Session 4 readings, 9/25

[Jazmin Luna]

You are totally right! Even though these topics might be too intense for my second graders, it is never too early to teach them about morality, equality, and fairness.  I am thinking that we can use what you said and tie it into discussions about how our goverment started and why we wanted to break apart from England.  I can also tie this in when we start discussing about civil rights and how one group of people thought of themselves as better just because of the color of their skin.  It amazes me to see how history repeats over and over, instead of learning from it.  That just because someone openly rebels against whomever is in power, they are to be punished harshly for trying to change the status quo. 

[Catalina Silvestre]

In the article of “War and Aftermath in Japan” it is stated that, “The education ministry suppressed academic freedom and promoted patriotism.”   The quote above speaks notions about how the people in this region were controlled.   Education is a tool that can be used for good or bad.   The education ministry selected to teach information that would be valuable in shaping the mindset of the masses in this region so that they would do what was necessary when it came to politics.  It also shaped the way school delivered education and shaped what they thought and received in relation to participating in war.  It is important that students receive information as such to be aware of how the social system and economy can shape one’s existence within a society.   Based upon the belief system at any given time of the masses in a particular area one can be shaped to participate in something that they may not be participating in is informed otherwise or against what is being taught.

 

[Catalina Silvestre]

I believe that wartime diaries service a good type of literature that students can connect to show the relation in their connection to the narrator.  I have to get not use diaries as a style or type of literature with in my classroom to teach students how to comprehend and connect to the text.  I do believe that By the way you explain the heart warming present and tone of what you have read it will be beneficial to use within a classroom struggling readers.  Struggling readers tend to connect the best with literature that they can relate to and that is interesting to them.  You mentioned “I want to do my best to become a splendid citizen” is kind of maddening because this is a child!  This quote reminds me that there are so many opportunities where students can connect to the text.  These opportunities lead to great academic conversation as openers that relate to other academic content.  I plan on using excerpts from my class in the above-mentioned readings.  

[Carlos Oyarbide]

I too was fascinated to hear about the Indigenous people of Japan. One of my favorite things about this class is seeing so many parallels between the East Asian history and the Western history that I am more familiar with. I think we take for granted all the universal things that bind us as a people. Unfortunately, one of these universal things has been the mistreatment of indigenous people around the world. I know that it’s impossible to cover such a large amount of content in just two class sessions, but I would have learned to learn more about the Ainu and their history. What has become of them today and how do their customs and beliefs differ from those of what today we call the Japanese people? I would have also liked to hear more about the professor’s pirate ancestors. I love the little tangential bits of information that he sprinkled throughout the lecture. 

[Aja Koester]

Ebrey’s chapter titled World War II, discusses the Axis and Allied powers with an emphasis on Japan’s role in WWII. As I think back to my own education in high school, the emphasis on WWII was always on Germany, Hitler, and the Nazi party. Though it was a long time ago, I do not remember learning much about Japan’s involvement in the war. Oddly enough, considering I grew up in America, I learned little to nothing about the Japanese-American experience in the war.

 

As I read Ebrey’s chapter, it felt like a lot of missing pieces in my understanding of WWII were falling into place. Ebrey does a great job of outlining some of the similarities between Germany, Japan, and Italy. Thus, he brings an understanding to why they came together during this war in the first place. This had never actually been super clear to me. I knew different events that each country was involved in and their individual roles in the war, but this article gives insight into the larger picture and the attitude or ideologies driving the Axis and Allied forces.

 

I liked the layout of this text. For me, it felt accessible and straight to the point. This article could be used with high school students and I feel they would be able to grasp it quite well.

