Local teacher takes position in Japan,
- shares African culture with students
?
1
? ? Bv FELEC1A P McMILLAN
J" Community Correspondent
? ?
Wanda Robinson-Caton left in
'August for Yokohama, Japan,
where she teaches kindergarten
- children at the U.S. Navy base
there. Robinson-Caton, a former
kindergarten teacher at South
*?' Lexington Primary School in
' Lexington, has taught kinder
y garten at the Richard E. Byrd
'Elementary School on the naval
,Jbase. She now works at Sullivans
Elementary School. She applied in
'' February 1987 for a teaching posi
tion at a Department of Defense
dependent school whose students
are the children of American mili
-'tary personnel stationed there. She
'and her son, Robbie, went to
Japan together. -
O 1 Wanda heard about the pro
' gram in 1980 through a co-worker
i-'and another friend involved in the
-"program. She first applied in 1986,
"but no positions were available.
*rShe tried again successfully in
1987. Robinson-Caton had no
"idea where she would be stationed.
Her first choice was Australia, a
..country she has always wanted to
>. visit, but she was selected to teach
/? in Yokohama.
She lives in the Japanese com
? munity, not bri the base,
j..- "This wfrl give me a great
' opportunity to learn about the
' Japanese culture," she said.
Although she does not speak
Japanese, she communicates well
''with those in her community. For
"the past four years, she has taught
'English lessons in the homes of
"'"?Japanese students for extra
income. "I have become so
""attached to the children," she said.
j". > Wanda has also organized var
Oious activities in the school and
f community to bring African
c American culture to Japan.
> Because the children did not have
r.ahy after-school activities, Wanda
--founded a school chorus. They
ar. ? i
?"* -
sing gospel music, spirituals and
other inspiring genres of music. In
1994 she produced and directed
the Youth Fashion and Talent
Show at the Benny Decker Theatre
in Yokosuka, Japan. It was spon
sored by the Kanto Plain Afro
American Heritage Club
(KPAAHC), MWR, and WRC
Productions, which Wanda man
ages.
In addition, Wanda participat
ed in the Navy Exchange (NEX)
Black History Month celebration.
She gathered a group of people to
model the African heritage clothes
at the showcase as live man
nequins. Chris Bennett, buyer for
the NEX, had started getting
African heritage merchandise such
as women's, men's and children's
accessories. The umbrellas, gift
ware items, table cloths, luggage
items and pot holders add greatly
to the Homeland Authentics Shop
inventory.
What is more, Wanda
Robinson-Canton includes
African-American history and
customs in the curriculum. The
students dressed in African attire
as part of their study of African
heritage. According to Wanda, the
students and their parents are very
receptive to information about
African culture.
In order to further educate the
community, she organized the
Negishi Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr. Observance Banquet in 1989.
According to S. Howell, comman
der of the fleet activities
Department of the Navy in
Yokosuka, Japan, the banquet
"provided the community with an
opportunity to salute the life of
this great American." He attrib
uted the success of the program to
her "many long, hard hours of
work to coordinate the myriad of
details."
Wanda has share many ideas
with the Japanese educators. She
served as a hostess for the princi
pal, the teachers and parents of a
visiting American school. They
were of Japanese descent. She met
with the parents and teachers to
share ideas at the end of the day.
The Japanese teachers were very
impressed with the decor of the
classes at Sullivans Elementary
School. In 1992, 1993, and 1995,
the district superintendent of
Japan, Richard F. Osner, present
ed her with a Special Act award for
her inspiring and dedicated efforts
in the schools of Japan. He
described her efforts as "an incen
tive to other educators" with the
Department of Defense Schools
(DODDS) In fact, she was the
DODDS Pacific nominee for the
1993 Eagle Award.
^obinsonrCaton attributes her
success to the fine train
ing she has in Winston-Salem,
where she grew up. She is especial
ly grateful to Laura Walls, a
teacher at Paisley High School,
which she attended. She received
her bachelor's degree in early
childhood education from
Winston-Salem State University.
She completed master's work at
LaSalle University. She is certified
to teach in the North Carolina
Public Schools, Department of
Defense Dependent Schools and
the Commonwealth of Virginia
public schools. In addition she has
a certificate for defining effective
instruction for bilingual and multi
lingual students. Having served as
a classroom teacher for 18 years,
Wanda has been selected by
administrators for seven years to
be grade level team leader. She is a
key-holding member of Phi Delta
Kappa who has served as one of
the fellows of the North Carolina
Writing Project.
Wanda said she has gained
great respect for her ?expertise in
the local area. When she left for
Japan, Jettie Moore, then presi
dent of the Winston-Salem State
University Alumni Chapter of
Lexington, wrote a letter of fond
farewell in her local newspaper
"Indeed, it makes a great differ
ence when one who has worked so
tirelessly and diligently to help our
young people to enhance their
education, that we are losing, but
yet gaining in knowing that her
efforts will now extend abroad,"
she wrote.
A parent from Lexington,
Gerard J. Roche, wrote a letter of
commendation to Wanda for her
enthusiasm as an educator, com
paring her to educator Marva
Collins from the Westside
Preparatory School in Chicago.
Wanda Robinson-Caton't ttudentt at Sullivant School In Yokotuka, Japan, dretted In African attirm at part of
thair ttvdy of African heritage.
Wanda Robinton-Caton taochu kindargartan at tha
Sullivan* School in Yokotuka Japan.
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