Today we’d like to introduce you to Minori Yamaki.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Minori. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born in Okinawa, Japan and was a bit of a rebel – so I wanted to leave home and be on my own. I had the opportunity to come to the US and go to a private high school when I was 16, so I took advantage of it! I stayed with a host family and began learning about the culture. When I was done I decided to go to college here as well to study to be a teacher. I come from a long line of teachers – and felt in my heart that this was my path as well.
Once I received my bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, I started teaching kindergarten at St. Matthews in Niles. At this time I was teaching children from all different backgrounds… and something interesting happened. There was a little girl that was from Iraq, and she didn’t speak any English. Each day she would cry and look out the window for her mother, and each day I tried to comfort her, but she couldn’t understand me. I began to wonder if there may be Japanese children out there that felt the way this young girl did. I couldn’t help this girl from Iraq to feel better, but this began to show me where my teaching skills and background might be of the most use.
Time passed, as it usually does, and one day I overheard a woman speaking in Japanese about her son and going to school. We spoke and I invited her to come to the place I was teaching with her son. He began going to my school, and over time, more and more Japanese students started to attend. I began to realize that for these children, language was the key to living here successfully in the United States, and I decided to dedicate my professional life to making sure they had this foundation.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Of course, I miss my family very much. And being so far away from them has meant not being able to attend many important events and special occasions. But I believe I needed to leave in order to appreciate all they had done for me. Without them and their support, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
That said, my “other family” has been there to support me and help me every step of the way on this journey here in the United States. I’ve always felt that there is no problem that the members of my school and I can’t face as a team. Everyone is on the same side, and we all pitch in to make things work.
The only other struggle I face is one we all have. There’s precious little time to do everything I’d like to do!
We’d love to hear more about your business.
St. Matthews is a play-based school for 3, 4, and 5-year-old children. We let them explore and take an experiential approach to learning. During their time here they learn about conflict – and how to resolve it. They build confidence. They spend time in nature. They learn traditional Okinawan dance (Eisa). We give them space to learn about their limitations, but they also learn that they set many of these themselves. We don’t see failure as an endpoint for these children, it’s a starting point!
I’m so proud of these students. Proud of their growth. They are learning life lessons here. It’s very organic and natural. And I know without a doubt that they will be a positive influence when they go out into the world.
What were you like growing up?
I was a free spirit. I used the loose schedules of Okinawa to allow my imagination to grow. This allowed me to dream big and look for opportunities to spread my wings.
Contact Info:
- Address: 9204 N. Milwaukee Ave. Niles, IL 60714
- Website: http://www.seimataiyouchien.com
- Phone: 847-297-5898
- Email: info@seimataiyouchien.com
Image Credit:
Kimiko Tanaka, Yukako Wrenn
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