Michael Werker

Assist Japanese teachers in planning and delivering English lessons for elementary and junior high school students. Support classroom management, student engagement, and interactive activities. Develop supplementary materials to enhance learning and collaborate on curriculum planning. Teach German classes and support language learning for adult learners in town. Facilitate international correspondence, including helping the town mayor communicate with a German-speaking sister city.

Assisted Japanese teachers in planning and delivering English lessons for elementary, junior high school students. Supported classroom management, student engagement, and interactive learning activities. Developed supplementary materials and activities to enhance language learning. Collaborated with teachers on curriculum planning and school events.

Designed and taught engaging English lessons for small groups of elementary and junior high students. Provided personalized one-on-one instruction in English and German for high school students and adult learners. Managed administrative tasks to support daily school operations and student engagement.

Studied in Japan for one year, focusing on Japanese language, culture, and society. Completed coursework in English and Japanese, gaining cross-cultural communication skills. Engaged in academic and cultural activities, enhancing adaptability and international perspective. Courses that left a big impression on me were Japanese music and Geisha.

Studied Japanese language, culture, history, and society with an interdisciplinary approach. Developed advanced reading, writing, and conversation skills in Japanese. Gained analytical and research skills through seminars, projects, and independent study. Explored cross-cultural and international perspectives, preparing for careers in education, translation, or intercultural communication. Took part in the international exchange to Keio University. Graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and a grade of 2.4 (Graded on a scale from 1.0 to 5.0, where 1.0 is excellent and 5.0 is failing). The topic for my thesis was "The Changing Profession of the Geisha".

Advanced web development concepts. Frameworks like Django and Flask. Frontend knowledge such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript and AJAX. Databases, mainly SQL with ORM. Deployment, APIs, and web security best practices

Core programming concepts, including algorithms, data structures, memory, and computational thinking. Languages such as C, Python, SQL and JavaScript. Web basics like HTML, CSS, and Flask. Problem-solving, debugging, and software engineering fundamentals.

Demonstrates advanced Japanese proficiency in reading, listening, and comprehension. Covers complex grammar, nuanced vocabulary, and formal/academic texts. Suitable for professional and academic environments

Experiencing culture. Benefits and challenges of studying abroad. What is 'culture shock', what are some of the causes and how does it affect people who stay in a foreign country. What is 'reverse culture shock'?

Finding a Path to Make Use of English. Teaching English effectively means going beyond test preparation and helping students see its real-life value. While teachers' approaches vary, the biggest challenge is giving students meaningful exposure to living English so they can appreciate its importance and stay motivated.

Published in the board of education's internal newsletter.

Issued by Rotary Club in Iwate. For continued participation in international cooperation events, such as an event where children can taste food from different countries, teaching about German customs, especially Christmas, for the international academy and teaching English.

Northern Japan Horizons organises adventure and nature focused travel experiences in northern Japan, especially along the coastal and mountain areas. They run guided and self-guided tours of the Michinoku Coastal Trail, sea-kayaking, cycling, volcano hikes, winter snow-shoeing, and learning trips that introduce local history and recovery stories from the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

GoNorth Japan offers guided tours and outdoor experiences across the northern Japanese region of Tohoku. From hiking volcanoes and trekking alpine wetlands to foraging, snow-shoeing, coastal excursions, and exploring local culture (including sake, cuisine, and spiritual-historical sites).

Japanese learning web app with SM-2 spaced repetition, Django backend, custom study tools, and user accounts.