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Schools embrace Asian culture

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Japanese is alive and well within Clare, thanks in large part to influential Ennis-based teacher Midori Hayes. Ms Hayes has instilled local students with a willingness to learn, as proven by her former students’ recent credentials.

 

Her own passion for spreading the Japanese culture is evident as she teaches the language at five different secondary schools across the county. She has described the teaching of Japanese as “providing a link to Asia”.

“In schools, we have German, English and Spanish,” she said, adding, “not only does Japanese allow Irish kids to learn the language but it also lets them experience the culture of Asia.”

Ms Hayes has inspired a number of students to excel in the language, with former pupil Claire Moroney having just won a three-week scholarship to participate in an exchange to Suwa in the Japanese Alps. The programme was organised by EIL Intercultural Learning and the judges were impressed by Claire’s enthusiasm and passion for the language, convincing them that she was the right applicant to be chosen. Amy Gallagher, who studied under Ms Hayes at Coláiste Mhuire, finished runner-up and will be going to Japan this summer with the JET Programme, which aims to promote internationalism in Japan’s local communities. Aisling O’Gara and Niamh O’Driscoll, who studied under Ms Hayes in Transition Year at Ennisytmon’s Scoil Mhuire, are both leaving for Japan this summer, having taken up jobs with Mitsubishi.

“In the case of the girls,” Ms Hayes said, “they tried out Japanese as early as Transition Year. Once you find a love for a language at a young age, you can progress to fluency within a couple of years. I believe that the teaching of Japanese has certainly widened the possibilities for kids. Asia is a massive part of the world and the ability to speak Japanese is invaluable.”

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