I took a Linguistics class and one on South American Politics at UH Hilo. The Linguistics class was about power of expressions with using appropriate words. As an English learner, I was able to learn the importance of choosing appropriate words. In the South American Politics class, I watched a video about how the Presidents of South America deal with U.S. I was impressed by the students of UH Hilo because they actively participated in class. When the teacher asked questions, they raised their hands immediately and answered questions proudly in front of the class. Moreover, whenever they had questions, they stopped the teacher although he was talking and asked him to explain their questions in detail on the spot. Thanks to their courage, all classmates were able to share the answer and clear up their doubts. I think Japanese students should learn from their attitudes towards participating in class. Many Japanese students are afraid of making mistakes so they hesitate to speak in front of the class. What is more, they think it is not good to stop teachers when they are speaking and interrupt the class. For these reasons, Japanese students tend to be quiet in class. As I took the class, I strongly felt that we should change this way of thinking. Class time is the time for all students to learn together with teachers. Lastly, I love their teaching style. Teachers talk to students in a friendly way so it was easy for students to ask questions whenever they did not understand. In addition, teachers tried to add a humorous touch and it made students participate in class actively. As I took classes at UH Hilo I thought that the most important thing is to build mutual trust and respect between teachers and students.

by Yumi K.