Final Report for Kyl Timmer
Sabbatical year-2008

How I hope my sabbatical year will benefit Toyo Eiwa Girls' School:

1.Italian study, Scuola de Leonardo da Vinci in Florence, Italy

I was enrolled at the Scuola de Leonardo da Vinci in Florence, Italy from May, 2008 to August 2008. I reached the intermediate level of Italian proficiency. The reason I studied a foreign language was to better understand what my Japanese students experience in my English classes at Toyo Eiwa. This was the most beneficial part of my sabbatical year. I had three excellent Italian teachers and one incompetent teacher. I learned from all of them.

When learning a language you become, in a sense, a child. As a child you need a teacher who is very kind and patient; a teacher who never talks down to you. I found these qualities in three of my teachers. Even though I was the same age as my teachers, they became like a parental figure. They were always energetic, very interested in what they were teaching and very connected to each and every student in the class. I was very motivated to do my best and never miss class. It reminded me of the importance of having these qualities in my classroom at Toyo Eiwa.

I observed their classroom techniques as well as classroom management. Many things they did in their classes I do in my classes. It was very beneficial for me to see that many of my techniques and management skills are used by other teachers. It gave me confidence in my teaching.

I also learned from the teacher who was incompetent (unskilled). As soon as he walked into the classroom it was a negative experience. He looked bored. He focused most of his attention to the students who spoke the best Italian. I reacted very strongly to this. I started to dislike studying Italian and lost motivation to study. I realized the importance of our attitude as teachers. If we don’t love our jobs and connect with our students we will lose them.

The school had a very strict “Only Italian” policy. We were not allowed to speak any other language in the classroom or to the staff at the school. This rule was enforced to all students of all levels. I was amazed how quickly many of the students learned Italian very quickly-especially the younger students.

I hope to encourage more and more English speaking at Toyo Eiwa. The key to learning a language is through struggling and making mistakes but if we start a very strict “No Japanese” rule at Toyo Eiwa” the students will start feeling more comfortable making mistakes and thus becoming much better speakers of English. English needs to be spoken in not only the conversation classes but also the grammar classes, in the teacher’s room and in the halls.
I am very motivated to change this.

ponte vecchio-five minute walk from my apartment

my Italian class

my bedroom in Florence

2. Contemplative Education; spirituality in Education

I did an in-depth study of contemplative education and spirituality in education this year. I learned through this study that the most important aspect of teaching, more than the perfect lesson plan or teaching techniques, is about connecting with our students. I especially studied books and articles by Parker Palmer, a highly respected educator in this field. I hope having read his book, The Courage to Teach, will influence me in my classroom.

Education should serve as the core of a lifelong journey towards wholeness, rather than just learning facts, figures and skills. We, as educators have a responsibility to find some way of giving each student a sense of hope: somehow helping them believe in their own potentials.
As I have talked about in the morning teacher’s chapel at Toyo Eiwa I’m very concerned about the state of young people in Japan and the world. At Toyo Eiwa we have many students and teachers who feel disconnected with life. Being disconnected causes severe isolation which leads to being vulnerable and afraid. They could carry these feelings with themselves for the rest of their lives.

Thus, my goal in having studied spirituality in education this year is to provide a classroom that is more open and more living. I hope and pray to have a classroom where each student has a sense of belonging. If this occurs in my classroom, students will have the desire to learn, explore and be connected throughout their lives.

3. Studying Spanish

I found Florence, Italy a very difficult place to live-too many tourists and very few Italians. People were basically not happy thus it was very difficult to practice Italian. I desperately wanted to have a fulfilling, beneficial sabbatical so I chose to continue my studies at the school Sprachcafe in Madrid, Spain.

It turned out to be a wonderful decision as Madrid is a very open and friendly city where I had the chance to speak Spanish with the people every day. The school was outstanding with excellent teachers.

I had the opportunity to meet ESL teachers in Madrid. It was very informative to share ideas about teaching.

in my Madrid apartment

4. Writing a textbook for Toyo Eiwa’s Advanced Reader Class.

I wrote a textbook for my Advanced Reader Class for the coming school year. I put together a collection of news articles dealing with a variety of appropriate topics for 17 year old Japanese girls. With each article there are vocabulary exercises, word games and discussion questions. I will also use audio and visual activities. I have provided a copy for you to see.

5. Revision of Junior 1 and Junior 2 Toyo Eiwa Textbook

Another goal of mine this year was to revise the Junior 1 and Junior 2 textbooks. I was happy with the grammatical points of the book but I wanted more story and character development. Through this the plot I have created a more obvious Christian message. Akemi Shinohara, my illustrator, is drawing new characters that have more personality and will relate more to the students. We will start using the new revised books in April, 2011.

6. Taize

Another amazing experience I had this year was Taize. I can honestly say that this was the highlight of my Christian journey. I was deeply moved by the worship services. The simplicity and beauty of the music was very meditative and healing. I met wonderful people there; some of whom have become close friends. We had small discussion groups several times a day where we discussed our lives as Christians. It was a wonderful place to not only talk about the joys of being a Christian but also to discuss the doubts and fears. I would like to share my experience with Toyo Eiwa students in my chapel talks.

my discussion group

dinner time

7. Other studies

I became interested in a variety of topics this year. I read a number of books on social issues, the Iraq War, art history, biographies of European leaders and history books about Italy and Spain. I especially became interested in ecology and global warming. I feel this is the most important topic in today’s world; one which we must talk about with our students.

I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for this fantastic experience. It was one of the best years of my life. You’ve given me the opportunity to grow intellectually and emotionally. I hope and pray that what I learned this year will benefit my students at Toyo Eiwa.

Respectfully submitted,

Kyl Timmer