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21st Delegation of the U.S. Educators Program
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This year's delegation of the U.S. Educators Program departed on June 30, 2009 and
and returned to the U.S. on July 14th after they completed their two-week study
tour of Japan. This year's group of educators from the tri-state New York area will
visited Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Ise and Nagoya. The delegation visited schools,
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office and Ise City Board of Education. Among the
many cultural and historical activities of the program, this year's participants
experienced Zen meditation, spoke with an atomic bomb survivor in Hiroshima, spent
the night in a Buddhist Monastery and watched the Sumo Tournament in Nagoya.
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The below comments are reactions from some of our 2009 U.S. Educators Program participants.
Group Leader
Daria Rigney
Superintendent
New York City
District 2
New York, NY |
"During our Za Zen meditation at the top of Hiei, the Buddhist monastery where we spent a night on our trip, our guiding monk explained that the discipline of focused meditation allowed for "making room in one's mind" for a greater understanding of the universe and especially for forgiveness. In the most essential way, this trip was a way for making room in my mind for understanding how much bigger the world is than I'd understood and how much forgiveness and understanding is needed for us to move closer to solve the earth's problems...It is hard to imagine that only two weeks in a life can create so many new thoughts and so much change."
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Steven Cohen
Assistant Superintendent
Rye City School District
Rye City, NY
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"From the fine drawings in school, to the wind chime and silk handicrafts we were exposed to, I could see the persistence of ancient Japanese art traditions. This tradition, by the way, also includes literature that explores the powerful tension between very strong social expectations and private personal feelings- another characteristic I imagine Japanese students (and their families) must feel in America... It was important to see results of intense study by Geiko and Maiko actresses, to realize the power of rule-bound preparation of beautiful things and feelings among Japanese people."
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Zipporiah Mills
Principal
Philip Livingston School- PS 261
Brooklyn, NY
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"Based on my visits to schools and municipal offices I learned a great deal about Japan... The learning, the true understanding... came from the people. From the way the people always responded to our group, not just the answers they gave but the pride each and every person had in their country, school, town and job."
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Nancy Dal Cortivo
ESL Head Teacher
The New Jersey Japanese School
Oakland, NJ
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"Traveling to Japan has allowed me to feel more connected to my students. It has created a deeper understanding of where my students come from. I plan on mentioning my experiences often in my classes, hoping to strengthen existing relationships and establish new relationships with new students."
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NipponClub
