Adam in Hiroshima, Japan
Jun 20, 2014 16:17:20 GMT 9
Post by Adam Beck on Jun 20, 2014 16:17:20 GMT 9
Hello! My name is Adam Beck and I'm the head keeper of the Bilingual Zoo. I'm also the blogger behind Bilingual Monkeys, a site which offers ideas and inspiration for raising bilingual children. (My weekly newsletter is a useful source of support, too.)
I'm originally from the United States (I grew up in Quincy, Illinois, by the mighty Mississippi River), but I've lived in Hiroshima, Japan for many years. My wife is Japanese and we have two children: a girl, 10, and a boy, 7. Here's a picture of us...
Okay, this isn't really us, but the similarity is kind of frightening. The truth is, my wife asks that I respect their privacy as I pursue my online activities so, although I can write about our antics as a family (and I do, at Bilingual Monkeys), I can't use their real names or recent photos that show their appearance.
In addition to my online work involving bilingual kids, I'm a writer and editor for the Hiroshima Peace Media Center, a wing of the Hiroshima-area newspaper, and a private teacher of bilingual children, supporting their English side. Many of them attend Hiroshima International School, where I was once a teacher. Over the past 15 years, I've worked with hundreds of bilingual kids as a teacher and parent.
At home, Keiko and I use a strict version of the OPOL (one person-one language) approach. I speak only English with my kids and she uses only Japanese with them. Even when we're communicating with each other, I continue to speak English and she continues to use Japanese. Our communication, I admit, has its limitations--since we aren't fluent in the other's language--but using our mother tongues is really the most effective arrangement for us. Because our kids attend a local Japanese school, I'm afraid I would have undermined their need to use English with me if I had openly spoken Japanese during their early childhood.
At this point, both Lulu and Roy have fairly well-balanced ability in both languages, in all skill areas. This has been a continuous challenge, though, because they receive far more exposure to Japanese and nearly all their exposure to English depends on me and the resources I bring into our home. It's tough, and getting tougher as they grow older--because longer school days and heavier loads of Japanese homework mean that our time for English is squeezed even further--but I keep doing what I can, day after day.
A few more facts that may (or may not) be of interest...
*After graduating from high school, I went to Sarah Lawrence College in New York. I was a pretty poor student in college, but I somehow earned my degree and went on to graduate school at San Francisco State University. I studied theater arts, and in my younger years, I was a playwright and director, often working in children's theater.
*I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Czech Republic many years ago, teaching English at the University of West Bohemia in the city of Plzen. In fact, I was there soon after the "Velvet Revolution," and witnessed the peaceful split of Czechoslovakia into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It was a thrilling two years, and my first successful experience learning another language. (I was a failure at French in my school days!)
*I love art, books, and animals. Because of my background in theater, one of my very favorite things is reading aloud a good book to children. In fact, I'm known for getting emotional as I read, and my kids tease me when a moving story makes me cry.
I'll leave it at that, but if you're curious to learn more about my background, see this profile in The Japan Times...
Educator with a mission sends out support from Hiroshima
I look forward to learning about you and your family!
I'm originally from the United States (I grew up in Quincy, Illinois, by the mighty Mississippi River), but I've lived in Hiroshima, Japan for many years. My wife is Japanese and we have two children: a girl, 10, and a boy, 7. Here's a picture of us...
Okay, this isn't really us, but the similarity is kind of frightening. The truth is, my wife asks that I respect their privacy as I pursue my online activities so, although I can write about our antics as a family (and I do, at Bilingual Monkeys), I can't use their real names or recent photos that show their appearance.
In addition to my online work involving bilingual kids, I'm a writer and editor for the Hiroshima Peace Media Center, a wing of the Hiroshima-area newspaper, and a private teacher of bilingual children, supporting their English side. Many of them attend Hiroshima International School, where I was once a teacher. Over the past 15 years, I've worked with hundreds of bilingual kids as a teacher and parent.
At home, Keiko and I use a strict version of the OPOL (one person-one language) approach. I speak only English with my kids and she uses only Japanese with them. Even when we're communicating with each other, I continue to speak English and she continues to use Japanese. Our communication, I admit, has its limitations--since we aren't fluent in the other's language--but using our mother tongues is really the most effective arrangement for us. Because our kids attend a local Japanese school, I'm afraid I would have undermined their need to use English with me if I had openly spoken Japanese during their early childhood.
At this point, both Lulu and Roy have fairly well-balanced ability in both languages, in all skill areas. This has been a continuous challenge, though, because they receive far more exposure to Japanese and nearly all their exposure to English depends on me and the resources I bring into our home. It's tough, and getting tougher as they grow older--because longer school days and heavier loads of Japanese homework mean that our time for English is squeezed even further--but I keep doing what I can, day after day.
A few more facts that may (or may not) be of interest...
*After graduating from high school, I went to Sarah Lawrence College in New York. I was a pretty poor student in college, but I somehow earned my degree and went on to graduate school at San Francisco State University. I studied theater arts, and in my younger years, I was a playwright and director, often working in children's theater.
*I was a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Czech Republic many years ago, teaching English at the University of West Bohemia in the city of Plzen. In fact, I was there soon after the "Velvet Revolution," and witnessed the peaceful split of Czechoslovakia into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It was a thrilling two years, and my first successful experience learning another language. (I was a failure at French in my school days!)
*I love art, books, and animals. Because of my background in theater, one of my very favorite things is reading aloud a good book to children. In fact, I'm known for getting emotional as I read, and my kids tease me when a moving story makes me cry.
I'll leave it at that, but if you're curious to learn more about my background, see this profile in The Japan Times...
Educator with a mission sends out support from Hiroshima
I look forward to learning about you and your family!
Very positive podcast review of my book Bilingual Success Stories Around the World at Kletsheads 
