Japan Times features JET alum Matthew Cook and his work with Osaka’s English Reformation Project Team
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Very nice article on JET alum and former AJET Chair Matthew Cook (Osaka-fu, 2007-12) about his path from JET to becoming an agent of change for the Japanese English education system through is unique role with Osaka Prefecture’s Board of Education. Matt is also the founder of the Kansai JET Alumni group. FYI, you can also click here for a recent JQ profile of Matthew Cook by JETAA New South Wales‘ Eden Law (Fukushima-ken, 2010-11) .
Changing the system starts by challenging it
BY TERU CLAVEL
Just seven years after first participating in the JET program in Osaka, Matthew Cook from Danville, Virginia, is making great strides as a pioneer of English-language education reform in Japan. Having never previously been to an Asian country, Cook is now one of seven members of Osaka’s groundbreaking English Reformation Project Team, having been appointed by Osaka superintendent Toru Nakahara in 2013. With an unswerving commitment to English-language education and a little luck, Cook’s efforts may pave the path for Japan’s next generation of global leaders.
Cook applied to the JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching) program because it was “the most lucrative, stable and safe way to get to Japan.” Having run his own karate dojo in the United States, he felt the need to gain a deeper understanding of the Japanese culture behind it. However, Cook was waitlisted and needed to make a snap decision when he was offered a position within a month of the JET start date. “I had totally assumed that I wasn’t going to get in,” he says.
Cook’s initial placement was less than ideal, though. He was forewarned that the Osaka junior high school to which he was assigned might be challenging, but he was not prepared for the “few students who were stopping class altogether, violence in the classroom or kids getting up and leaving.” Read More
JET Community Helps Raise Nearly $50,000 to Support Ishinomaki Students
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Taken from the JETAA USA website:
Update on JETs Rally for Tohoku Fundraiser
Tuesday, March 11th marked the 3-year anniversary of the worst disaster to hit Japan in recent history. 3.11 is a date that few people connected with Japan will ever forget. This is particularly true for alumni of the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program (JET Program) – a unique program organized by the Japanese government that hires recent college graduates from all over the world to be assistant language teachers and international relations coordinators for local prefectural governments.
During the earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011, two JET participants lost their lives: Monty Dickson and Taylor Anderson. The families of these JETs have worked hard to share their stories and help the devastated communities where their loved ones lived and died. In particular, the Taylor Anderson Memorial Fund was created to support the students and schools in Ishinomaki and the Tohoku region.
Since 2011 JET participants and alumni worldwide have also worked to support the disaster response, so far raising over $500,000 for the relief and recovery effort. As part of this effort the JET Alumni Association USA created a relief fund that has distributed almost $90,000 in grants for educational programs in the disaster zone.
This year, JETs mobilized again to support the Taylor Anderson Memorial Fund with an online fundraising campaign entitled JETs Rally for Tohoku. In the first 24 hours, starting at midnight on March 11, 2014, Japan time, JET alumni, current JET participants, and friends around the world contributed more than $20,000 through Global Giving, an internationally recognized donation website. These funds were raised through social media and word of mouth, as well as through events in San Francisco and elsewhere around the United States.
By March 18, one week later, a total of 333 people had donated $24,238. Global Giving has pledged to match these donations, bringing the total mobilized to more than $48,000 — a formidable sum demonstrating the commitment of the global JET community to the recovery of the Tohoku region. These funds will be used for a series of initiatives supported by the Taylor Anderson Memorial Fund: a community library for students in hard-hit Ishinomaki, scholarships for local students, and PTSD training to assist area residents.
The JETs Rally for Tohoku fundraising website on Global Giving will be left open for regular donations which means JETs can continue to spread the word, raise funds and support the people of Japan – a country close to all of their hearts.
For more information, please visit:
· JETs Rally for Tohoku
· Taylor Anderson Memorial Fund
· JET Alumni Association USA
· JET Program
Questions can be directed to Casey Marie Mochel at us1.jetaausa [at] gmail.com
$10K in Matching Funds for Tohoku Relief Still Remains!
