse
    Release dateApr 18, 2006
    ISBN9780595836819
    An International Learning Community in Japan
    Author

    John Misselhorn

    I was born and grew up in Lancaster County in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the USA. In May of 1997, I married a wonderful woman, Angela, a Canadian whom I met while teaching English in Kitakyushu, Japan. Angela developed the kindergarten program at the school where we both taught. Angela is now an elementary school teacher, and I currently work in the computer field as a Systems Analyst in the United States. I earned a Bachelor of Arts in History from Millersville University. At Millersville, I studied primarily European History and developed a strong interest in literature and philosophy. I also studied Latin and Ancient Greek. I did my graduate work at The Pennsylvania State University where I earned a Master of Arts in Ancient History. My interest in Japanese culture initially was stimulated at Millersville University where I met several Japanese students studying there. From 1993 to 1996 I was able to fulfill my dream of living and working in Japan.

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      Book preview

      An International Learning Community in Japan - John Misselhorn

      Copyright © 2006 by John Edward Misselhorn

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

      iUniverse books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

      iUniverse 2021

      Pine Lake Road, Suite 100

      Lincoln, NE 68512

      1-800-Authors (1-800-288-4677)

      ISBN-13: 978-0-595-39288-9 (pbk)

      ISBN-13: 978-0-595-83681-9 (ebk)

      ISBN-10: 0-595-39288-1 (pbk)

      ISBN-10: 0-595-83681-X (ebk)

      Printed in the United States of America

      Contents

      DEDICATION AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

      INTRODUCTION

      KINDNESS TO THE STRANGER IN THEIR MIDST

      COMMUNITY ACCEPTANCE?

      JAPAN AND AMERICA: COMMUNITY AND THE INDIVIDUAL

      DEPARTURE

      REFLECTIONS

      AFTERWORD

      NOTES

      ABOUT THE AUTHOR

      DEDICATION AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

      I must first thank my Japanese students, to whom I dedicate this work, for their inspiration and their kindness. Next I thank Keiko Hayama, one of my students, who first proposed the idea of this book. I also thank Susumu Nakayama, who first had enough faith in me to hire me as an English teacher in Japan, and who introduced me to the methods of teaching English to the Japanese. I thank Patrick Erlandson and Mayumi Sato, my colleagues in Japan who offered me much advice and assistance while I was a teacher. I would also like to dedicate this work to Shizuko Miyoshi, my student, although no longer with us physically, her uplifting spirit remains forever. Shizuko is a gentle soul, and she wrote beautiful poetry in both English and Japanese. I constantly encouraged her to publish her work. Her book, Through the Mist, also inspired me to write of my experiences and publish my own work. I need to mention Eiji Okamoto, a man with a camara and the heart and soul of an artist, who encouraged me to press on with my book when he published his own work, a photo album entitled I Wish This Moment Could Last Forever. I also thank my parents, Donald J. Misselhorn and C. Doris Misselhorn, who for many years extended their love and support in so many ways, my grandmother, Perle Leary and my uncle Edward J. Leary, who also suggested that I write of my experiences and offered his encouragement. Finally and most importantly I thank my wife Angela C. Evans-Misselhorn for her persistent encouragement, her valuable advice, her unconditional support, and her constant love. I could not have written this without her. I primarily dedicate this work, with great love, to her. The events in this book occurred before Akira-chan was born. I want it to be a record for him of what his father did

      and thought. This work, therefore, with great love, is also for my son, Akira.

      John Misselhorn

      "The crane is a symbol of Japan. On my book cover I placed an image of a silhouetted crane flying toward the sun because I believe that my life is more full of light since living in Japan and that I have become more enlightened as a result of my experiences in Japan. It symbolizes my life in

      Japan."

      John Misselhorn

      INTRODUCTION

      For a moment in my life, I lived and worked among the Japanese. This work is merely a narrative of my experiences and impressions of Japan along with some rather personal observations and subjective analyses. The genesis of this work occurred on a fine spring day beneath the majestic mountain, Hiko-san. It was there that my former student, Mrs. Keiko Hayama, first suggested the idea for this project and encouraged me to write about my experiences in Japan.

      It was during my second year as an English teacher in Japan, shortly before Keiko-san, my student, left to teach in America, that Keiko and I climbed Hiko-san. The air was still cool and crisp on that early spring day in Kyushu as we stood on the mountain amidst the sweet cedars. After we descended, we searched for a place to eat lunch. We spread our blanket on the earth beside a field under that holy mountain in the warmth of the afternoon sun. Keiko spread a delicious feast, which she had prepared specially for us on this occasion. We ate, mostly in silence, exchanging only a few friendly words. Finally, when we had nearly finished, Keiko looked up at me with a purposeful gleam in her eyes and a knowing smile on her lips. I knew something was coming! At last she said: John, I have an idea; it has been my dream... Keiko was about to embark on an adventure as a volunteer teacher in America. She would teach American junior and senior high school students about Japanese culture. Keiko was a Japanese teacher by profession. This was my last day with her, the last time I would see her for approximately one year. She had been a student in my English conversation class in Japan for two years—one of my best students. Her study of English had essentially been preparation for her dream of going to America to teach.

      Keiko-san proposed that we jointly write a book together of our experiences: she of America and I of Japan, and we juxtapose our essays and stories. I took her proposal seriously; however, I must admit that when she first proposed this project, I was a bit apprehensive because I was aware that many such books have been written by western foreigners about their experiences in Japan containing humorous but revealing stories along with their analysis of Japanese customs. Because many foreigners have similar, common experiences in Japan, I didn’t merely want to duplicate them in my writing. I assumed that perhaps the same was true of Japanese who had lived abroad in America. This is why initially I didn’t respond so positively or energetically to Keiko’s idea. I was afraid that I couldn’t make a contribution to this genre. It took me quite a long time to digest my experiences and reflect upon them after I returned to America. So in my essays and stories I have tried to inject a unique perspective and interpretation of my experiences. Furthermore, Keiko’s idea of including the experiences of both a Japanese and an American in the same volume is, I believe, quite original and creative in itself. Unfortunately Keiko was unable to pursue our project.

      My first essay entitled Random Acts of Kindness and other Encounters in a Japanese Community is about my experiences in Japanese society, and specifically my perceptions of the Japanese idea of community. I contrast the Japanese concept of community with the social situation in America. My second essay entitled Creating a Learning Community in Japan is about my philosophy of teaching English based on my experiences as a teacher in Japan. I conceived of this essay as a tribute to my Japanese students’ abilities and spirit. It is a discussion of why it is necessary to create what I have termed a learning community comprising both students and teacher for a successful language classroom and how to develop an optimum learning atmosphere for adult Japanese students. This essay discusses how concepts such as trust, patience, acceptance, good humor, creativity, mutual support, respect for individual dignity, freedom of expression and mutual encouragement are absolutely essential for the evolution of a society of learners. This self-contained society or community is a necessary prerequisite for effective learning to occur.

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