MANSFIELD, Ohio — The Richland Academy School of Excellence’s eighth grade class had a special visit on Thursday as they welcomed 26 students from Tamura, Japan into their classroom.
The Japanese students are part of Mansfield’s Sister City Association, coordinated by Ann Brown — a Polish woman who recognizes the importance of immersion in different cultures.
“Sister City is a low level of diplomacy, officially recognized by the government,” said Brown.
According to Brown, the most active portion of Mansfield’s Sister City program is the exchange between Japanese and American students, specifically the visit from Tamura, Japan students in October. They landed on American soil on Sunday, Oct. 4 and will leave Sunday, Oct. 11.
Their itinerary for the week was loaded.
The students spent their first day site seeing in Washington D.C., traveled to Ohio on Tuesday, visited Lexington City Schools on Wednesday, and Richland Academy on Thursday.
They visited St. Peter’s High School, Mansfield Mayor Tim Theaker, Gorman Nature Center and different locations in downtown Mansfield on Friday. They had a free day on Saturday and on Sunday prepared for their 14-hour flight back home to Japan.
As part of their stay on Thursday, the Japanese youth visited eighth grade teacher Dan Jones’ class. Jones shared his teaching methods with the students, Tamura’s mayor Yukei Tomitsuka and Tamura’s Education Department Director Masaaki Wada.
In a classroom fashioned with the latest technology and examples of interactive work-play, the Japanese students had difficulty relating. Tomitsuka said the youth in Tamura do not readily have access to the web.
Nonetheless, the Japanese students were intrigued, including the Tomitsuka. Once Jones concluded his presentation, students and the mayor asked questions like how do students complete homework if they do not have a computer?
Brown said this exchange in cultural knowledge might prevent fighting wars in the future. “We are learning about each other, how things work. We are developing friendships. I would say this knowledge would not make us want to fight against each other. More importantly, it teaches kids in a nice way about other cultures.”
Despite vast differences underscored by thousands of miles of separation, the students from both countries thanked each other for the brief culture exchanges.
“I’m really big on people finding out about other countries and how people live because they tend to be quite different. And I think knowing that makes you appreciate where you live more and might make you a better citizen,” said Brown.
