Ms. Jessica returns from Japan-U.S. Teacher Exchange Program for Education for Sustainable Development joint-conference in San Francisco

I will visit Japan this summer as a participant in the Japan-U.S. Teacher Exchange Program for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), hosted by the Japan-U.S. Educational Commission (Fulbright Japan). It is an  honor to be one of 14 teachers in the US selected for this opportunity. The bi-nationally-funded program for U.S. teachers takes place in two parts: a Joint Conference, which I just attended last week with Japanese teachers in San Francisco, and a study tour to Japan, June 22-July 7, 2015. Focused on the theme of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), the program aims to deepen mutual understanding and strengthen the relationship between Japan and the United States, as well as to raise awareness of ESD-oriented school programs and enhance ESD-related curricula in both countries. ESD is “a vision of education that seeks to balance human and economic well-being with cultural traditions and respect for the earth’s natural resources,” according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Starting April 26, a contingent of 14 Japanese primary and secondary school teacher participants travelled to the United States for a fully-funded two-week study tour of American culture and ESD programs in U.S. schools. Following an orientation program, the teachers spent a week visiting schools and ESD resource sites in Washington, DC and participated in home stays with American families.  

The Joint Conference included presentations by U.S. experts in Education for Sustainable Development as well as workshops and group discussions focused on ESD curriculum development. BVSD is very progressive when it comes to ESD, I gave a presentation during the conference sharing our ESD activities with my collegues. We shared our ESD curricula and collaborated with each other to strengthen school activities in four vital areas of ESD focus: food and sustainable nutrition; environment; energy and resources; and international understanding and cooperation.

In June 2015, I will travel in a reciprocal and fully-funded two-week study tour to Japan, where I will learn about Japanese culture, visit Japanese schools focused on ESD, participate in a home stay, and meet again with their Japanese counterparts for a three-day Joint Conference, including workshops and curricular collaboration, in Tokyo. Upon their return to the United States, I will engage in collaborative projects with program counterparts in Japan and the U.S., share what I have learned through the program, and implement refined ESD curricula in my home school.

The Japan-U.S. Teacher Exchange Program for ESD is administered by the Japan–U.S. Educational Commission (Fulbright Japan), with support in the U.S. from the Institute of International Education in San Francisco. It is jointly funded by the Embassy of the United States in Japan, and the Japanese Government’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT).