I was amazed to found in Google this old article which was on the Linguistics Association Paper in 1997 the other day. This tells many things about my library such as why I started it, how events were held, why reading stories from other cultures is important and effective in opning childrens's world to global understanding and world peace, how teachers make their own classrooms come alive stories and activities which introduce other cultures etc.
先日、何気なくGoogleで、検索していたら、１９９７年７月の言語学会誌に載った、私へのインタビュー形式の記事が出てきました。 本当にびっくりしました。それには、私がNoriko's World Libraryを始めたきっかけ、どのようなイベントをしていたか、絵本で異文化に触れる事がいかに国際理解教育や平和教育に役立つか、英語の先生方が絵本を使って楽しく英語を教えられるかなどを述べています。２０１２年の今、１５年前、私が言っていた事を読み返し、初心に戻れました。このころ、ベストセラーになっていた、The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Coveyにも言及しています。というのは、「効率よい人々の７つの習慣」と言う本の、７つの習慣が、絵本を通して、大人がくどくどとお説教するより、子ども自身が色々な事を想像したり考えたりして、身に付いていけるのではと考えていました。それを具体的に深めて、実践していくのがこれからの私の課題だと考えています。
下がその記事です。
Teaching Children NSIG Newsletter 2(2), July 1997, pp. 8-11
Noriko’s World Library
An Interview with Noriko Inoue by Michelle Nagashima
神戸市内で世界中から集めた4000冊以上の蔵書をもつ私設の図書館を運営されている井上典子さんがインタビューに応じてくださいました。井上さんは、子供の頃から図書館に住むことが夢で、英語を通して社会に貢献しようということで３年前に約500冊の本を揃えて “Noriko’s World Library” を開設しました。そして本を通して子供達に諸文化を紹介し、お互いに共通点があることを気付かせ、世界平和と国際理解の種子を子供の心に植えることを目指しているとお話しされています。井上さんの図書館は、毎月第２土曜日に３時間開館しますが、本を貸し出すばかりでなく、日本語によるお話し、ボランティアによる音楽や演劇の上演、各国からのゲストによるその国その国の言葉での本読みなどのアクティビティーを行っているそうです。また、私たち語学教師に対して、特に幼い心に、物語は相互理解を成し遂げるために効果的な道具であり、物語を通して諸文化を分かち合うことで子供達をより理解力のある読者に育て、世界をより思いやりのあるものにしていくことへ貢献できるとアドバイスしてくださっています。
By the time children enter junior high school and high school their free time is precious and limited. They generally have little time to indulge in reading or studying in their own areas of interest, and asking them to do extra work, beyond the set curriculum is usually met with a chorus of groans and moans. Introducing children to the world while they are still in elementary school is a challenge, but one which forms a very important basis for young people who will grow up in the next millennium.
One lady who has dedicated much time and effort to bringing children the world and opening their minds and hearts to other people and cultures is Noriko Inoue. She has a private library at her apartment in Kobe which holds over 4,000 books. The library is open to the public and teachers may find Noriko is a valuable resource when they are in need of ideas for good books to use.
Noriko’s schedule is extremely busy. She works at Kobe Shoin Women’s College, Kobe University and manages her library on Saturdays. We managed an interview by fax and mail. We are grateful for her time and cooperation.
Could you tell us a little about yourself, please. How, when, and why did you start your library?
When I was a child, I wished I could live in a library. If I made the wish on a falling star then it would someday come true. Every year on my birthday, I made the wish before I blew out the candles on my cake. At home and at school, books have been my food for thought.
Now I am a mother of two boys, Ryo and Jun. One day, my younger son asked me, “Which do you like better: reading or eating, Mom?” I am relieved it was not the question “Which do you like better, me or reading?”
My wish traveled far out into the universe where stars and dreams go and one day, 3 years ago, returned with many stories of all nations. Today my dream is reality and I have called it Noriko’s World Library.
What made it all happen? Well, it is very simple! English is the only way I felt I could contribute to our society. One day I was watching a program about a refugee camp in Southeast Asia on TV. A Japanese female was being interviewed. She was asked the question, “What makes you stay here?” She answered, “I am needed here. I never would have experienced that by working in an office in Japan.” This answer was like a gigantic blow to my head. I asked myself, “Am I needed?” My heart and mind pondered this. By opening the library I am beginning to answer that question. If my longtime dream were a candle, I could say I have now lit the flame. It was time to take the first step. My dream is worth actualizing. My inner aspirations should be materialized. One action is far better than hundreds of words. I now have a network in the community through my children and the energy they inspire, combined with my own dream and the thought of “now or never,” were the impetus to begin the library.
At the time of starting the library, 3 years ago, I had only about 500 books. The collection increased by donations of book from friends all over the world. I went to the States to buy at used bookstores or ordered by mail for new publications. Mrs. Judy Nelson, who is an owner of Mrs. Nelson’s Toy and Book Shop, LaVerne CA, helps me a lot. I have over 4,000 books now. Also, over the past 25 years I have been fortunate enough to cultivate a very special friendship with Ms. Ruth Currie, (my best friend and mentor) and Ms. Miriam Berge, a now retired librarian, both of whom have helped me a great deal in working towards my dream.
