By Staff
William Couch, a teacher Bob Jones High School in Madison, is among 50 teachers from seven states who
will travel to Japan in June for an all-expenses paid educational study
made possible through the Toyota International Teacher Program.
Teachers from California, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri and West Virginia will participate in the trip.
Three goals are to be met while the teachers are on the trip. They include
providing a professional development opportunity to build global skills and
perspectives, facilitate the flow of knowledge and ideas to address
international issues in the classroom and enhances curriculum and
promote understanding of history, values and educational systems in Japan
and America.
The program focuses on four themes – history, education, environment and
technology – and how these affect industry and society.
To illustrate these themes, the teachers will tour cultural destinations such as
Kanamaruza, Japan's oldest kabuki playhouse, artist Isamu Noguchi's studio,
the Peace Park and museum in Hiroshima and Tokyo's renowned and lively
Tukiji fish market.
The group will also spend time in Japanese schools, a Toyota plant where the company's hybrid gas/electric
Prius is manufactured and will visit and dine in the home of a Japanese
family.
The journey also includes historical and cultural stops in
Kotohira, Naoshima, Hiroshima and Miyajima, Toyota City, Nagoya Tokyo.
The trip is funded through an annual $600,000 grant from Toyota Motor
Sales, U.S.A., Inc., (TMS) and administered by the Institute of
International Education (IIE) in Washington, D.C.
The program takes place June 20 through July 5 and begins at TMS headquarters in Torrance,
Calif., where teachers will meet for a pre-departure orientation and
reception.