Marine Headline News
Volunteers
teach English, gain cultural
respect
NAGO CITY, Okinawa,
Japan — Marines and Sailors from Camp Schwab taught English
to Okinawan children at Omiya Elementary School here May 25.
Twice a month Camp
Services offers service members a unique opportunity to bond
with Okinawan elementary students, promoting international
understanding and English language instruction.
“Some day I want
to be a teacher,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Jonathan A.
Silk, dental technician, 3rd Dental Battalion, 3rd Force
Service Support Group. “Volunteering is a good experience to
see how other cultures educate their children.”
The volunteers
arrived at the school before the afternoon classes began, and
spent time playing with the children during their midday
break.
“The children
wouldn’t let me play soccer with them at first, but after
they warmed up to me I was in the game,” Silk said.
The Okinawan
students walked the volunteers to their designated classrooms
to meet their translators, who eased the way for each service
member to communicate and instruct the class.
The volunteers began
the class by writing their names on the board. Next they
addressed the class with the greeting, "Hi, my name
is…” and the class returned the greeting with, "Hi,
nice to meet you."
According to third
grade teacher Mikuni Uehara, for many of the children, this is
their first experience learning English.
“There are not
many chances these children have to learn English from
individuals from the United States,” Uehara said. “Having
the volunteers come to the school helps the students
familiarize themselves with American culture.”
During the English
lesson, the service members sang songs like “head,
shoulders, knees, and toes,” and played “Simon says”
with the students, helping them retain newly learned English
words.
Private First Class
John A. McLaughlin, field radio operator, 4th Marine Regiment,
3rd Marine Division, and his fellow Marines said they noticed
improvements in the children’s vocabulary after only a
couple of hours.
“I believe the
children began to understand us, just as we started to
understand them,” McLaughlin said.
By spending the day
with the Okinawan students, the service members had a chance
to learn a little about Okinawan culture as well.
“I learned that
Okinawans have a completely different way of teaching than
Americans do,” McLaughlin said.
The thought of being
in front of a group of third and fourth graders who understand
very little English may seem horrifying to some people, but
the volunteers said the children loved to see Americans and
were eager to learn.
Service
members interested in volunteering should request permission
from their staff non-commissioned officer in charge and
contact Camp Schwab Camp Services at 625-2215.
NAGO CITY, Okinawa,
Japan - Cpl. Cirllee Moland Jr., motor transport chief,
Ammunition Company, 3rd Materiel Readiness Battalion, 3rd
Force Service Support Group, plays "Simon Says" with
the third grade students of Omiya Elementary School May 25.
Twice a month Camp Services offers service members a unique
opportunity to bond with Okinawan elementary students,
promoting international understanding and English language
instruction. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Joel
Abshier) (Released)
