Granby students' solidarity extends to Japanese lessons
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| SNP photo by Dan
Trittschuh Granby Elementary School third-graders participate earlier this month in a bingo game designed to teach the names of animals in the Japanese language |
* Third-graders give up recess time to learn Japanese at a school with many native speakers.
By PAMELA WILLIS
A group of Granby Elementary School students is giving up
recess time to learn Japanese words, songs and phrases in a
noon option course.
Foreign language instruction in Worthington's elementary schools officially ended in 2003 as a result of former Superintendent Rick Fenton's budget cuts.
The program, called Foreign Language in the Elementary Schools, was funded from 1999 to 2002 with a $493,000 grant, designed to last three years. When the grant money ran out, however, the program was cut as part of Fenton's budget reduction list.
Nevertheless, some principals and teachers are continuing to integrate foreign language instruction wherever possible, with programs cropping up at Granby and Colonial Hills elementary schools, among others.
Granby Principal Linda Dawson said she came from a school system that routinely offered foreign language instruction in elementary grades.
"I thought a noon option would be the next best way to add language instruction," she said. "I felt the children would really respond well and enjoy learning a language that so many of their peers are speaking."
Granby has 40 to 50 students who are Japanese, and some still are learning English, Dawson said.
She said assistant teacher Michelle Price tutors Japanese students to help them learn English, along with English as a Second Language teachers and Japanese volunteer Michiko Hatakeyama.
"Michiko is the wife of the principal of the Columbus Japanese Language School, which meets at Granby on Saturdays," Dawson said. "She was a teacher in Japan. She comes in four times a week to work with the Japanese students and with our students in the option class."
The Columbus Japanese Language School was begun by Japanese parents in 1980, with just 14 students, to help Japanese students stay current with their own culture and language. According to information on its Web site, columbusshoshuko.com/english.htm, more than 500 Japanese students now meet on Saturdays at Granby and at McCord Middle School for Japanese language instruction.
Price teaches the Japanese option class at Granby.
"Because I work with Japanese students, I thought the noon option class would be a great way for other students to see what their Japanese classmates are going through as they try to learn English," Price said.
Price said the course was offered to third-graders, who must give up at least 15 minutes of recess once a week on Wednesdays.
"We do daily Japanese conversations," she said. "Sometimes I have them pick a partner and practice words, plus they learn songs, numbers and days of the week or month," she said.
When Dawson sent out a letter to parents to tell them about the course, 20 students were interested, Price said.
"We could only sign up 12 students at a time, so we did a lottery system, but some students actually cried when they weren't picked -- they wanted in so much," Price said. "The course was once a week for nine weeks. We may offer it to fourth-graders in January."
Price said the students are excited to learn a new language.
"They love the songs and the games, and when they see me in the hall, they say 'hello' to me in Japanese," she said. "I feel like these students have more of an appreciation for what Japanese students have to go through. Now that the nine weeks is ending, I told them to talk to the Japanese students, because they are your teachers now."
Language instruction in younger grades is important, Price said.
"From all that I've studied about language instruction, the younger you learn a language, the better chance you have of pronouncing the words correctly," she said.
Dawson said she would like to offer more noon option classes as teachers become available.
"Hopefully, learning languages at a young age will whet students' appetites to pursue languages as soon as they are able, which in Worthington is in middle school," she said. "All of our kids need to be more culturally aware. The course also shows our Japanese students that we are as interested in learning their language as we want them to learn ours."
Foreign language instruction in Worthington's elementary schools officially ended in 2003 as a result of former Superintendent Rick Fenton's budget cuts.
The program, called Foreign Language in the Elementary Schools, was funded from 1999 to 2002 with a $493,000 grant, designed to last three years. When the grant money ran out, however, the program was cut as part of Fenton's budget reduction list.
Nevertheless, some principals and teachers are continuing to integrate foreign language instruction wherever possible, with programs cropping up at Granby and Colonial Hills elementary schools, among others.
Granby Principal Linda Dawson said she came from a school system that routinely offered foreign language instruction in elementary grades.
"I thought a noon option would be the next best way to add language instruction," she said. "I felt the children would really respond well and enjoy learning a language that so many of their peers are speaking."
Granby has 40 to 50 students who are Japanese, and some still are learning English, Dawson said.
She said assistant teacher Michelle Price tutors Japanese students to help them learn English, along with English as a Second Language teachers and Japanese volunteer Michiko Hatakeyama.
"Michiko is the wife of the principal of the Columbus Japanese Language School, which meets at Granby on Saturdays," Dawson said. "She was a teacher in Japan. She comes in four times a week to work with the Japanese students and with our students in the option class."
The Columbus Japanese Language School was begun by Japanese parents in 1980, with just 14 students, to help Japanese students stay current with their own culture and language. According to information on its Web site, columbusshoshuko.com/english.htm, more than 500 Japanese students now meet on Saturdays at Granby and at McCord Middle School for Japanese language instruction.
Price teaches the Japanese option class at Granby.
"Because I work with Japanese students, I thought the noon option class would be a great way for other students to see what their Japanese classmates are going through as they try to learn English," Price said.
Price said the course was offered to third-graders, who must give up at least 15 minutes of recess once a week on Wednesdays.
"We do daily Japanese conversations," she said. "Sometimes I have them pick a partner and practice words, plus they learn songs, numbers and days of the week or month," she said.
When Dawson sent out a letter to parents to tell them about the course, 20 students were interested, Price said.
"We could only sign up 12 students at a time, so we did a lottery system, but some students actually cried when they weren't picked -- they wanted in so much," Price said. "The course was once a week for nine weeks. We may offer it to fourth-graders in January."
Price said the students are excited to learn a new language.
"They love the songs and the games, and when they see me in the hall, they say 'hello' to me in Japanese," she said. "I feel like these students have more of an appreciation for what Japanese students have to go through. Now that the nine weeks is ending, I told them to talk to the Japanese students, because they are your teachers now."
Language instruction in younger grades is important, Price said.
"From all that I've studied about language instruction, the younger you learn a language, the better chance you have of pronouncing the words correctly," she said.
Dawson said she would like to offer more noon option classes as teachers become available.
"Hopefully, learning languages at a young age will whet students' appetites to pursue languages as soon as they are able, which in Worthington is in middle school," she said. "All of our kids need to be more culturally aware. The course also shows our Japanese students that we are as interested in learning their language as we want them to learn ours."
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