South Pike Teacher was an Honored Guest of the Japanese Government

 

In June, Kim Este departed for Tokyo as a participant in the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund (JFMF)  Miss Este, from South Pike High School, was selected from a pool of nearly 2,300 applicants by a panel of educators to earn this honor.  This program allows distinguished primary and secondary educators in the U.S. to travel to Japan for three weeks to promote greater intercultural understanding. 

 

Miss Este was among 200 educators visiting Japan in June.  They began their visit in Tokyo with a practical orientation on Japanese life and culture and meetings with Japanese government officials and educators.  They then traveled in groups of 20 to selected host cities where they had direct contact with Japanese teachers and students during visits to primary and secondary schools as well as to a teachers’ college.  They also visited cultural sites and local industries and enjoyed a  brief homestay with a Japanese family.

 

The Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund, based in Tokyo, oversees all aspects of the teacher program.  The program is sponsored by the government of Japan and was launched in  1997 to commemorate the 50th  anniversary of the U.S. Government Fulbright Program, which has enabled more than 6000 Japanese citizens to study in the U.S. on Fulbright fellowships for graduate education and research.  The institute of International Education acts as the agency for the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund to coordinate the recruitment and pre-departure activities of the teacher program in the United States.

 

Four  hundred educators from all 50 states and the District of Columbia will be invited to visit Japan in June and October of 2007 (200 in each group.)  To date, more than 5,200 primary and secondary educators have visited Japan through the JFMF Teacher Program.  Upon their return, program participants share what they have learned about Japan with their students and communities.

 

 

 

 

The day of test

 

Only give medications that your child usually takes.

¨ Cold medicines and other over-the-counter products could make your child groggy or drowsy.

 

Encourage your child to wear comfortable clothes.

 

Provide a healthy breakfast.

¨ Don’t make it an extra large or sugary breakfast. It could slow

      digestion, making your child feel

      sleepy or tired during the test.

 

Stay calm the morning of the test.

¨ Make sure your child has everything he or she needs. See your child off to school with words and smiles that say, “You’ll do fine!”