Michelle Haney Brown

I am a passionate about promoting intercultural awareness, especially by means of providing insight about the Japanese culture, as compared to the American. Currently, I incorporate cross-cultural lessons and fun into teaching Japanese language and culture. In preschool, I befriended an edlerly German couple in the neighborhood whom no one else could understand. In high school, my best friend was an immigrant from Russia and not the typical student at a Houston suburban (and rather cowboy) high school.I went on to study abroad for a year in a Japanese high school and live with a Japanese family. I fell in love with not only the Japanese culture and language but also with the foil that the whole experience provided to my cultural lenses and way of thinking. In a nutshell, it gave me perspective on my own culture and way of thinking. If I can bring to life the world for youngsters so that they feel that the world is is friendly, fun, and exciting, I will have accomplished my calling. "I am not a teacher but an awakener" -- Robert Frost