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Byram Hills Teacher Travels to Japan on Study Tour and Incorporates Highlights into Curriculum

August 29, 2018 by Ella Ilan

PHOTO COURTESY OF MARTIN GILBERT

Byram Hills High School teacher Martin Gilbert, who teaches both global history and economics recently traveled to Japan on a two week immersion experience for history teachers sponsored by the Foreign Policy Research Institute and the Center for East Asian Studies. The study tour took the twenty participating American teachers, chosen through a selective application process, to various sites in Tokyo and the northern island of Hokkaido handpicked for their cultural, political and economic significance.

“Every day was a highlight,” says Mr. Gilbert. He particularly enjoyed interacting with the diverse mix of young teachers on his trip. As the oldest teacher on the tour, he filled the role of a mentor to them. Some of his favorite experiences included attending a very lively baseball game, traveling around Hokkaido and soaking in its natural beauty, visiting a school and working in small groups with students learning English, visiting the site of the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo, and riding the high speed bullet train, the Shinkansen. He really enjoyed visiting the “onsens,” Japanese hot springs, and partaking in the public bath ritual.  Mr. Gilbert was pleasantly surprised to discover that the hotel owned a “yukata,” traditional bathrobe for the onsen, that fit his tall 6-foot-7-inch frame.

Other highlights of the trip included visiting and spending time with staff at the United States Embassy and meeting a Japanese diplomat at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who was an expert on Chinese-Japanese relations. The diplomat discussed the tension over islands in the South China Sea.

“For me, as someone who is very interested in current affairs, it was fascinating to hear about trade relations between China and Japan, the second and third largest economies in the world.” Mr. Gilbert said. “I like to discuss current events in my classes. This year I will certainly talk more about Japan and the United States and the current trade war.”

Visiting the Shrines

Mr. Gilbert has always longed to visit Japan since the country holds special meaning for him. He has told many Byram Hills students this story when talking about shrines in eastern religions in his global history class.  When he and his wife were newlyweds, she traveled to Japan on a fellowship. While there, she prayed for a baby at a shrine.  After returning from her trip, she was soon pregnant with the couple’s first son. Ever since then, Mr. Gilbert wanted to travel there.

In his class, Mr. Gilbert teaches about Shintoism and Buddhism. After visiting many shrines in Japan, he can now relay his first hand experiences to his students. Like his wife, Mr. Gilbert had his own opportunity to pray for a wish at a Shinto shrine. The process involved buying a small thin wooden plaque for the equivalent of ten dollars, writing your wish on the plaque, and hanging it on the rack of wishes in the hope that the deity housed at that shrine will make your wish a reality. He took pictures of the plaques that he plans to share with his students to allow them to visualize this ritual that they may have only read about in a textbook. His personal experience gave him perspective to share with students who might be familiar with the custom of placing prayer notes in the Wailing Wall in Israel.

Incorporating the Trip into Classroom Lessons

Between his first hand account of customs observed and the videos he recorded of his experiences that he will incorporate into his curriculum, he will be able to offer a glimpse into Japanese culture to his students.  Visiting in person allowed Mr. Gilbert to gain deeper insight into customs he may never have read about in a textbook. He learned that people are prohibited from walking through the center of a “torii” gate into a shrine because the center is reserved for the gods. He learned that people entering a shrine must follow a purification ritual with very specific steps with regard to washing your hands and face.

Even after teaching at Byram Hills for twenty-seven years, Mr. Gilbert is continually seeking educational and cultural enrichment for himself and his students. This was his fourth trip to Asia. On previous study tours, Mr. Gilbert has traveled to Korea twice and China once. He has also been to Israel on a Fulbright Scholarship and to Nicaragua through the Byram Hills Education Foundation.

“I really want to give back to the kids by sharing my experiences. I hang pictures of my trips up in the classroom and I let my students know that there is a world outside Armonk. I hope that some of my students get the travel bug,” says Mr. Gilbert. Opening himself up to new learning experiences as a teacher, he is a great example to his students of how one can always continue to learn in life.