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If you’d still like to donate to the Taylor Anderson Memorial Fund (TAMF) in support of Tohoku relief efforts, there’s still time! $10,000 of matching funds remains but will no longer be available in a few days.
Donation website: http://www.globalgiving.org/fundraisers/jets-rally-for-tohoku/
The JET/JET Alum community has already come through to an inspiring extent, raising $23,968 for the TAMF through Global Giving. This is already beyond prior expectations, and the Anderson family (which on Thursday attended a showing of “Live Your Dream: The Taylor Anderson Story“at the Council on Foreign Relations which included State Department and Japanese Embassy representatives as well as a strong JETAA DC crew) has been extremely appreciative.
But if you haven’t had a chance to donate yet or you feel like making another donation, please know that for the next day or two matching funds still remain.
Thursday’s showing of “Live Your Dreams: The Taylor Anderson Story” at the Council on Foreign Relations. Those pictured include Andy Anderson (middle), Paige Cottingham-Streater (middle-left), Jim Gannon (right) and JETAA DC’s Joanna Blatchly, Leigh Ann Mastrini, Rebeka Solem, Joy Young, and Paul Champaloux.
Japan Time: Over 30% of 3/11 kids hit by PTSD
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Thanks to Andy Anderson for sharing the link to this article. This is one of the big reasons why support for Tohoku continues to be extremely helpful even 3 years after the 3/11 Disaster.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/03/02/national/over-30-of-311-kids-hit-by-ptsd/#.Ux8-c2RATDk
Japan Times article on AJET report on disaster preparedness
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Great article written by a JET alum journalist Patrick St Michel.
Clarify Your Role, Prepare Before a Disaster Strikes
When she first arrived in Japan from Ireland in 2008, Sarah Hickey was mostly concerned with adjusting to her new life in Fukushima Prefecture. The Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme placed her in Iwaki, which is itself a large city, but she found herself near the coast in less metropolitan surroundings.
“There was nothing there, just a supermarket and a school I was teaching at. It was an incredibly beautiful place — but it was tough,” she says.
Gradually, Hickey grew accustomed to her corner of Iwaki, where she taught English at several junior and senior high schools. One thing she wasn’t ready for were natural disasters, which she says scared her. She also doesn’t recall receiving information about what to during a natural disaster at school during JET’s Tokyo orientation or when she first arrived in Fukushima. Read More
Donate for Tohoku on March 11 and Make Your Support TWICE As Effective!
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3/11 Update: FYI, the 24 hour deadline for Global Giving to match donations to the Taylor Anderson Memorial Fund and other 3/11 initiatives has been lifted, and they will continue to match JET contributions until matching funds run out. So JETs/alums can continue to double their donations!
*Link to the Global Giving Matching Page: http://www.globalgiving.org/leaderboards/japan-matching-2014/ to see how much various groups are raising.
*Link to the JETAA USA Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/jetaausa
*The link to donate has been added!
Put this on your calendar!
JETAA USA is supporting the Taylor Anderson Memorial Foundation for a 24 hour donation drive that starts when the clock strikes midnight in Japan on March 11. And GlobalGiving has offered to match these donations.
This is a great opportunity to show our ongoing support for Tohoku by going to the Global Giving website on March 11th to make a donation during the matching grant period.
Online donation drive
Donation website: http://www.globalgiving.org/fundraisers/jets-rally-for-tohoku/
Starts: 12:00 midnight Japan time on 3/11 (11 am EST, March 10; 8 am PST, etc)
Ends: 11:59 p.m. Japan time on 3/11 (10:59 am EST on March 10)
Background
Three years have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami and the devastation in Tohoku has largely faded from the news. However, so much remains to be done for the survivors and TAMF has been partnering with a number of organizations in Japan to provide relief and help the people of Tohoku build a strong and vibrant future.
