A little about me…
There have been times in my life when I’ve been called an ‘egg’: white outside and yellow inside, to use negative, antiquated racial color slang. You see, I was born in Indiana (USA) but was raised and educated in Japan from age 3. In fact, although I returned to the states for high school, I earned two diplomas – one from my American high school and one from the Indiana Japanese Language School which I attended on Saturdays. Most significantly, my entire Japanese education was spent as the only non-Japanese in each of my K-12 classes.
I find it fascinating that our planet encompasses a diversity of people and cultures. Yet, at the same time, I am bewildered by the lack of tolerance and acceptance shown to others who are different from them.
I wish racial discrimination wasn’t an issue, after all, biologically, race is not real. It’s a social construct that comes from subconscious programming and misunderstanding. Unfortunately, it is alive and continues to be a thorn in society.
Above all, I would have to say I am passionate about education as I believe it leads to one simple truth – “What is taught to youth today, affects the adults of tomorrow.”
While writing my memoir, I came up with an acronym called RULE - Respect, Understanding, Listening, and Empathy. Through my multi-cultural upbringing, I felt that it was these principals that helped me become the person I am today.
The last thing I want to share is my love of technology and its capabilities. If balanced, I believe it can help enhance learning in various aspects. It can even remove discriminatory barriers. Certain tools like virtual reality (VR) and virtual worlds (VW) could be used to level the playing field by removing preconceived prejudices. As I navigate cultural dilemmas, I hope to learn more about educational technology and how it can bring people together.