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Trip to Japan, 2003
Day 8, 2003/03/26
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Today is the first of two days to visit "live" classrooms. As our schools are closed this week for spring break, we went over to Ferguson-Florissant School District and spent time at both an elementary and a middle school there. |
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We met at a local donut and coffee shop, Donut Delight. The shop is full of "regulars", mostly older folks who come in every day to drink coffee and visit with their neighbors. The Japanese are interested in the idea of a place where people go to chat with other people on a regular basis. |
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Our first stop was at Halls Ferry Elementary. We visited a number of classrooms, including a fourth grade room, both of the first-grade rooms, and music and gym classes. The Japanese teachers presented gifts to the school administrators and the classes we visited, and Reiko (my teaching partner) and I teamed up to teach counting in Japanese to the kindergarten and first grade classes. (Hey, I'm finally beginning to learn to speak properly!) During discussions with some of the Halls Ferry teachers, we found out that Japanese classrooms have far more students per teacher than many American classrooms have; the Japanese are impressed with our small class sizes. |
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We made a short stop at Little Creek Wildlife Center, an outdoor classroom and resource center owned by the school district, to see some of the nature studies education resources available to classes within the district. Then it's to lunch - today, we are at a local Mexican restaurant, Casa Galliardo. |
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After lunch, we move on to Cross Keys Middle School, where more gifts are presented, and we get the opportunity to talk with a complete teaching team about learning styles, scheduling issues, and general thoughts about working in a teamed environment. During the building tour, we visit a computer lab, some classrooms and the library, then watch as the students finish their day and head for busses and cars for the ride home. |
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After some resting time, we pick up our guests and head for a local shopping mall that also has a good food court. Dinner and an hour or two of shopping complete our day. |
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Tomorrow, we will visit an active high school, then go over to visit the remaining two partnered schools. |
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