Interview

Helene Uchida

Page 1 | Page 2

MM: Some time ago on this site, you talked about how politicians have the power, teachers the purpose and students the promise for real, positive change. You called for educators to get involved in educational reform efforts at national and local levels. What kind of response did you get?
HU: This, too, I learned from my husband who is now an assemblyman for Fukuoka ken. Prior to his becoming an politician, we were really limited in our efforts to have a positive effect on English education in Japan. We used JALT, other teaching groups, Kinokuniya and Maruzen as a springboard to connect with teachers. But we felt we had to move beyond teachers and the retail industry to the media, the government and people from the private sector who were concerned about the status of English education in Japan. As everyone knows, any good program needs a budget, so we started to get bold.

My husband met with the Board of Education in Fukuoka I visited the then Minister of Education, Akito Arima, in Tokyo in 2000 to give him my ideas. We met with the mayor and governor in Fukuoka. We pushed for change, for a budget, for a pilot program here in Fukuoka, and we were able to succeed. Our pilot program (which is one small step in the right direction) is at a local elementary school and is in its second year. School principals, other teachers, university students and interested parents are constantly coming to observe.

We were also fortunate enough to get media exposure, and the pilot program has earned 6 minutes of news exposure three times with three different stations here in Fukuoka. We are taking these first steps and experiencing success little by little. We will be going to the national government with a report about the pilot program here, along with questionnaires answered by parents at the pilot school. We will also take videos of the news reports and try our best to motivate the national governemnt to become more serious about English education in elementary schools.

I encourage others to do the same in their own towns in their own way.

How do you feel about the current government's efforts to change/improve the English educational system?
I feel it is time to make major changes. Our cherished students have the intelligence and ability to speak English if they are taught early in a communicative, interactive way. Older students are suffering from the repercussions of a system that is a waste of money and time. We have to protect our younger students by creating a better system in elementary school so they do not have to suffer like their "sempais."

What, if any, changes have you noticed in your students in the short time since the introduction of the new national curriculum?
It is too soon to see any changes on a big scale. But I do see enthusiasm and a positive attitude on the part of the students in my pilot program. I think most of these students are not going to a private English school, so they are really surprised and happy to be able to learn English. They had no idea it would be such a pleasant experience.

Much has been made of the increasing lack of discipline among Japanese students. How do you use the unique atmosphere of an English classroom to tackle this problem?
I have never had any discipline problems in my teaching career (from New York to Tokyo to Athens to Fukuoka) because I make the rules really clear from the first day of class. The first day is key because that is the day the students size up the teacher and determine what their limits are or how far they can go.

In addition, all my teaching is based on mutual respect. I respect the students; they reflect their respect back to me. This mutual respect generates in such a manner that students respect their classmates; they respect the subject, English, and in the long-run, they respect themselves. I believe treating the students with respect is therefore a win-win situation for any teacher teaching any subject.

Respect breeds good manners, and when good manners prevail in a classroom, there is no space for discipline problems.

On a personal note, as the parent of a young Irish-Japanese child, I'm interested to hear your views on the challenges facing bilingual, or rather bicultural, children in Japan.
I can only speak from my own experiences.

Upon our arrival in Fukuoka (from Greece) with an infant in my care, I decided the first thing I would give my son was love and the second would be language. I have spoken only English to him from his birth until today. I knew I would be his main English source here, and I never deviated from giving him the English flow from within me, even when we were in Japanese social situations where we stood out and looked different because I spoke English to him.

In addition, I hung an America flag in his room the moment I set up house in Fukuoka. I wanted him to be proud of having two nationalities, two cultures, two homelands, two ways of viewing life.

As a result, he was never bullied at school or ostracized. If anything, because of his confidence and pride in being bi-cultural and bilingual, he was like a magnet that attracted other kids.

This was our scenario. I believe each family has its own, but I highly enourage you to shower your child with love first and English second and to also plant the seeds of bicultural pride and confidence because these blessed "double" children are very precious and could be the movers-shakers of Japan's future.

Are you still running the LATEM seminars? Can you tell us more about them?
Yes, our LATEM (Little America Teaching Engish Methods) Seminars are in their 8th year. This fall we will be presenting in 10 cities. The LATEM Schedule is as follows:

Fukushima: Sept. 8
Tokyo: Sept. 15
Hamamatsu: Sept. 21
Osaka: Sept. 23
Okinawa: Sept. 29
Oita: Oct. 5
Kitakyushu: Oct. 6
Sasebo: Oct. 12
Kagoshima: Oct. 13
Fukuoka: Oct. 14

At these seminars, we spend an intense, full day sharing with teachers the LATEM principles, methods, activities, games and lessons which enable students to experience English in a positive and communicative way. We also show videos of Little America students in action and videos of the Fukuoka pilot program. All LATEM attendees receive a certificate. I am happy to report that we have teachers who come back year after year to these seminars because they benefit from our support and feel invigorated when they return to the classroom.

Helene, thank you very much for your time.
It was my pleasure, almost therapeutic for me because I very seldom have the luxury of talking about myself. Thank you for this chance.

Page 1 | Page 2

<<Back Number | Top | Recent Issue>>