Elgin Heinz Outstanding Teacher Award

The Elgin Heinz Outstanding Teacher Award recognizes exceptional teachers who further mutual understanding between Americans and Japanese. The award is presented annually to two pre-college teachers in two categories—humanities and Japanese language—and consists of a certificate of recognition, a $2,500 monetary award, and $5,000 in project funds. It is named in honor of Elgin Heinz for his commitment to educating students about Asia as well as for the inspiration he provided to the field of pre-college education.

A pioneer in educating American students about Asia, Elgin Heinz served throughout his life as a consultant on the development of materials and methods for teaching about this region of the world. Born in China in 1913, Heinz attended the University of California at Berkeley, graduating with degrees in philosophy and public speaking and eventually earning a graduate degree in history from San Francisco State University. He spent 40 years teaching in San Francisco's public schools, at first teaching literature, and later geography and history. During his tenure as a teacher, Heinz became nationally known for his efforts in assisting students and teachers to learn more about Japan and Asia broadly. In addition to classroom teaching, Heinz was active in a number of organizations, including the Association for Asian Studies, the Asia Society, the International Society for the Comparative Study of Civilizations, and the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. He served as the Japan Society's Education Director in 1960. Heinz authored and edited numerous publications on teaching about Asia, including two widely used curriculum guides, Opening Doors and Stepping Stones. The recipient of many awards, including the National Council for Geographic Education's California Teacher of the Year and, in 1997, the World Affairs Council of Northern California's Castile Award, the one that perhaps most epitomizes his groundbreaking work in K-12 Asian Studies was the Association for Asian Studies Committee on Teaching About Asia's 1987 recognition of Elgin Heinz for "Fifty Years of Innovative Teaching About Asia."

The award is open to current full-time K-12 classroom teachers of any relevant subject in the United States. There are two award categories: the humanities and Japanese language. Previous award recipients have often had over 10 years of teaching experience and have been engaged in teaching their students about Japan for a substantial period of time. Candidates must demonstrate sustained commitment to improving mutual understanding between Americans and Japanese and must have made a significant contribution to enhancing students' knowledge of Japan. Applicants for the Japanese language category must have excellent command of the Japanese language and may be contacted by members of the selection committee to verify this.

Applicants for the Elgin Heinz Outstanding Teacher Award need not be nominated to apply. However, the Foundation is always seeking to encourage the nation's top educators to consider applying for the award. Therefore, we welcome nominations of individuals you feel qualified to apply for the Award. Letters of Nomination should briefly highlight the qualifications of the candidate and must include their name and contact information and indicate the school at which they currently teach. The Foundation will accept Letters of Nomination at any time and will inform candidates that they have been nominated for the Award. Those nominated must submit a full application as indicated below. Nominators should keep in mind that the deadline for applications is in early February. As such, it is recommended that nominations be submitted by early December in order to provide potential candidates the time needed to compile their applications. Letters of Nomination should be sent to: Mr. David Janes, Program Officer and Assistant to the President, The United States-Japan Foundation, 145 E. 32nd St., New York, NY 10016 or via email at djanes@us-jf.org.

Applicants must electronically submit the following documents by February 2, 2009 to be considered: 1) cover sheet that includes: a) full name and home address, b) school name and address, c) email and telephone contact information, d) the award category for which you are applying—Japanese language or humanities, e) the subjects and grades you currently teach, f) a list of Japan-related programs in which you have participated, g) names and contact information for those submitting letters of reference; 2) a narrative, not to exceed three (3) pages typed, double spaced, describing your efforts to further mutual understanding between Americans and Japanese through your classroom teaching. Applicants should also highlight leadership positions held and detail how they have impacted other educators locally and/or nationally; 3) a two-page project proposal describing how you would use the award's $5,000 project funds to enhance understanding of Japan at your school or in your school district (project funds are typically awarded to the awardees' school and, as these funds are awarded as a grant, the Foundation reserves the right to amend this portion of the application). For example, such funds could be used to purchase curriculum material on Japan, for field trips to Japan-related organizations, to bring in guest speakers on Japan, for Japanese software, etc.; 4) three letters of support from individuals or organizations familiar with you and your teaching on Japan. A letter from a student explaining how your efforts affected his/her perceptions and understanding of Japan is permissible as a letter of support. One letter must come from the school's principal or vice principal and must express support for your project proposal in addition to supporting your candidacy for the award. (These letters do not need to be submitted electronically.); 5) a professional resume. The application, with the exception of letters of reference, should be submitted as one document in a standard format via email to djanes@us-jf.org with the subject line: Elgin Heinz Application. Letters of reference can be sent electronically directly from the writer or may be sent to the Foundation's office in New York.

A national selection committee will review complete applications received by or on February 2, 2009. The selection committee consists of leaders in the field of education about Japan. The award winners will be announced in May.

Full Scholarships for Intensive Language Study at the Middlebury Summer Language School

Middlebury College is pleased to announce The Kathryn Davis Fellowships for Peace: Investing in the Study of Critical Languages. These 100 fellowships are made possible by a generous gift from Kathryn Davis to address today's critical need for increased language proficiency in the United States. For the third year in a row, 100 Davis Fellowships are offered to cover the full cost of summer language study from beginner to graduate levels in Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Japanese, Portuguese, and Russian at the Middlebury College Language Schools. Fellowship grants cover the full comprehensive fee (tuition, room, and board) at the Middlebury summer Language Schools, plus a stipend to assist in defraying program-related expenses. These fellowships are available for the nine-week Japanese program and the three-week instructional technology in Japanese program. One summer of intensive language immersion at Middlebury is the equivalent of language study for one year at an American college or university. (Applicants who are interested in transferring academic credit should check with their home institution regarding transferability.) The Davis Fellowships are merit based and intended for exceptionally qualified individuals with demonstrated interest in one or more of the following areas: international, global, or area studies, international politics and economics, peace and security studies, and/or conflict resolution. Individuals in other fields, including working professionals, are also encouraged to apply if their field of expertise requires them to study one of the critical languages listed above. All Davis Fellowship applications must be postmarked by February 2, 2009. More information: middlebury.edu/academics/ls/applications/kwd.htm.

Chaplin Memorial Award for Excellence in Japanese Language Teaching

The Hamako Ito Chaplin Memorial Award will again be conferred in 2009, administered through the Association for Asian Studies. In accordance with the wishes of the Chaplin family, each year a prize of $1,000 will be awarded to either a current graduate student or a full-time instructor of Japanese for excellence in Japanese language teaching. A full-time instructor who has completed graduate study within the last three years in an area that directly involves Japanese language teaching is eligible. Possible academic fields of specialization are Japanese language pedagogy, linguistics, anthropology, or literature. Current graduate students must demonstrate their intention to enter the teaching field in a North American university. Dr. Noriko Iwasaki of School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, serves as Chair of the Selection Committee, Professor Barbara Brooks, City University of New York, serves as representative of the Northeast Asia Council of AAS for the committee, and Professor George Chaplin serves ex-officio.

Individuals interested in applying—and faculty members interested in nominating a student—should write to Dr. Noriko Iwasaki at Linguistics Department, SOAS, University of London, Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG, United Kingdom, or email ni3@soas.ac.uk for application forms. Completed applications must be submitted by February 10, 2009. The award will be announced in the AAS Newsletter.

Persons interested in contributing to the award fund should send their contributions to: The Hamako Ito Chaplin Memorial Award, c/o AAS, 1021 Huron Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48104.