[Jacqueline Mercado]

Professor Kurashige began his lecture with a provocative discussion about myths and how we can and should deconstruct deeply held assumptions and beliefs.  He then related this concept to cultural stereotypes and how within groups of people there is a lot of diversity and so there is a danger if one generalizes and compartmentalizes all people within a group in one and the same box.  I was inspired by his opening statements and began to consider how one of the roles of an education is to do just that; to deconstruct myths by confronting, challenging and thinking about the stereotypes that we hold so deeply about others.  This is an important and necessary exercise to commit to with my students because so often they generalize and take as truth  what they hear without thinking trough the assumption.  So as a teacher, one of my  roles is to teach my students how to do this, how to challenge and deconstruct myths and stereotypes through thought, empathy and exposure to other viewpoints.  By presenting the myths and then presenting multiple resouces and viewpoints that counteract that myth, I can guide my students through this process.  That is the transformative power of an education.   By approaching any issue in my classroom through the prism of a debate, I can hopefully cause shifts in the perspectives of my students.  

[Jacqueline Mercado]

 Whenever I ask students about current events related to North and South Korea, I am often dismayed to find that most of my students are not informed about the current political situation in this part of the world, much less about Korean history and culture.  I find that there is a knowledge gap to be filled.   As I did the readings for this session, I found Flowers of Fire of particular interest, perhaps because I am a teacher of English.  I would use these short stories  as an introduction reading, a means to introduce my students to life in Korea during Japanese occupation and to any discussion about the study of Japan as a colonial power in that region.  The short story of "Kapitan Lee" is an example of historical fiction that lends itself to this task because it is a narrative, a story that reads easily and is engaging. Within our study of this short story, we would discuss characters, plot, conflicts and the vivid description of the violence Korean prisoners endured at one level and use it as a means to study larger political and cultural issues, such as Japanese occupation of South Korea and South Korea's relationship to Japan, the Soviet Union, and the cruel treatment of Korean prisoners by these occupation regimes.  This would be a worthy endeavor, especially because my students lack this knowlege and because these short narratives are an engaging teaching tool.

[Jacqueline Mercado]

I like this idea.  I think that using this diary to present a different perspective and a slice of life in Japan during Worl War II is an useful teaching tool because it is easy to read, engaging and accessible to students as they can to relate to a young girl's voice. While these two diaries are different and present different views of the war, they are also alike in their portrayal of these two young girls' innocence and sensibilities.

[Jacqueline Mercado]

I agree with this observation.  I personally thoroughly enjoyed getting a panoramic view of the history of Japan and its economic growth and development from 1800's to post World War II.  I was particularly intrigued by Professor Yamashita's presentation of Japanese life during World War II, a perspective not emphasized in my education of history. From full support of the war, bravado to disillusionment and ultimate resistance, food shortages and how bad things were in Japan at this time that led to the demise of Japanese order and morality. My imagination was captured by Professor Yamashita's insert of specific  detail and accounts of journal entries into his lecture.  This brought to mind the importance and usefulness of primary texts in any study of history and how these inserts and research helps fluidity, engagement and exectution of lessons.  I see that not only is preparation/research important in lesson planning, but so is the inclusion of primary texts like journal entries.  This was particularly useful to me because I am not a teacher of history and feel that I need more exposure to other primary texts to enrich my lessons.  Professor Yamashita's lecture is a good model to emulate and an example of good teaching.

[Jacqueline Mercado]

As a teacher of English, I was particularly intrigued by the reading of the diary of an evacuated schoolgirl. Not only does this diary present a voice not traditionally studied or widely know as the Diary of Anne Frank, for example, but it renders an honest account of how Japanese children were indoctrinated, trained and encouraged to become these young World War II enthusiasts who readily assimilated the nationalistic tendencies of their country.  From the deferential reverence of dead soldiers to references of daily occurrences such as practicing to hit the enemy, training for hand to hand combat and grenade throwing as fun, this diary gives us a view of how evacuated children were encouraged to approve of the war and Japan's involvement in it. Nakane seems to assimilate the nationalism that is before her and sadly, does not seem perturbed by the war but rather desires to be a good citizen of her country by persevering until the Japanese win.   I am glad to have been exposed to this primary text and will include it in any classroom discussion of World War II as I believe it is important for students to be introduced to multiple voices and perspectives.

[Jacqueline Mercado]

I appreciated Professor Yamashita's presentation and how he contextualized various battles by topography, economic power, the emotional implications of grudges and vendettas and the questions/implications of various histoire problemes, questions that must be explored and answered.  Prior to this session, my knowledge of Japanese history was limited to the role the Japanese played in World War II and the negative perception of the Japanese that Americans held. My knowledge of Japan and its history has been greatly expanded and I look forward to further exploring the economic and cultural implications of a tightly stratefied society, historically occupied with order and structure. 

[Jacqueline Mercado]

Leaning about the geography and topography of China and Japan was particularly enlightening for me. I knew of the general topography of these places but not with the specificity that Professor Dube made explicit during the first session.  I appreciated how he presented this information via visuals and maps and was inspired to use more such strategies in my own teaching and lesson plans. As teachers, we always look for imaginative ways to impart knowledge to our students and today's presentation got me thinking about how I can do this in my lessons. As the course deveops, I hope to explore and think more deedly about how I can carry this out in my own teaching.  I found today's session most informative and thought provoking in regards to my own pedagogy.

[Jacqueline Mercado]

My name is Jacqueline Mercado and I have been teaching for about 15 years.  Most of my experience is in teaching English to middle school students.  I am currerntly teaching in an independent study school within LAUSD. As an independent study teacher, I now get to teach all subjects to high schoolers, grades 9-12.  I decided to participate in this seminar precisely because I am an English teacher and welcome opportunities to strengthen my knowledge in other content areas and of all the courses I teach, world history is of great interest to me.  I look forward to learning more about the various cultures and history of Asia and explore ways to impart that knowledge to my students.

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