Smile Together IshinomakiTAMF has provided funding to the following projects:
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Living Dreams: Tohoku Kids Project
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Hope for Tomorrow
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JET Micro Grants
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Taylor Anderson Reading Corners
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Taylor Sendai YMCA Scholarships
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Exchange Programs
For more information on TAMF, please go to http://www.taylorandersonmemorialfund.org/, their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/taylorandersonmemorialfund, or watch the NHK interview with Jeanne and Andy at https://vimeo.com/86637051.
JETAA USA is proud to partner with TAMF to carry on the support JETs and JET alumni have shown for Japan and the people of Tohoku ever since March 2011.
Details:
All donations up to $1,000 per individual donor made to the Taylor Anderson Memorial Fund on March 11th Japan time will be matched by Global Giving through their Japan Match Global Giving program. (Global Giving will charge a 15% facilitation fee to cover their costs, which donors may choose to cover if they wish so that their full donation amount goes to TAMF. See the page for details.)
We are also very happy to see Ambassador Kennedy giving her backing to their mission, as well. For coverage of her recent trip to Ishinomaki and visit to Mangokuura Elementary School, where Taylor taught, please check out the article at http://ajw.asahi.com/article/0311disaster/recovery/AJ201311250099.
Here’s a link to the latest AJET eConnect News including election results for AJET National Council and Block Representatives: http://ajet.createsend1.com/t/ViewEmail/t/41D89C9C8F5BDDC3/F3775150656FF295C9C291422E3DE149
And, fyi, here are the current election results:
Congratulations to the newly elected members of the 2014-2015 AJET National Council!
Executive Council
Chair, Sandy Cheng
Vice Chair, Xan Wetherall
Treasurer, Aaron Gilling
CIR Representative
Rochelle Zheng
Block Representatives
Block 1, Pending
Block 2, Matthew Headland
Block 3, Chris Low
Block 4, Patrick Loyer
Block 5, Derek Gumb
Block 6, Ashlie O’Neill
Block 7, Kevin Chen
Block 8, Casey McGarraugh
Block 9, Dustin Reimar
Block 10, Emily Maitland
Block 11, Tka Tyne
You can see the official resultshere on AJET.net.
JET alum Harry Hill named Chairman of U.S. CULCON
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Here’s a link to the official post on the CULCON website: http://culcon.jusfc.gov/news/harry-hill-becomes-chairman-of-u-s-culcon
FEBRUARY 18, 2014
The Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission and the U.S. CULCON Panel are pleased to announce the appointment of a new Chairman, Mr. Harry A. Hill.
Mr. Hill, a native of New York City, has served as President and CEO of Oak Lawn Marketing, a branding and media company that owns Shop Japan, the largest infomercial brand in Japan, since 2006. He brings with him a wealth of experience related to educational and cultural exchange and entrepreneurship, having lived and worked in Japan for nearly thirty years. Mr. Hill served as a participant on the Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme and its precursor program, the Monbusho English Fellows from 1987-1990 in Gifu Prefecture, where he created a strong network of individuals and government officials who would later help him in building his professional career. His extensive professional experience includes founding H&R Consultants, a leading lease providing and relocation service in Tokyo and Nagoya. In addition, Mr. Hill has been actively involved in numerous charitable and non-profit organizations, including the U.S.-Japan Bridging Foundation, where he has been a member of the Tokyo Advisory Committee and long-time sponsor of its scholarship program. “Mr. Hill will be an asset to the Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission and CULCON, bringing strong leadership experience as a successful entrepreneur, and a deep passion for strengthening the U.S.-Japan relationship through educational and cultural exchange,” says Executive Director Paige Cottingham-Streater. Mr. Hill’s expertise on Japan and cross-cultural communication skills will further advance the Commission and CULCON’s efforts to invest in Japanese and American studies, people-to-people exchanges and artistic and cultural initiatives.
Mr. Hill succeeds Read More
New Saga JET website!
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Here it is! http://sagajet.com
(Sorry, kind of a bare bones post I know.)
LinkedIn group for JET Alumni of France!