[Ann Huynh]

Japan rising power in East Asia, defeat, and rebirth is a lesson.  This would help explain why the Japanese left Japan and decided to look for greener pasture elsewhere, namely Hawaii in the United States.  Many of the second born sons have very limited opportnities that a lot of them decided to move.  Therefore during World War II, many Japanese Americans were relocated to camps because of mistrust.  The war ended with the dropping of the two atomic bombs, but the aftermath was problematic.  The deaths and birth defects resulting from the radiation was unplanned.  I would introduce this time period to the students using the novel "Sadako and the Thousand Cranes" to help them understand the war and its aftermath because World War II is a major focus in America history.  

[Tanish Fortson]

World War II in my opinion should have been avoided because it was so deadly. It was fought between the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, and Japan) and the Allied Powers (Britain, United States, Soviet Union, and France).  What I did not know was that Japan invasion of Manchuria in 1931 began the war. In 1937 Japan launched all-out war against China. In 1939 Germany invaded Poland so Britain and France declared war on Germany. Hitler wanted to Rule Europe. The United States didn’t join the war until 1941 when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. Some countires remained neutral during World War II refusing to join neither side. In 1945 An Allied army crossed from Britian to free France from Nazi rule. About one year later Allied armies invaded Germany, forcing Germany to surrender. Nuclear attacks on Hiroshima an Nagasaki forced Japan to surrender as well.

It was many other things that went on during the war that was unacceptable, like the rape of nanking in which Japanese officers encouraged their men to loot stores and rape women. Then Japan realized how terrible it was to encourage that so the offered a solution which was to provide “comfort stations” to meet soldiers physical needs and combat venereal disease. 

[Ann Huynh]

The Japanese rise to power in East Asia is not thought of fondly by both China and South Korea.  There have been many lasting impacts.  It is therefore noteworthy that even during this time that there is a woman who is willing to advocate for women’s independence.  One such Korean woman is Louise Yim.  Yim was a Korean who wanted to be educated like the men and felt that men and women are not very different from each other in terms of intellectual and abilities.  She admitted that there are physical differences, but this should not regulate a woman to the kitchen.  This is a great source because even to this day women are not necessarily pay the same as the men for the same job.  This struggle has been ongoing and this excerpt by Yim validate and confirm that women’s rights are important, and until the men realized that, the fight will not stop.  

[Tanish Fortson]

I vividly remember reading Diary of Ann Frank as well in the 5^th grade. I think an alternative to this would be have students read something like An Evacuated Schoolgirl to give students and alternate point of view. If my students were older I would use this book as curriculum materials and create a unit on it.

 

 

I did quickly skim the journal entries but it did seem as though Nakane Mihoko went through a lot for such a young child. To be sent Kumekawa away from your parents must be very scary. I do believe Mihoko was away from her parents for almost 1 year.  Her diary was so innocent. She spoke about things a normal 6^th grade girl would talk about. I did read the last few entries in which Mihoko give her opinion on the defeat of Japan. It was cute. But in the next entry she was talking about finding crayons and doing laundry. It just goes to show you how young and innocent Mihoko was. I think this diary is very relatable for upper elementay and middle school students.

 

[Sonia Arrayales]

I was taken aback upon learning this. I just think back to what I learned about World War II in high school and college, and not having learned about this.It takes courses like to get a different historical perspective.

[Luis Camacho]

Readings for session #4 by Luis M. Camacho

It is important for my students to learn that hard work, perseverance, and consistency are very important to achieve success in life. It will be a good example to talk about the war time in Japan, when people suffered in different ways. Kids were separated from their families and sent to a camp where the lack of attention was bad but no comparable with the lack of food.  Even in the middle of desperation women were preparing themselves for the final battle. They were practicing war techniques to defend their country in their own soil. Even tough Japan lost the war, and the country finished destroyed, the brave people of Japan worked together to bring back their country to the first places worldwide in a relatively short time. It is admirable how the Japanese people worked united for the love their country. This love gave them the strength to recover and placed Japan again in the top ten powerful countries in the world. It will be a great lesson to learn for my students specially with the actual situation we are living in our country dangerously divided by the ignorance, intolerance and bigotry of some small part of our society.

 

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