My big moment!

I have been chosen to speak on behalf of our group to the Superintendent of Kurashiki schools. It is customary to do a small speech before any tour or meeting that one might have as a group. Following is my greeting:

Mr. Nakayama, it is an honor and a delight to be here with you here in Kurashiki. Thank you for the opportunity of visiting your schools.

We are 20 educators from 20 different states. We may have 20 viewpoints, as individuals, but on this trip we have only one goal: to learn as much as we can about this incredible country that we all call Japan.

It has been wonderful, exciting, and enlightening -- we are grateful to you for sharing.

There is much for all of us to learn about one another, and what better way than through this cultural exchange? We make the world a better place by learning about and trying to understand the ways of other cultures. Hatred and conflict are the results of ignorance – Love, knowledge, and understanding, however, lead to peace.

Yes, there are only 20 of us here today. But this is only the first step. Because we are teachers we touch the lives of many children. We promise you that we will go home and teach our children about the people, culture, and land of Japan. Over the next ten years, and beyond, we will touch thousands of lives. All of us together are planting the seeds for a future of peace.

The great Irish poet William B. Yeats once said, “Education is not filling a bucket but lighting a fire.” We are here today to gather fuel for fire, and not for just one fire, but for thousands of fires. Because of your help, support, and understanding we will light-up thousands of minds that will brighten the future of our world.