My Reflection

I chose to do my portfolio on the local Japanese American community due to my lack of knowledge regarding their community. This cultural study assignment has opened up new perspectives for me not only as a teacher, but as a person in terms of personal self-growth and experience. From the beginning of this assignment till writing this final reflection, I was able to reach out of my comfort zone and explore more than what I usually do for assignments.

When I first started my journey I felt I was invading a close-knit, historical community. I walked around Japantown a few times and read a variety of newspaper articles about its community members. Even though I had good intentions, I still felt like I was putting the Japanese American community on display. I walked through Japantown feeling completely separated from the actual community because I was on a mission to learn as much as I could about the community and once that mission was completed I would have no reason to return. So this assignment has given me the opportunity to really dig into Japantown’s enriched history, and find out all the wonderful experiences that it has to offer. Before, I thought Japantown was just an abundant of Japanese descent people living in one place, but obviously it’s more than that.

I have lived in San Jose for 12 years and had not stepped foot into Japantown until this report. At first, I was overwhelmed by the general information I was finding about their community and did not gain an appreciation for the community until I conducted my interviews with Arlene Damron and Machiko Kyoya. From the stories they had shared with me, I was able to gain a better understanding on what it was like to grow up as a Japanese American. I have never had a personal private conversation with someone before who was critically involved in any major historical events in America. Both of their stories were simply amazing and inspiring. Arlene’s grandfather and father had greatly sacrificed for their families and their unselfishness, dedication and passion demonstrations motivated me to do more for my own culture especially In the Bay Area. Anyone can make a difference if they have the right intentions and make the effort.

What I learned from this project is that personal connections can teach a student more information about a community than any literature. I have also learned how to approach a cultural project in a way that I become an active participant in and not a spectator. More importantly, I have learned how to adopt this project into my own future classroom where my students can, if they are willing to present one aspect (food, songs, games, crafts) of their own culture to the class.

As a future teacher, it is important to understand that every student is unique with their different culture and background. It is my duty to explore their stories and know where they’re coming from so I can better provide the education that is more effective in their learning. Just like what’s mentioned in this reflection, I need to make an extra effort to search outside of the circle to find more answers so I can make positive influences in the students lives. If that’s accomplished, I believe I have fulfilled one of the many important purposes as a teacher.