Latest news with #Bilingual
Japan Times
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Japan Times
Joshua Thomson: ‘Comedy is a pill that's easier to swallow'
Born and raised in Tokyo, 29-year-old Joshua Thomson offers a fresh perspective on Japan in his bilingual videos on Instagram and YouTube. Through comedy and dialogue, Thomson is expanding notions of what it means to be Japanese. 1. How is 2025 treating you so far? It's been interesting, if slow. Last year I returned to Tokyo from the U.K. and worked so much that I was exhausted by December, so this year was a slow start. 2. At this point, how tired are you of explaining your background? I used to be more tired of it. However, after living in the U.K. and traveling around Europe, I finally see it from a new perspective. I used to see myself as a person from Japan through and through, but now I'm more willing to explain who I am and what my background is. I still have days where I simply don't want to do it though. 3. Does your explanation change depending on your audience? It changes massively. I first try to ascertain their knowledge of the world — do they know what a senkyōshi (missionary) is? If they do, I tell them, 'My grandparents were missionaries in Japan in the 1950s and '60s.' If they don't, I simply say my parents moved here or I just say I'm British. But the moment they hear 'British,' that's all they see — and I don't want them to think that way. I never even set foot in the U.K. until I was 21. 4. Apologies then, but can we ask what your background is? My paternal grandfather is from Australia, and my grandmother is from London. My maternal grandparents are both from New Zealand. While my mom was born in Hokkaido, my dad was born when his parents were back in the U.K. for one year, and that's how I got my British citizenship. I also spent a few years in the States as a child, so at first I thought I was American. 5. How do you self-identify? I am who I am. I'm Joshua, born and raised in Japan, but I don't fully resonate with the culture here. I think my family has our own strong culture, which is not fully Japanese, not fully British, not fully New Zealand, Australian or American — it's a mix of all of those. I feel like we've made our own country, our own culture. 6. In three words, what was your school experience like in Japan? I loved it. With roots in the U.K., Australia and New Zealand and multigenerational ties to Japan, Joshua Thomson says his family has made 'our own strong culture' that mixes all of the above. | Courtesy of Joshua Thomson 7. You've now spent time in both Tokyo and London. Where do you feel most comfortable? I love the convenience of Tokyo and how things run smoothly, but it lacks diversity and freeness, the ability to just be yourself. London's a bit more laidback. Whenever I need to slow down and have more headspace, but (want to) hold on to that city life and diversity, I go to London. Honestly, though, I can't really say which one I like more. I wish there was a city that was a combination of Tokyo and London. 8. What's your favorite meal to eat in either city? In London, it's lasagna. There are so many good Italian delis in London. In Tokyo, I know it's cliche, but sushi. 9. You started your career by acting and modeling in Japan. How did you get into that? I grew up watching Japanese TV and I always wanted to be on it. Everybody around me told me I should be on TV because I was funny. I always knew I was meant to be in Japanese showbiz, so when I was in high school, I rang up all these agencies asking to sign up and started going to auditions. 10. What was your most unforgettable gig? I did a commercial for Uniqlo where we had to dance while they were showering us with water and feathers. I was just in the back, but it was really fun. It was so chaotic. I love chaos. 11. Did acting help you get more comfortable transitioning toward content creation? It was so much easier. When I was acting, I would be in front of 100 people and a big camera. By comparison, social media is a piece of cake. 12. How did you start your YouTube channel Joshua in London? My cousin Leanna was doing social media before me, and she really helped me get into it. We started a YouTube channel together first, then I went independent from there. My first channel was called Joshua's Japan Channel where I interviewed other foreigners that grew up in Japan in English, adding Japanese subtitles. It was doing OK, but not great. Then I switched to a Japanese-speaking channel and it really took off. 13. How has your channel evolved? After moving back to the U.K. for the second time, I thought, 'OK, I'm going to make a career out of it.' I started making Instagram reels to promote my YouTube channel, but my Instagram did way better than YouTube and I discovered a new direction I could take my work in. 14. Your YouTube videos are interviews, whereas your Instagram focuses more on characters and skits. How did this duality come about? Some days I want to be relaxing, chatting, sitting down and talking deeply. Other days I want to be crazy and funny. It's as if there are multiple people living inside me, and this is the outcome. 15. Which is your favorite character to play? I think people expect me to say Miki, the gyaru schoolgirl, but I actually love the controlling, micromanaging manager character I created. 16. How did it feel when your 'Japanese real estate agent renting to foreigners' skit gained media attention? That character was my revenge on the real estate agent that treated me like a dog in their office. You don't call a landlord in front of a client. I didn't want to hear a person rejecting me just because of my passport. I was 20 back then, looking for my own place, and it was a shock. I was also surprised that a lot of people related to that incident. I even made it onto NHK where they interviewed me on the matter and I explained why I made the video. 17. Have you found comedy useful for subverting and poking fun at stereotypes? People are more engaged when it comes to comedy. They want to watch comedy more than a serious discussion or someone aggressively demanding something. Comedy is received more smoothly; it's a pill that's easier to swallow. 18. What's your opinion of Japan's general approach to diversity? If you're talking about the kind of diversity you might find in the West, it's going to take decades for Japan to fully understand what that looks like. I do think the younger generation are more engaged and aware though. 19. What are your hopes for your work moving forward? I want to create something separate from social media. Something that's perhaps longer and dives deeper. Currently, I feel like my work is like all over the place, and I want to make something more self-contained, like a movie or a documentary. 20. What's your Japanese pop culture guilty pleasure? I love watching Japanese idols and their songs and their dances. I go really deep into the history of the '80s. I love listening to Hiromi Iwasaki, Momoe Yamaguchi and Akina Nakamori. For more about Joshua, find him on YouTube at @joshuainlondon or Instagram at @
