Marine Headline News
Spreading
the word around the world
CHATAN TOWN,
OKINAWA, Japan
— At the sound of the teacher’s greeting,
the children filled the first grade classroom at Hamagawa
Elementary School with eager and excited voices. The rhythmic
chimes sounded, and the children shuffled into their seats to
start the class, anxious to meet the strange new visitors.
June 4 was no
ordinary morning for the young Okinawan students; U.S. Marines
and sailors were in attendance.
“My kids can’t
wait to come to school when they find out that the Americans
are teaching,” said Javier F. Garcia, a volunteer and father
of three Hamagawa Elementary School students.
Americans, mostly
young Marines, have been volunteering to help teach English at
the local elementary school for the last five years, said
Hiroto Tomimura, Marine Corps Base Camp Foster community
relations specialist. The Americans also volunteer at the
neighboring Yonashiro, Chatan Daini and Kitanakagusuku
elementary Schools.
“We had a great
time today, (the children) are definitely learning,” said
Noriko Hige, a first grade teacher at Hamagawa Elementary
School.
Hige added that the visits are more about inspiring the children
to learn about the American culture, the English language and
the language and cultures of other nationalities than directly
learning English grammar.
Although
the children are learning about the foreign cultures, they are
still picking up helpful bits of the English language through
the lessons, said Hige.
The
English class began with introductions. Each Marine and sailor
stepped in front of the class and greeted the class with a
cheerful “good morning,” followed by a clear pronunciation
of their name. The class repeated the greeting to each service
member after the introduction.
The bulk of the
English lesson focused on numbers and counting. The lesson
began with a brief refresher in which the teacher flashed a
card displaying a number for the children to identify. The
class nailed down each number with ease.
The
service members then waded into the sea of knee-high desks and
excited children with flashcards in hand to quiz individual
children. After numerous trips by each service member, the
teachers were confident that each individual student was
comfortable with the numbers.
The class concluded with the “goodbye song,” which led both
service members and children alike to clap and sing along to
the catchy tune. Just before the service members could step
out of the door, the children swarmed them with clinging hugs.
“The
children love the Americans, they really look forward to
seeing them,” Tomimura said. “I do my best to keep
Americans coming back to teach. I don’t want to let the kids
down.”
CHATAN
TOWN, OKINAWA, Japan -- Cpl. Kareem D. Piper quizzes an
Okinawan first grader at Hamagawa Elementary School on
numbers. Piper, a supply clerk with Headquarters and Service
Battalion, Marine Corps Base Camp Butler, along with 5 other
American volunteers, visited the school June 4. (Marine Corps
photo by Lance Cpl. Patrick J. Floto) (Released)