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I just learned from Celine Castex (Chiba-ken, 2006-11) of CLAIR Tokyo that there is a LinkedIn group for French JET alumni:
Also, a reminder that you can find JET alum LinkedIn and other groups for every prefecture and nearly every professional field you can think of here: https://jetwit.com/wordpress/jet-alum-groups/
Japan Times: “Japanese firms mostly unaware of benefits of hiring from JET ranks: poll”
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Article from the Japan Times about a Keizai Doyukai survey that indicates that Japanese companies are behind the curve compared to foreign companies with regard to hiring JET alumni, even though they possess qualities such as familiarity with Japanese language and culture than many Japanese companies need.
Note to Japanese companies: If you want to reach JET alumni, it’s as easy as e-mailing your job listings to jetwit [at] jetwit.com. It’s the best way to disseminate your job listings since JETwit jobs posts get echoed by JETAA chapters, and it’s free!
Japanese firms mostly unaware of benefits of hiring from JET ranks: poll
BY MASAAKI KAMEDA
STAFF WRITER
Japanese companies are less aware than their foreign counterparts of the government-sponsored Japan Exchange and Teaching Program and are thus missing out on an opportunity to hire foreigners who have the skills they need, a recent survey by a major business lobby showed.
The Japan Association of Corporate Executives (Keizai Doyukai), which conducted the survey released Friday, noted that domestic companies need to strategically hire former JET teachers and urged the government to create a mechanism to facilitate match-making opportunities for them.
The Keizai Doyukai survey, carried out between late November and December, said that only 18 percent of the 167 responding domestic companies knew about the JET program, and that only nine had hired former JET personnel.
By comparison, 83 percent of the 23 foreign companies and embassies who responded said they knew about the program and had employed past JETs. Read More
Career: Resources for Professional Development in the Nonprofit Sector
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By Ellen Abramowitz, (ALT Shiga-ken 2012-13), a New York City native with a background in international energy, environment and sustainability nonprofits. She hopes to continue to promote community-based change in how people interact with their environment through education and action-based programming.
Currently, there are about 1.5 million nonprofits in the United States. These organizations are present in many fields including government and policy, economics, health, environment and the arts. If you are looking to advance your career in the nonprofit sector, or volunteer with a nonprofit organization, there are certain skills that are always needed by these groups, which generally achieve great results with a small staff and a tight budget. Gaining skills in project management, grant-writing, fundraising and budgeting – even if it is not your focus area – will help you stand out from other candidates.
Resources:
The Foundation Center (foundationcenter.org) connects people who want to change the world with the resources they need. They provide information about finding grants and donors. In their New York City location, they provide many free and low-cost classes monthly on topics like proposal writing, budgeting and networking. These are necessary skills for anyone interested in a career in nonprofits. Here is the January calendar:
http://foundationcenter.org/newyork/jan_2014.pdf;jsessionid=P55IMQU0MNKKZLAQBQ4CGXD5AAAACI2F
Another helpful resource is Read More
JETAA Singapore welcomes home recent returnees
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Thanks to JETAA Singapore’s Nathalie Ng for sharing this update, originally written by Shane Wong:
JETAA Singapore had a simple but fun welcome back reception for recent returnees of the JET Programme on 26 Oct 2013 at the Minds Café Funan Centre. Opened to all members and friends, the event was also attended by staff of the Embassy of Japan in Singapore and CLAIR Singapore.
After a brief round of introduction, smaller groups were formed where the chatter continued over games, free-flow drinks and snacks. It was a good time for members to reminiscence their time on the JET Programme with the recent returnees sharing their experiences working and living in Japan.
Congratulations on successfully completing your stint on the Programme, and welcome home!
And thank you, Akita, Aomori, Miyagi, Shimane, and Tottori for hosting and sharing your cultures with our JETs. We hope, as always, that this would be the beginning of closer ties between Japan and Singapore.