Filed Under: Armonk Cover Stories Tagged With: Byram Hills, Customs, Hokkaido, japan, Shrines, teaching, Travel, trip, yukata

Annual HHREC Trip to Germany and Poland, May 21-June 1

January 12, 2018 by The Inside Press

Holocaust Trip to Germany and Poland

May 21-June 1, 2018

$3200 single room; $2700 double room
The trip begins in Berlin; participants are responsible for their own intercontinental air travel.
$300 non-refundable deposit due February 15, 2018.
Full payment due by April 30, 2018

Includes

• Sightseeing Coach Tour of Berlin, including Berlin Wall Memorial, Brandenburg Gate, Bebelplatz
• Walking tours of the Holocaust Memorials in Berlin
• Programs at the House of the Wannsee Conference, Murdered Jews of Europe Memorial, The New Synagogue (Berlin), Jewish Museum (Berlin), Polin (Museum of the History of Polish Jews), Schindler’s Factory
• Guided Tour of Auschwitz-Birkenau
• Walking tour of Kasimierz (Historic Jewish section of Krakow )
• Performance at the Chamäleon Theater in Berlin will underwrite many of the expenses through the generosity of its donors)
• Inner European flights: Berlin – Warsaw and Kraków – Berlin
• Accommodation including breakfast in four star hotels in Berlin, Warsaw and Kraków
• National transportation by local coach or public transportation or taxis
• 8 group dinners
• Tickets for the Chamäleon Theater in Berlin
• English speaking guide
• One group leader
• Lectures, discussions, and guided tours in English or with English translation
• Entrance fees museums in Berlin, Warsaw and Kraków
• Group tips

For More Information

Download the 2018 Trip Flyer and Full Trip Itinerary

” Truly an inspirational program. Intellectually challenging and rewarding.”

 

Filed Under: Travel Opp Tagged With: Germany, Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center, Holocaust education, Poland, Travel, trip

Head for Tranquility in Montauk

August 21, 2015 by Inside Press

Article and Photo By Sherry Amatenstein

Montauk, situated at the tip of Long Island’s South Fork, is a mere six miles from the Hamptons scene but the vibe is more chill than chic. While the last few years have, alas, seen the once sleepy fishing village gentrify, at its core Montauk remains a sea of bait shops, pristine beaches, seafood shacks and rolling farmland. Of course the iconic Montauk Point lighthouse, authorized by George Washington, remains a beacon to locals and visitors.

A 60-foot replica of the lighthouse welcomes guests to Montauk Yacht Club Resort & Marina (MYC), the perfect spot for a tranquil long weekend or midweek sojourn. Opened in 1929 and situated on Star Island in Lake Montauk, the Club is renowned for hosting storied families like the Astors, Vanderbilts and Whitneys. More star power from a bygone era: Charles Lindbergh periodically parked his seaplane here!

Much more recently, MYC was dubbed by Yachting Magazine one of the top 10 marina destinations in North America, Mexico and the Bahamas.
montauk ship
After a multi-million dollar sprucing, the 35-acre property has 104, spacious, blue, nautically accented guestrooms, suites and villas. Throw in three pools (two outdoors), a sailing school, four tennis courts, full service spa (hot stone massage, anyone?), and numerous nooks and crannies to sit and ponder the yacht-filled waterfront, and you have nirvana.

Our first stop was to gather sustenance. The resort’s restaurants include The Gulf Coast Kitchen where new Executive Chef Ron Duprat from Top Chef Las Angeles presides. Chef Duprat’s influence is also felt at what quickly became my new favorite hangout- the indoor/outdoor Hurricane Alley where people- and yacht-watching at the 232-slip marina is on the menu while munching delicacies like a lobster and caviar roll with truffle steak fries.

When you tire of looking at the sparkling azure harbor, get on the water courtesy of the Mon Tiki. Choose between booking spots on this eco-conscious 49-person catamaran’s daytime or sunset cruises or indulge in a private charter. If you choose an evening outing, glory in the moment as you watch amazing colors chase each other across the sky.

Other water-based activities at MYC include soaking up the sun at one of the two outdoor heated pools or the small private beach, group surfing or paddleboard lessons, or chartering a fishing boat. Hook something on the latter, and the kitchen will clean, cook and serve your catch.

Activities on land include lounging on the Great Lawn (where every Sunday the Koch brothers–Derek and Daniel of DMK Entertainment Group host a fabulous lobster bake brunch), playing horseshoes or bocce ball, biking around the grounds, strolling along the ocean, cocktail-ing it at the Barracuda Bar, taking a siesta on your private porch or-my favorite- having a treatment at the spa. In addition to the hot stone massage mentioned earlier, consider the divinely decadent foot treatment with a raw sugar and tangerine-infused jojoba scrub. Your tootsies will thank you!

Your inner child will thank you if you end your evening with a bonfire on the beach or gather ‘round the fire pit and make some s’mores while playing charades or warbling some tunes.

While MYC has an elegant, refined air it’s folksy spirit is exemplified by the slogan on your room’s key card: “Welcome home.”

Sherry Amatenstein, LCSW, is an author, therapist, journalist, writing professor and lover of travel and, of course, friendship! Her website is marriedfq.com

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: destination, Inside Press, Montauk, theinsidepress.com, tranquility, trip, vacation

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