Dr. Ernesto Matias Chief Education Officer Illinois State Board of Education My name is Dr. Ernesto Matias; I am currently the Educational Officer for the State of Illinois. Among my responsibilities are Multilinguals, World Languages and other Academic areas. Multilinguals are students who come who speak a different language than English at home. World Languages refers to expanding students’ ability to speak other languages by learning a second language. The other Academic areas I am in charge of include Early Childhood, Special Education, Career and Technical Education. I would like to express my sincere thanks for sponsoring our trip to Japan. It was and is a life changing experience for […]

Mr. Mark Noltner 4th Grade Teacher Dryden Elementary “How was your trip to Japan, Mark?” Naturally I got asked this question many times when I returned to the U.S from my trip with the IEJ (International Educators to Japan). To be honest, it has been difficult to answer that question. Amazing, life-changing, and beautiful are the first words that come to my head, but those words still don’t capture the true essence of my experiences in Japan. Throughout the trip, we said multiple times, “There is no way we can top what just happened.” But lo and behold, something always did. So as I reflect on my trip, these events […]

Ms. Rituparna Raichoudhuri Executive Director, Early College and Career Chicago Public Schools I fell in love with Japan as a child – the far-away land of mystique, beauty, tradition, and harmony that I read about only in history books and stories. Then, years later, I became a history teacher and taught about Japanese history and Feudal society to 7th graders – inspiring the same admiration and awe in my students that I experienced as a child and continue to experience today. Fast forward to the present where I have left the classroom but am in a role where attending to the various cultures and backgrounds of our students in an […]