Thank you so much, Tui Tuia and The Japan Foundation for such an awesome experience. I am so excited to use the activities and resources that were shared. The other teachers were great to meet and I look forward to keeping in touch with them.

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Jennie Sieczynski, John Paul II High School, Greymouth

I am able to improve my Japanese during the session but also we share some thoughts and ideas of teaching and experiences that I often apply to my classes.

I enjoyed listening to the Japanese language spoken, and trying to make myself understood in Japanese too. It gives me a greater appreciation of how difficult my students may find speaking Japanese too.

Listening to the natural Japanese of our Advisor and the other Japanese national teachers was very valuable.  I need that kind of practice.  Also enjoyed making the 'Teru teru bouzu' and will probably do that with my Year 9 class soon.

I recently had the privilege of hosting our Japanese advisor, Kaori Fukazawa, who introduced my high school Japanese classes to the fascinating world of furoshiki. She brought along an assortment of beautifully patterned furoshiki cloths and the highlight of the session was undoubtedly the hands-on activity that followed. Beyond the technical aspects, the furoshiki experience provided my students with valuable life skills. They learned about sustainability and the eco-friendly nature of furoshiki as a reusable alternative to single-use wrapping materials.

As a languages teacher, it is important for me to keep on learning another language so that I can explore various second language acquisition theories and put them into practice.