MidWeek East - April 6, 2022

ABSTRACT ART
East O‘ahu’s Satoru Abe recently had a showing of his newest works.
SEE PAGE 6

University of Hawai‘i Windward
Community College
Time For Nihongo At ‘Āina Haina School
FOR THE WEEK OF APRIL 6, 2022
A PUBLICATION OF
AN EDITION OF
‘Āina Haina Elementary School’s Japanese language teacher Junko Agena (standing) with students in the Advanced Nihongo program during their virtual exchange with a school in Japan.
PHOTO COURTESY JASON PALOMA
BWY MARIA KANAI
hen it comes to teaching Japa- nese at ‘Āina Haina Elementary School, Junko Agena’s goal for
her students is more than just instructing them how to speak the language.
“I want them to develop appreciation for authentic Japanese, both in conversational language and culture,” says Agena.
She’s been teaching at the school since 1996 and, since she’s joined, she has devel- oped a prolific and impressive Nihongo pro- gram, an Advanced Nihongo program and an optional after-school Japanese program, which focuses on reading and writing.
When she looks back to when she first started teaching at ‘Āina Haina, she re- members how people were surprised she was teaching foreign language in elemen- tary school.
“People thought it wasn’t necessary for elementary school kids to learn another lan- guage,” says Agena.
Now, she sees programs like hers are more common.
SEE PAGE 4
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