Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE- A visitor from halfway around the world came to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville to tour the university and to speak to a group of business, industry, life science and agriculture students on Tuesday, October 26.

Satoru Fujioka, an English middle school teacher from southern Japan, traveled to Wisconsin as part of the Japan-Wisconsin Connection 2004 program. This is a program sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Education and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction and has been ongoing for the past several years.

Fujioka is in the exchange program with the Southwestern School District, located in Hazel Green, and is being hosted by Dr. James Egan, superintendent of schools. "It is a wonderful opportunity for our students and staff to experience the culture and history of a country that is quite different from ours without having to travel there," said Egan.

Egan contacted Frank Steck, technology education professor at UWP, to set up a tour of UWP. Fujioka was shown the Building Construction Management house, which has recently been constructed by the BCM students.

Fujioka also got to tour the industrial studies labs. The Industrial Studies Department has a metals lab, plastics lab, power control lab, electronics lab, Computer Numeric Control (CNC) lab, Computer-aided Design (CAD) lab, safety lab and laser lab. "He was very curious and asked a lot of questions about things that we take for granted," Steck commented. In addition, Fujioka checked out the Visitor's Center, projection system at Doudna, Karrmann Library, Pioneer Student Center, TV studio and the radio station.

"Satoru really enjoyed the television and radio studios, but was also very impressed with all of the industrial studies labs he visited," Egan said. Fujioka ended his visit by talking to a group of students from the 393 Teaching Tech Ed class. He spoke to them about Japanese students and what their school day is like.

The university students found it very interesting that middle school in Japan includes grades sixth to ninth and that classes contain 30 or more students. The students viewed a video of Fujioka's school and were amazed that the Japanese students take off their shoes when they enter the school.

In Fujioka's school, the first 45 minutes is study time for the students. During their lunch, Japanese students actually serve the hot lunch and spend one period a day cleaning the entire school.

After school, the Japanese students have club activities, which include ping-pong, volleyball and basketball. There are three major breaks in their school year, instead of one summer break that the US students are use to. Once Japanese students finish ninth grade they must take an exam to see what high school they will be able to enter. It is a difficult test and entrance is based on how well they do. Some will enter a regular high school to prepare for a university and others will enter a technical high school. After three years of regular high school they must take another exam to get into college. If they do not pass they do not get in the public system. According to Fujioka, "Of the 90 percent of students that go on to high school only 50 percent of them go on to pursue a college degree." Fujioka added, "Japan's economy is so poor that it is difficult to find work." After Fujioka's visit to UWP, he returned to Hazel Green to finish up his exchange program.

"He has been impressed by the friendly nature of people from southwestern Wisconsin and of course is amazed by the large open spaces and very large corn fields." Egan said.

Fujioka will be leaving Hazel Green on Nov. 6 and will travel to Milwaukee and Chicago for about a week. Following that he will visit another school district in Menasha for one month. Fujioka has been in Wisconsin since Sept. 23 and will return to Japan on Dec. 12.

Prepared by: Angela Kramer, Business and Accounting Dept., (608) 874-4446, kramera@uwplatt.edu