TAB in Japan: Q&A with Zachary Wierzbicki

What do you hope to gain personally and professionally from this experience?

By moving outside the comfort zone defined by the parameters of linguistic and cultural experiences I hope to gain a more informed appreciation for the experience of English Language Learners (ELL) in North America. With the increasingly linguistically diverse profile of the classroom environment, there is the additional challenge put upon students for whom English is not their primary language to navigate a vast array of semiotic hurdles before they even really approach the content itself. As a Teachers, we have a tremendous responsibility to ensure that the learning environments of our classroom represent productive and supportive spaces for all of our students. Ultimately by participating in Teaching Across Borders, I hope to gain perspective on the practices that help to engage members of a learning community across language barriers.

Personally, I have wanted to learn Japanese for a long time and TAB offered the ideal opportunity to take some language courses and then practice those skills in an immersion environment.

What do you hope others will gain in the host destination from your involvement in TAB?

What I hope to bring to the program, what I hope to bring to my practice of teaching in general, is my experience operating within and around minoritized communities. I am gay, I was held back a grade in elementary, I had an IPP, I have a degree in biology and a minor in sociology, and I have been involved in the organization of the LGBTQA* groups on campus for the past seven years – taken together I have had many opportunities to experience, examine, and analyze how unique backgrounds can inform seemingly neutral mediums. In particular, to understand or at least perceive how the particular eventualities of a student’s reality can impact how they interact with their education. What I hope to bring to the schools in Hokkaido is also what I hope to refine.

What are you doing/ have you done to prepare either personally or professionally for this experience?

I have taken an introductory Japanese Language course to gain some minimum proficiency with the language. I have also spoken with a number of my peers and a cultural advisor to learn more about the country and cultural expectations so as to mitigate some of the cultural shock and engage more readily with the new experiences. In particular, the advice from the cultural advisor will help me to conduct myself properly within the professional contexts we’ll occupy during our stay.

With a great deal of assistance from both sides of this program, I am excited that I will be able to practice violin while I’m over there. The violin is a more recent practice I’ve taken up and it helps me to cope with anxiety and stress. I took up the violin a year ago and so I am truly grateful for the opportunity to maintain my practice during TAB so as to not lose any of what I have worked to learn over the ten week period of the program. Though not exactly preparation, I have started learning how to play Sakura on the violin.

Why did you choose the country you will be travelling to?

I chose Japan, in part, because I have a tremendous fondness for anime, video games, and manga. Also, I am enamored with the combination of incredible cityscapes and potent natural beauty of the country – prior to arriving in Sapporo I will be visiting Okinawa and Tokyo. I am so excited to experience everything that Japan has to offer during our brief stay!