3rd grade Sumi-e Painting and ceramics project

3rd grade learned about the Japanese art form of painting called Sumi-e. They practiced brush strokes using bamboo brushes called a "fude."  Students created an ink bowl and brush holder inspired by the traditional cobalt painted Asian pottery.

Independent ESD research time in Tokyo

I have been trying to explore as much of Toyko as I can during my free time.  Below are some photos from various art galleries, museums and interesting scenes from just walking around the streets.

Ginza Graphic Gallery really cool projected videos. Lots of art playing with light, movement and shadow.

I am in front of the Mori Art Museum  in Robppongi Hills under Louise Bourgeois' Spider sculpture.
The Spider is an ode to my mother. She was my best friend. Like a spider, my mother was a weaver. My family was in the business of tapestry restoration, and my mother was in charge of the workshop. Like spiders, my mother was very clever. Spiders are friendly presences that eat mosquitoes. We know that mosquitoes spread diseases and are therefore unwanted. So, spiders are helpful and protective, just like my mother.
— Louise Bourgeois

Shibuya  crossing rumored to be the world's busiest, this intersection  in front of the Shibuya station is famously knows as 'The Scramble'. People come from all directions at once, sometimes over a 1,000 with every light change, yet manage to dodge each other with practiced nonchalant agility.

I must have walked by Hachiko Statue a few times as I was expecting it to be very large.

I searched all over Shibuya to find the Hachiko Statue erected at teh station plaza to celebrate the memory of  an Akita dog, who belonged to a professor who lived near Shibuya Station. The professor died in 1925 but the dog continued to show up and wait at the station for his master until his own death 10 years later.

Rarely does a neighborhood influence a fashion movement as distinctly, yet diversely, as does the Harajuku district of Tokyo. Often all mixed together, the elements of Harajuku style include manga-inspired baby-doll dresses and pigtails, goth makeup and platform shoes, and kimonos.

Having dinner in Ueno

Shiseido Gallery I saw an exhibition by Hong Kong-born artist Lee Kit, currently based in Taipei. Titled "The voice behind me"Lee’s keywords for this exhibition include concepts like “fear,” “solitude” and “breathing.” In the background, many of these reflect frustration with political and social inequalities, the stresses that accompany daily life, and inescapable solitude. Lee himself has felt such feelings during his sojourns in many different cities—Hong Kong, Taipei, London, Tokyo, among others—and while such feelings may often be construed as negatives, Lee remarks that “being pessimistic is optimistic.” This sort of flexible attitude is essential if one is to resist being beaten down by current conditions and to move forward with living.

I went to the Mori Art Museum which also includes the Tokyo City View an observatory on the 52nd floor and has some of  the best views in Tokyo.  The current exhibition at Mori Art Museum is a "Star Wars Vision", including art work of approximately 60 points of the world first public exhibition that artist whom Mr. George Lucas chose from all over the world produced, it is display with concept art and apparel, approximately 100 points including small tools that were really used by movie production of series 6 work. We introduce charm of Star Wars on theme called "vision".

Below are some random photos I took while exploring Tokyo today.  I really paid attention to the various  lines, shapes and patterns I discovered all around me. 

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).