OXFORD – Gifted and talented teacher Nancy Hohmann will be joining 199 other teachers on June 15 for a trip to Tokyo as participants in the Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program.

The program allows educators working in the United States to visit Japan with the goal of promoting greater intercultural understanding.

Hohmann said this trip is not a vacation. She plans to work.

“I applied in December and it was a very extensive application,” Hohmann said. “I have a detailed plan to follow.”

According to her grant Hohmann will:

• Create a film on the culture of Japan and provide the 15 teachers of third grade in SAD 17 with a copy. She said she would also enter the film in the M’iMovie Festival, where it can be viewed by an audience of more than 300 people. She said she will prepare a resource/study guide to accompany the film.

• Work at least weekly with upper elementary students to create a puppet play about several aspects of Japanese culture and present the play to parents and other students.

• Offer a slide program on Japanese gardens at the McLaughlin Foundation.

• Share experiences and insights gained with the district’s administrative team.

In total, 600 teachers from the United States will visit Japan in June, October and November of this year in groups of 200.

Hohmann’s group will begin their visit in Tokyo, meeting with officials and educators.

They will then travel in groups of 20 to prefectures outside of Tokyo. On this part of the journey they will visit primary and secondary schools and a teachers’ college. During these visits they will be able to have direct contact with teachers and students.

The Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program is administered by the Japan-United States Educational Commission.

Copy the Story Link