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Teacher's dream fulfilled will become a gift that keeps on giving

A teacher's journey to Japan begins today. Later , she'll share with her students what she learned .

By RITA FARLOW
Published November 12, 2006

April Barron has long dreamed of visiting Japan. Today, the third-grade teacher at Perkins Elementary School in St. Petersburg will start living that dream as a participant in the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program.

"I'm just flipping, because I never thought in my life I'd be able to go to Japan," Barron said.

Barron is the only Pinellas County teacher chosen this year and one of only a handful selected since the program was established a decade ago to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Fulbright Program. The JFMF program is funded by the Japanese government.

"The Japanese government ...wanted to introduce Japanese culture and education to as many Americans as possible.

"One of the beauties of the Japanese government's vision is that they're able to reach our teachers, who then can reach so many more of our students," said Christopher Powers of the Institute of International Education, which helps coordinate preprogram activities in the United States for the Japan-U.S. Educational Commission.

One of the most crucial parts of the selection process is a teacher's followup plan, Powers said. Barron's plan focused on integrating curriculum and technology, made easier by the fact that Perkins third-graders each have a laptop as part of a district pilot program. Barron also has a classroom Web site that offers information about Japanese history, culture and geography.

"I'm learning video technology, so in addition to having this Web site for my children to navigate while I'm gone, we will use what we know in technology, using our computers, cameras and videocams to take pictures of different nature shots. Then we'll be writing haiku poetry from that," Barron said.

She plans to brief staff members about her trip and host a booth at the school's spring festival to expose students to what she learned.

Barron will spend three weeks in Japan. The first will be spent in Tokyo, at lectures on Japanese education, economics and politics with other participants. Then the teachers will split into groups to visit different prefectures. Barron will travel to Komaki in Aichi prefecture.

Barron said she plans to stay in touch with her kids while she's gone.

"Because our third-graders are technologically literate now, we'll video conference from Japan and we'll blog back and forth," she said.

[Last modified November 11, 2006, 19:40:56]