Why am I going to Japan?

This spring I received a letter from the The Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund (JFMF) Teacher Program, sponsored by the Government of Japan which said I was chosen to got to Japan in November 2006 to study the culture and educational systems of Japan. JFMF provides American primary and secondary school teachers and administrators with fully-funded short-term study tours of Japan. The program is designed to increase understanding between the people of Japan and the United States by inviting U.S. elementary and secondary educators to visit Japan and share their experiences with fellow Americans upon their return. JFMF participants travel to Japan with other outstanding educators, learn about Japanese culture and education, and return to implement a self-designed plan to share their knowledge and experience with their students, colleagues and community.

The Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program was established to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Fulbright Program — a U.S. government-initiated project created in 1946 to foster mutual understanding through exchanges of university students, faculty
and researchers. More than 6,000 Japanese people have benefited from the U.S.
Fulbright scholarship program. Many Japanese recipients of Fulbright scholarships went on to become leaders in government, business, and academia and were instrumental in the post-war redevelopment of Japan. To show the Japanese people's appreciation for the Fulbright Program, the Government of Japan established the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund to invite thousands of American teachers and administrators to Japan.

The Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program continues a tradition of dialogue and exchange between the United States and Japan. JFMF Teacher Program participants play a key role in educating America's youth and in developing future leaders who are informed
about both countries. The JFMF program's focus on primary and secondary education reflects the importance of internationalizing curricula at an early stage, and of providing opportunities for international experience to those who educate young people. (http://www.iie.org)

I hope to use part of my time in Japan meeting with other IB educators and identifying other IB schools that wish to partner with Trinity on a number of online activities. I leave on Sunday, November 12, 2006 at 8:00 AM to fly to San Francisco for a day of orientation and dinner with the Japanese Consul. Monday I fly on to Tokyo and the adventure of a lifetime!