Japan News: Tokyo to increase number of JETs significantly in 2014 in anticipation of Olympics
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Great JET news from The Japan News (i.e., Yomiuri Shimbun)! Apparently Tokyo Governor Inose also announced that Tokyo will increase the number of its hiring JET participants from 5 to 100 in 2014, and to 200 from 2015. Also, from conversations I’ve had, it sounds like representatives of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government developed a very positive impression of JET based on various interactions they had with JETAANY during visits to NYC.
Tokyo English teachers to study abroad for Olympics
November 7, 2013
The Yomiuri Shimbun
The Tokyo metropolitan government will send about 200 young English teachers from middle and high schools to English-speaking countries every year for three months to brush up their English teaching abilities in anticipation of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, sources said Thursday.
The program, designed to beef up the English ability of teachers as well as their teaching abilities, will start in the next academic year in April. Many foreign visitors are expected to come to Tokyo during the Olympics and Paralympics in 2020, according to the sources.
The number of assistant language teachers (ALTs) at metropolitan-run high schools will also be increased.
The metropolitan government plans to appropriate about ¥1 billion in next fiscal year’s budget. Through improvement in instruction capacities at schools, it plans to improve students’ language abilities, the sources explained.
Currently there are about 3,000 English teachers at public middle schools and high schools in Tokyo. Of them, about 200 teachers in their third year of employment will be sent to overseas universities and other educational institutions in English-speaking countries every year. They will attend English lessons and learn English teaching methods during the three-month period.
The metropolitan government also plans to increase the number of ALTs at metropolitan high schools, about 200 at present, to 300 in the next academic year and 400 in the academic year of 2015.
The Tokyo government plans to utilize the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program, an international exchange program coordinated by the central government for local governments to invite young foreign nationals to teach English as assistants.
Japan Times article on ALTs and discipline in the classroom
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Thanks to AJET Chair Kay Makishi for bringing this to JETwit’s attention. Notably, in addition to the current JET who is quoted, Aaron Miller (Ehime-ken, 2002-04) is also quoted in connection with his recently published book on discipline in the Japanese education system and the writer of the article is a current JET. On a related note, a really good book on discipline in the classroom is Discipline with Dignity, though not sure how it works cross-culture:
When it comes to discipline in class, leave it to the locals
BY PATRICK ST. MICHEL
SPECIAL TO THE JAPAN TIMES
Aaron Joseph remembers the email Interac sent him regarding his school placement in Sakai, Osaka, in August 2012.
“There was a line that said, ‘It’s kind of a rough school, but we are sure you can handle it.’ ”
It didn’t take long for the Nashville-born Assistant Language Teacher (ALT) to see the company wasn’t kidding about Otori Junior High School.
“My first day teaching — my very first class — one kid asked me, ‘Are you a miserable f-ck?’ I did a double take — it was perfect pronunciation.” He says the next six months at Otori were filled with disinterested classes, instances of students smoking inside and fights — some nearly breaking out between students and teachers.
Although his situation was extreme, Joseph faced a challenge shared by many ALTs in Japan: how to deal with misbehaving students. Not every ALT has to stare down scrappers and smokers everyday, but most have dealt with loud, inattentive or disruptive classes and students, sometimes frequently. How does a non-Japanese teacher approach discipline in these scenarios?
For Joseph, it was clear: don’t engage. “Interac made it pretty clear at orientation that discipline was not our business,” he says. “Don’t get in a battle of wills with a teenager — if you get mad at them, you can’t do anything.”
Private dispatch companies tend to be direct about discipline; in their teaching manuals, businesses such as Interac or Aichi Prefecture-based Altia Central strongly advise ALTs to leave matters of discipline to fully licensed teachers.
For teachers working through the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Programme, or those tasked with leading classes by themselves, disciplinary procedures aren’t so straightforward. The JET handbook for ALTs never explicitly states that a foreign teacher should avoid discipline, offering up only strategies to stop students from becoming disruptive. [The Japan Times contacted the education ministry about official procedures, but did not get a response in time for publication.]
Daniel Nicholls, a JET ALT based in Mie Prefecture, says he has never been told by JET, his board of education or his school not to discipline students. Read More
