The Putney School

"It wasn't until the end of my junior year that I realized how taken I am by ceramics."

"Putney is an international environment with students and teachers from all over the world. I've learned about many cultures here. Doing so, I've gained perspective on my culture and on myself.

"When I was a freshman at my school in Japan, I assumed that I'd be a doctor one day because my father is a doctor. Then, at Putney, as part of a full academic load, I tried sculpture, which I liked. So then I tried photography, and I tried stained glass, jewelry making, and figure drawing. Ceramics is what really caught my imagination. My mother says that when I was a little boy I played nearly every day with clay. She has long wondered when and whether my fascination with clay would reappear. Well, she can stop wondering. As an artist, my process changes all of the time. Sometimes I'll sketch an idea and then create a ceramics piece to match it. Sometimes I'll just throw clay and see what happens.

"It wasn't until the end of my junior year that I fully realized how taken I am by ceramics. I'm now planning to study at the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, where the School of Art & Design is integrated with the School of Engineering. When I called my parents to tell them, they said they'd been expecting this decision all along. My mother, of course, wasn't surprised at all. And apparently, in all of my phone calls and emails home, what I had talked about was visual arts. And so they are happy and excited about my choice.

Akira and Dawn

"I think what has been best for me at Putney is that, while I've had to work hard in all core areas of academics, I've been encouraged to explore my interests and passions. I've also learned a lot about community and responsibility. This year I'm serving on the Work Committee. With guidance from a faculty advisor, we run the Work Program on campus. We have marathon meetings a few times a year to assign jobs. Then we each take responsibility for one aspect of the Work Program. Right now I'm in charge of breakfast crew, and it's not always easy to get everyone to understand that, even when they are stressed or have a test that day or have been up late talking to their roommate, they need to show up at 6:30 am for their job. If they don't, breakfast for the whole school won't easily be served.

"Looking back, I can remember that when I arrived as a sophomore I could barely speak English and didn't have much idea about the world outside of Japan. Now I'm more excited than ever about learning about the world, and I have come to take responsibility for what and how I learn. I am confident in ways I never was before."

Learning English, Immersion Style

When I arrived as a sophomore I could read and write some English because all Japanese students learn English in middle school. But we learn it from teachers who haven't necessarily spoken it with natives, and I was a little shocked by how quickly students speak in America and how much slang they use. So it took me a few weeks before I could understand much at all of what was said to me by American students.

My English as a Second Language teacher knew to talk slowly and clearly, and that helped. She gave me support and simplified reading materials for several of my academic areas. Quite a few of the other students in ESL were as unfamiliar with spoken English as I was. No one felt isolated. The ESL teachers and advisors were always helpful, the regular teachers understood and were patient, and we international students talked to each other any way we could. Usually we used English, but even in those first weeks when we could only understand each others' gestures, we felt right away that we had friends.

By the time the first Thanksgiving break came around, I was able to understand a fair amount of what almost anyone on campus said to me. I spent that break with someone who had already become a good friend, an American student who lived nearby in Massachusetts.

As a senior I feel that I'm still learning English, though most people might consider that I've just about mastered the language. I look forward, actually, to learning many more languages through the years and spending time in a wide variety of cultures.