Junten Junior High School / Senior High School

Ten principals from the Philippines visited Junten on January 17th. The visit was organized by the Japan Foundation in Manila and was offered to schools that provide Japanese language programs to their students.

Ms. Magno, one of Junten’s ALT teachers, studied Japanese at the Japan Foundation Headquarters in Tokyo. The program coordinator that Ms. Magno worked with in Tokyo was transferred to the foundation offices in Manila where he now works as the vice-director of the Foundation. The vice-director contacted Ms.Magno to see if Junten could host the principals.

The schools are spread throughout the Philippine islands, including Mindanao, Luzon,and Cebu. One of the schools participating, the Magaldan National High School, was visited by Junten students on their SGH Field Trip.

The group arrived at 2:00 pm and went straight to English classes for observation. They were planning to just observe, but one class facilitated a question and answer session. All the principals were very friendly and they readily answered the students’ questions.

After classroom observation, the group took a campus tour and went to the cafeteria, library and the staff room. Then they gathered in a meeting room to enjoy “Merienda,” a traditional Filipino tea break with sweets and tea/coffee.  While relaxing and enjoying sweets, the principals and the Junten teachers talked about culture and current events. Junten teachers decided that supporting professional development for women and Merienda are two Philippine customs that Japan should adopt.

For the Merienda, Junten’s Tea Ceremony Club prepared Japanese tea and sweets. There was one principal who had matcha before, but the others had never tasted it, so they were very curious. The members of the Tea Ceremony Club answered the principals’ questions in detail. The students were able to respond to the more challenging questions because they have had experience with several international exchanges at Junten.

After the Merienda, two students who did field work in the Philippines last year gave presentations about their research projects. They used only English!

The first presentation was about multinational agricultural corporations. The principals were intrigued: “We learned a great deal from your research project, as we don’t think about these issues everyday.” “Discovery-oriented learning tends to focus on the natural sciences or engineering. Social and political issues are rarely studied, so I am very surprised and enthusiastic to see a highschool student covering these difficult issues.”

The second presentation dealt with the issues surrounding education in the Philippines. The student addressed the 3-T (Teachers, Teaching Room and Textbooks) Insufficiency. As the audience was made up of education experts, this presentation facilitated several comments and questions. The student presenting interviewed local teachers during her field research, so she was able to answer the challenging questions.

The two students didn’t have much time to prepare for their presentations, but they did a wonderful job. It is evident that they have improved their English speaking ability and public presentation skills. After the presentations, Junten’s Principal Mr. Nagatsuka joined the tour. Principal Nagatsuka and the principals from the Philippines had friendly conversation and exchanged gifts.

Tomorrow, the visitors are scheduled to go to Kanazawa. The group came from a tropical climate to be greeted by a Japan in the middle of a cold wave! Enjoy the rest of the trip and keep warm!