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Bilingual teacher Elisa Williams honored on National Teacher's Week in Rockford
ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — For Elisa Williams, a second grade bilingual teacher at Lathrop Elementary, National Teacher's Week is special for her and others in her profession. 'We have so many teachers that work so hard every day for our students, and it just means the world to us to be acknowledged. I feel like we're acknowledged every day with these kids, but to have parents and community members reach out and give us special recognition, it really means a lot to us,' she said. Williams said teaching was a calling for her, ever since she was in school herself. 'I've always known since I was a little girl that I was going to be a teacher. I remember in fourth grade we had to write an essay about what we wanted to be when we grew up, and I knew at that moment that I wanted to be a teacher,' she said. She has been teaching for 25 years, and said the support of her family and the sacrifices they made along the way made it possible. 'I'm the daughter of an immigrant from Mexico. They always, always supported us in education. Every day they woke us up. They took us to school. They encouraged us to get good grades. They made very heavy sacrifices for us to go to college. They encouraged us along the way,' Williams said. Lathrop Principal Daniella Boyer said National Teacher's Week means more than just appreciation, but listening to and supporting teachers every single day. 'I want to say thank you. Thank you. For the past three years, for all you have done for me, for the kids,' she said. Rockford Public Schools are highlighting a different grade level each day for the entire week. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to MyStateline | WTVO News, Weather and Sports.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judge issues latest order in Yazzie-Martinez case
Apr. 29—A Santa Fe judge determined the New Mexico Public Education Department had not held up its end of the bargain in a decade-long legal battle over the quality of education it provides Native American and underserved students. Judge Matthew Wilson on Tuesday ordered PED to create a plan to fix its primary and secondary education system in the latest chapter in what has become known as the Yazzie-Martinez case. "The New Mexico Public Education Department welcomes Judge Wilson's decision to lead development of a plan providing all New Mexico students an excellent education and that will lead to resolution of the Martinez-Yazzie lawsuit," PED spokesperson Janelle Garcia said in a statement. "Improving student outcomes is central to our mission, and this plan will support lasting improvements to our educational system." The case was first brought about in 2014 when Wilhelmina Yazzie, the parent of a student at Gallup-McKinley County Schools, and Louise Martinez, the parent of an Albuquerque Public Schools student, joined other parents to file suit against the state and task it to improve its education system. The New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty and Mexican American Legal Defense Fund represented the parents in the suit against the state, and in a landmark 2018 ruling, Judge Sarah Singleton determined that the state was violating students' constitutional rights by not providing sufficient education. As a result, it was mandated that the state begin improving its education system. Wilson's order on Tuesday determined that PED had not complied with that ruling. "In the more than six years since the state and PED were ordered to take immediate steps to fix the system, PED has done little beyond making mere efforts or isolated reforms," Alisa Diehl, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said during the hearing. "PED has had ample opportunity to produce a plan of its own, but it hasn't done so." For its part, PED's attorney contested the state's education department had made changes since the 2018 ruling. "Plaintiffs have suggested that the court must do so because PED has not taken its responsibility seriously and that we've been given six years and nothing's happened. Simply untrue," said Taylor Rahn, the attorney representing the PED. "Many things have changed; some areas of student achievement have improved, but importantly, the inputs have changed to the tune of $2 billion. There is increased accountability that did not exist at the time of trial." She also said that the plaintiff's statement that PED was violating the Indian Education Act, the Hispanic Education Act, the Bilingual, Multicultural Education Act and the Black Education Act wasn't accurate. "Plaintiffs make a sweeping argument that because these groups are not performing at the same level as their at-risk peers, those statutes must be being violated by PED," Rahn said. "However, those statutes don't require exact parity in achievement." According to the state's latest monitoring report, the NM Vistas report card, Black, Native American and Hispanic students were below the statewide averages in reading, math and science proficiency. Historically and recently, New Mexico has ranked among the worst states in the nation for educational outcomes. U.S. News recently ranked it 50th in the country for education and in 2024 the National Assessment of Educational Progress found New Mexico's fourth and eighth grade students lagged behind the national averages in reading, math and science proficiency. "This court's ruling in 2018 gave families and communities all across the state of New Mexico a real sense of hope. Hope that transformative change to their children's education was underway," Preston Sanchez, another attorney representing the plaintiffs, said during the hearing. "New Mexico's education system is still ranked the worst public school system in the United States, a status that has not changed since we filed this case in 2014."
