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OUR HISTORY
by Ann Jordan
(former LG Nihongo teacher)
August 2020
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LGHS Japanese-20 Years Strong!
The Japanese language program at Los Gatos High School has been around for almost two decades! As the original and now retired LGHS Japanese teacher, I’d like to share a little of that history with you. It all started in the late 1990’s when a group of determined students petitioned to include Japanese among the four other languages- Spanish, French, Italian, and German. Eventually, these efforts succeeded, but it would take another couple of years before freshmen and sophomore sign-up numbers were large enough for administration to commit to hiring a teacher and opening a class.
FALL 2001-Pioneers!
Japanese at LGHS officially began with a very large class of over 40 motivated and enthusiastic level 1 students and one teacher, me (Ann Jordan). Principal Trudy McCulloch was very supportive, but was only able to guarantee two years. Students in the level 1 class were owed that much, but whether the program could go beyond that would depend on continued student enrollment and interest. Taking a leap of faith, I relocated from Salinas, where I had a long established teaching career and job security, for the exciting (and scary) opportunity to build something from scratch.
Motivation and excitement was high among the pioneers of the first non-European language class at Los Gatos High School. At the start of each new school year, I always asked the beginning students to write a short letter telling a little about themselves and why they chose Japanese. Starting with that very first class and continuing until my retirement, the most common reasons were almost always one or more of the following:
an interest or fascination with some aspect of Japanese culture or society
a desire to learn something different and challenging
a connection to someone who had lived, traveled, or worked in Japan
Growth and Visibility
Enthusiasm for Japanese continued, and enrollment in Japanese steadily increased, along with visibility in the school and community, and within just a few years, the Japanese program had increased to four levels. In 2004, the LGHS chapter of the Japanese National Honor Society became the first language based honor society at the school, and is currently one of the most active JNHS organizations in the U.S. (https://yhara04.wixsite.com/jnhs)
In 2007, when the College Board rolled out its newest language course, LGHS was among the first high schools in the nation to offer AP Japanese Language and Culture.
Teachers Who Lead
By 2008, the program had grown so large that one full-time teacher was not enough, and Megumi Shibamiya sensei came on board to teach Japanese 2 and Algebra. Shibamiya sensei had to leave LG for Hawaii after just one year, but she made quite an impact on her students and the program in the short time she was here. She got LGHS students involved in participating in a nationwide online karaoke contest, something that became an annual tradition, and even brought us a little bit of fame. I have met Japanese teachers from other states who, when hearing that I taught at Los Gatos High, would mention they heard about us through our music videos, such as this one from 2013.
Next, LGHS was very fortunate to have Kaori McDaniel sensei come on board in 2009, bringing new excitement, ideas, and leadership. McDaniel sensei also served as president of the California Association of Japanese Language Teachers for three years, and as a result of her influence and contribution to the Japanese language teaching community during that time, LGHS was selected in 2014 to participate in the Kakehashi Project, an all expenses paid visit to Japan sponsored by the Japan Foundation for 24 students and two teachers. McDaniel sensei is also responsible for a very special annual spring visit and performance by Baisho Matsumoto, shamisen artist, featured in this story.
After McDaniel sensei, Yukiko Hara sensei came to us from Gunn High School. Hara sensei is a Google Certified Educator Level 1, and this fall, in addition to teaching LGHS classes, will start an online course in beginning Japanese for 8th graders. She is also a presenter at the California Language Teachers Association annual conference.
When I retired, Kumi Kobayashi sensei came to LGHS from Lynbrook High School. She is the South Bay regional representative for the California Association of Japanese Language Teachers and is a regular presenter at the annual CLTA conference. She is also the newly appointed Co-Director of the Japanese National Honor Society of the American Association of Teachers of Japanese and just started preparation to be a Google Certified Trainer. She will be chairing the World Languages Department starting this fall.
Teacher leadership and student advocacy has been a continuing feature of the program. I was chair of the LGHS World Languages Department for ten years and also served on the AP Japanese Language and Culture Committee as College Board Advisor for several years. In my last year of teaching, I was Vice-president of the AATJ, and currently serve as President-elect.
Beyond the Classroom
Providing students in all levels with lots of opportunities to experience and connect with Japan both inside and outside of the classroom has been a priority of every past and present Japanese teacher at LGHS. Since the very first year, when we hosted 25 high school students from Iwate prefecture, cultural exchange has been a key component of the program. LGHS has enjoyed a sister school exchange relationship with Sakuragaoka HS in Tokyo since 2014. Our students gain lasting benefits from both inbound and outbound homestay exchanges.
Students also have been able to show off their language skills at local and regional speech contests, organize Japanese cultural events in the community, perform Japanese traditional Rakugo storytelling, participate in national online karaoke contests (and have been sooo close to winning several times!)...the list goes on and on.
Kazoku (Family)
Another point of pride is the student retention rate, consistently the highest of the other languages offered. Regardless of what grade they are in when they start Japanese, a greater proportion of students remain in the program until they graduate. The reason most often cited is that students feel such a strong bond and sense of community with their teachers and classmates, they don’t want to leave. It’s a connection that continues long after graduation, and many students make a point to stay in touch. Many graduates of the program have continued their study of Japanese in college, done short or long-term study abroad programs in Japan, and found careers that provided them opportunities to apply either their language or cultural knowledge or both. (link to the graduates section)
Looking Ahead
The strong connection among students who have been part of Japanese program at LGHS, is also true of its teachers, who each helped shape it into the robust, unique program that it is today. After retiring in 2018, I was thrilled to pass the baton to the next generation-the outstanding team of Kumi Kobayashi and Yukiko Hara. Though retired, I continue to help out periodically as “team mom forever”, and it is such a pleasure to see them continue the traditions developed over the last two decades and create new ones as they expertly guide the program into the future.
(Note: Ann Jordan was the recipient of the 2013 CLTA Outstanding Teacher Award
and Santa Clara County Teacher of the Year Award)
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