Kadena, Okinawa, March 21, 1958: Miss Haruko Ota, a third grade teacher, peeks over the shoulder of Brenda Sheets, 10, daughter of Master Sgt. and Mrs. W. G. Sheets, as pupils with the right answer raise their hands in their Kadena Air Base fourth grade classroom. Around them a group of Okinawan teachers and parents look over the shoulders of the pupils. Forty-nine Okinawan educators got a first-hand look at American educational methods and were surprised that American students “feel so much at ease in school.” The group toured the Kadena Air Base Dependent Elementary School in a visit sponsored by the Ryukyuan-American Community Relations Committee.

The exchange of educational knowledge between US and Okinawan teachers has continued to this day as this recent article testifies.

To read what Okinawan and American educators learned from each other back in 1958, check out the original article here.

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