Japan awards teaching position to Wheaton senior

Senior Lisa Shure, a studio art major and art history minor from Wilmington, Mass., will teach English in Japan next year with the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program. She also hopes to explore art in Japan, building on her experience in the conservation of Japanese pottery at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

''I have a strong interest in the Japanese work ethic, sense of aesthetic, Ukiyo-e prints, landscaping and traditional pottery,'' Shure said. ''[Teaching] a foreign language allows for cross-cultural communication and a capacity to have a stronger understanding of the creative and political ideas of another country.''

A National Honor Society member and Dean's List honoree, Shure has played leadership roles in the Student Art League and the Italian, Akido and Russian clubs. This spring she was among the students teaching art at the Pinecroft School in Norton, and she has worked as a tutor at the Chesterwood Museum in Stockbridge, Mass., and the Horizons for Youth camp in Sharon, Mass. She studied abroad in Florence last year.

The JET Program was founded with the purpose of increasing mutual understanding between the people of Japan and the people of other nations. It aims to promote globalization in Japan's local communities by helping to improve foreign language education and developing international exchange at the community level. These goals are foremost in Shure's expectations of her upcoming experience.

''I am enthusiastic to represent my country and region,'' she said. ''At the same time, I understand it will be important to adapt to the Japanese educational system and workplace, which emphasize respect, teamwork and cooperation.''