Two Japan International Cooperation Agency volunteers left last month with many good things to say after 18 months in the Marshall Islands.
Asked by the Journal for their “take aways” after teaching in Majuro public elementary schools over two school years, Rairok Elementary teacher Chikako Kato was quick to respond: “People’s kindness and the students’ smiles.”
Nana Miyazaki, who discovered on arrival that her first name wasn’t perfect fit for the Marshall Islands, used “Miya,” a piece of her last name, for her time here.
She told the Journal that living in Laura and teaching at Laura Elementary immersed her in island culture. “People were so kind to me,” she said. They’d offer her snacks, drinks and food when they saw her around the neighborhood. “The Laura community really took care of me,” she added.
Miya also pointed out that being in Laura opened a door to learning how to cook Marshallese food such as banke rice and jaibo. It also led her to try weaving to make handicrafts and to join a jepta (group) with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for the Christmas celebration.
Chikako taught grades 3-6 at Rairok and Miya was involved in grates 1-3 at Laura. Both focused their efforts on math with local students. Their work culminated in the “100% Goal Math Test” that public elementary students in grades 3-6 took recently. The 10-question math test was aimed at focusing students on the four math basics — addition, subtraction, multiplication and division — to gain improvements from grade to grade.
Both left the islands late last month for Japan, where they will return to teaching in different elementary schools.
The two JICA math specialists said through the use of regular math tests in each class and then the “100% Goal Math Test” that all Majuro elementary students in grades four-to-six took, the aim was to elevate focus on math fundamentals.
“I focused on improving students’ academic skills and supporting teachers,” said Chikako Kato, who taught at Rairok, but also was involved with other schools. “Through monthly arithmetic tests and continuous review, students gradually improved their calculation skills and gained confidence in math. It was meaningful to see these efforts become a regular system within the school.”
By regular math testing at Laura Elementary, JICA volunteer Nana Miyazaki said the “correct answer rate increased from approximately 30 percent at the beginning of the term to around 70 percent.”
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