Friendship is not acquired; it’s something to be cultivated. I believe friendship is its own culture. A favorite story of mine titled The Carrot Seed illustrates my point. True friendships are not cultivated on the basis of nationality, gender, age, or physical ability. Friendships thrive and are nurtured through the sharing of hopes and dreams. Naturally and gently, I would like to weave a global web of love and understanding in my small corner of the world. My goal is world peace and understanding through children’s books and reading. The seed of peace was planted in my heart by my grandmother in Hiroshima and further cultivated by my mother. This library is now my life’s work and a symbol of good will. I hope my library fosters among our children an appreciation of the diversity and commonality around the world and promotes the richness of the world’s cultures and traditions.
Why do you think that reading stories from other cultures is important and effective in opening a child’s world to global understanding and world peace?
We find common ground when we share our cultures. When the children of today grow up they will know people of another country and understand them through these simple children’s stories. If we personalize culture, children will develop an understanding of the common threads of humanity and not be so nationalistic. Books are excellent resources from which to teach children and which teach on their own. I have decided to plant seeds of peace in the minds of these future world leaders.
My library is my small effort toward contributing to world peace and international understanding. I believe friendship between individuals of different nations will ultimately remove discrimination and may help avoid war and other such intolerable international incidents. It is important that children be given many opportunities to meet with people from other nations and different cultural backgrounds from a very early age. Lack of understanding can lead to fear and prejudice and stand in the way of possible friendship. Helping children to grow up without prejudice or discrimination against other nationalities and cultures is a first and vital step to a better tomorrow.
You can give children an education at school but you can’t teach them to open their minds.
Could you tell us a little about your program there at the library.
The library is open every second Saturday of the month for 3 hours. People may borrow up to three books for up to 3 months. During the summer and winter vacation periods up to 10 books may be borrowed at one time. During the time the library is open there is a special bilingual program of activities. The library is not run as a regular classroom.
A variety of events takes place during the program: storytelling in Japanese, music and drama performances by volunteers, English-language nursery songs, and a variety of other activities depending on the volunteers.
A guest from another country usually reads a book in their native tongue and this is alternated with the reading of the Japanese version by a Japanese speaker. Sometimes songs and games associated with the stories are enjoyed by the children, or alternate activities are enjoyed. Songs are taught with a number of gestures and movements so that parents and children can enjoy singing and dancing together.
In my library I avoid follow-up questions after the reading because it is not a classroom. I just invite them to come and listen and enjoy and the children find their own way to understanding and sharing. I never impose strict classroom questions on them as a means of getting them to understand and analyze what they have just seen and heard.
How can teachers make their own classrooms come alive with stories and activities which introduce other cultures?
Teaching language is not enough. That’s only the “hardware.” We need to install “software” which is solid and sound. Stories can be a most effective and vital tool in achieving greater understanding—especially for young minds.
Teachers who make the effort to incorporate literature from various cultures into the curriculum can contribute to making tomorrow’s world a more humane and considerate one. It doesn’t have to be a big project, but simply to share stories, and inevitably other cultures, with children and inviting them to become an interpretive community of readers. The 21st Century is almost here. It is up to teachers to educate for a more peaceful and meaningful century.
What are some of your favorite stories?
From so many it is very hard to chose a few. Each book has a special message and is enjoyable. To select a few I would choose:
Bishop C. H. (1938). The Five Chinese Brothers. (ill. by K. Wiese.) New York; Coward, McCann.
Coerr, E. (text) & Young E. (illustration). (1993). Sadako. Putnam.
Hamanaka, S. (1990). The Journey: Japanese Americans, Racism and Renewal. New York: Orchard.
Hamilton, V. (1985). The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales. New York: Knopf.
Paterson, Katherine. (1992). The King’s Equal. Harper-Collins.
Rylant, Cynthia. (1982). When I Was Young in the Mountains. Dutton Children’s Books.
Say, Allen. (1993). Grandfather’s Journey. Houghton Mifflin Company.
Uchida, Y. (1971). Journey to Topaz. New York: Scribners.
In the future what do you see as your goals for your library and yourself?
I will continue to build my library and to work towards educating for peace and understanding. I hope to increase the number of foreign language books in my library beyond English. I also hope to introduce a selection of specific stories from around the world to build the seven fundamental principles found in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, from a book by Stephen R. Covey of the same name.
Habit 1: Be provocative.
Habit 2: Begin with the end in mind.
Habit 3: Put first things first.
Habit 4: Think win-win.
Habit 5: Seek first to understand, then to be understood.
Habit 6: Synergize.
Habit 7: Sharpen the saw.
The main idea is that through children’s books children are able to learn what they need to about the world. Choosing the right book at the right time for the right reasons is vital. What we teach our children and students today will have a direct impact on the world of tomorrow.
“Good books do their own work in their own way so it is not necessary or wise for adults to explain the ‘moral’ in each story.” (page V from Bowman, J. Bonnie’s Listen My Children). A good story explains itself. Children will always be prompted to ask questions and adults should be very careful to provide answers that lead children to thinking about things for themselves, rather than providing concrete answers which need no further consideration.
I believe that children are the potential ambassadors of tomorrow. They are 100% of our world’s future. The responsibility for educating them to best lead tomorrows generations rest with us, today. Good stories make a world of difference!
I hope to see many children’s libraries like mine all over Japan and overseas in the future so that we can all network with each other.
