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 When
I was in the third grade, one of my classmates vomited during class,”
remembers School of Education Professor Linda Tamura. “The
teacher had to clean the mess because she couldn’t find a
custodian. That day I told my family that I was never going to be
a teacher.”
Now with more than 25 years of teaching experience, Tamura obviously
had a change of heart. “I don’t like to admit how long
I’ve been teaching,” she laughs, “because people
say ‘oh my gosh, she’s really old!’”
t it only takes a moment of conversation with Tamura to realize
that teaching is her fountain of youth. She has a captivating, energetic
presence that grows even more animated as she describes her teaching
philosophy. “A teacher is an enabler, a facilitator –
someone who’s not the ‘sage on the stage,’ or
as I sometimes say, ‘fool on the stool.’ I see teachers
as guides on the side. I’m the guide on the side who raises
the questions, who creates the learning  experiences,
and who is a model in terms of professionalism for my students.”
Tamura has been a tireless guide for students at nearly every
level of education, from grade school to college. She considers
her position in Willamette’s MAT program an ideal one because
it combines the most interesting aspects of being a teacher. “My
job right now is really the best of both worlds. I work with lively,
exciting future teachers and guide them in their development. I
visit them in the public schools and watch them mature pedagogically.
I work with the public school staff and I get to be around kids.
I love that combination.”
Tamura has also taken advantage of research grants to conduct
scholarship that has very personal meaning for her including the
Japanese-American experience in the Pacific Northwest. One of her
first projects was to record the oral histories of a number of first
generation Japanese-American immigrants. To do this, she had to
earn their trust and overcome deeply ingrained cultural dictates
which discourage standing out, or distinguishing one’s self.
“There’s a saying in Japan – ‘The nail that
sticks up, gets hammered down.’”
It was Tamura’s strengths as a teacher – her curiosity,
energy and willingness to take chances and stick out – that
enabled her to capture a way of life and a part of American history
that has all but vanished. “I had seen them merely as quiet,
polite people,” she says. “But after hearing their stories,
they became real and passionate citizens who persevered despite
immense challenges. I had such awe for what they had accomplished
as newcomers to this country.” Tamura continues to make similar
recordings with Japanese-American World War II veterans and their
families.
Tamura’s work has only reinforced her belief that education
happens when learning is brought to life. She conducts workshops
on using the inquiry process to teach history. “Whether it’s
children or adults, it’s really important that they raise
questions and become active participants in their education.”
While Tamura is unsure how long her career at Willamette will continue,
she is clearly a teacher whose enthusiasm for learning is unbending.
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