CBC
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Canadian high school students perform poetry in annual competition — 9 headed to final round
Poetry in Voice has revealed the nine Canadian finalists for its annual poetry recitation contest and the 16 students selected for its FutureVerse poetry intensive. The annual Poetry in Voice competition challenges Canadian students to learn poems by heart and perform them online for consideration. The organization hosts two national recitation contests — one for students in Grades 7-9 and another for students in Grades 10-12 — and a dozen local team recitation contests. The competition was established in 2010 by Scott Griffin, chairman and founder of the Griffin Trust for Excellence In Poetry. According to the organization, more than 10,000 students across Canada participated to learn a classic and contemporary poem by heart in 2025. School champions participated in online qualifiers and the 24 students who obtained the highest scores advanced to the semifinals, where their videos were judged by a panel of Canadian poets. The semifinalists all received $250 each in prize money. During the national finals, $18,000 more will be awarded to the winners and finalists. Students compete in one of the contest's three streams: English, French or Bilingual. The 2025 national finalists are: English: Heart Barabad from Kildonan-East Collegiate, Winnipeg Isa Torres Rangel from All Saints High School, Calgary Annabel Wood from École Secondaire Mont-Bleu, Gatineau, Que. Bilingual: Margot Cadrin from Collège Beaubois, Pierrefonds, Que. Nour Snani from Glenforest Secondary School, Mississauga, Ont. Zak Tucker from Eric Hamber Secondary School, Vancouver French: Yasmine Aouchiche from École Internationale de Montréal, Montréal Victor Dubé-Marcus from Collège St-Alexandre de la Gatineau, Gatineau, Que. Omar Elbatouty from École Secondaire Étienne-Brûlé, Toronto The nine finalists will move on to the national finals at Vancouver's The Centre on May 15. The event will also be available for streaming on the Poetry In Voice website. The finalists' recitations will be judged by a jury of poets; Wade Compton, Evelyn Lau and Jane Munro Ruffo for the English recitations; Stéphane Despatie, Louise Dupré and Nadine Ltaif for the French recitations. Over 3,500 votes were cast to choose the winners of the 2025 People's Choice Awards. Lyric Petty from Elmwood High School in Winnipeg won the English People's Choice prize, worth $500, and Frida Cuaquentzi Piteev from Collège Beaubois in Pierrefonds, Que. won the French People's Choice prize, also worth $500. The 2025 junior champions, for the competition for students on Grades 7-9, were selected from the videos they submitted online. For the English stream, Daniel Tiwana from St. George's School in Vancouver won the $500 first place prize. Julia Wang from Unionville High school in Unionville, Ont. won $300 for second place and Jill Robertson from Langley Fine Arts School in Fort Langley, B.C. won $200 for third prize. For the bilingual stream, Andréa Cunha Maréchal from Collège St-Alexandre de la Gatineau in Gatineau, Que. won the $500 first place prize. Ève-Marie Guay from Collège Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes in Longueil, Que. won $300 for second place and Maeve Shaffer from Lycée International de Calgary won $200 for third prize. The French stream first place winner was Aïta Diop from Collège de Lévis in Lévis, Que. Angelina Baazak from Collège St-Alexandre de la Gatineau in Gatineau, Que. won $300 for second place and Ava Daneshkhah from École Secondaire Êtienne-Brûlé in Toronto won $200 for third prize. FutureVerse to bring young poets together The FutureVerse youth poetry event will be held alongside the Poetry in Voice national finals in Vancouver. An all-expenses-paid poetry intensive, the event brings together young writers from all over the country for four days of workshops, panels, readings and activities with Canadian authors, publishers and activists. The complete list of FutureVerse participants is: Harmony Chen from St. Robert Catholic High School in Thornhill, Ont. Natalia Comeau from Charles P. Allen High School in Bedford, N.S. Charles Demers from École Polyvalente des Îles in l'Étang-du-Nord, Que. Jérémie English from École Secondaire Jules-Verne in Vancouver Jonah Harris from Oskāyak High School in Saskatoon Shaza Khattab from Halifax West High School in Halifax Konstantine Lamouelle from Harry Ainlay School in Edmonton Sarah-Jeanne Leclerc from Collège André-Grasset in Montréal Julia Li from University of Toronto Schools in Toronto Rizwan Moonbow from École Panorama Ridge Secondary School in Surrey, B.C. Stacy Ogbuehi from NorKam Senior Secondary School in Kamloops, B.C. Amy Savciuc from All Saints High School in Calgary Madeleine Semple from Martingrove Collegiate Institute in Etobicoke, Ont. Jacky Tang from St. George's School in Vancouver Lilah Warren from Island Connected in Nanaimo, B.C. Teresa Wu from Bernice MacNaughton High School in Moncton, N.B. If you are interested in poetry prizes, the 2025 CBC Poetry Prize opens on April 1. You can submit an original, unpublished poem or collection of poems. The submission will be judged as a whole and must be a maximum of 600 words (including titles). There is no minimum word requirement.
