<Begin Segment 6>

TI: Okay, because then you came back when you were about seven years old.

MY: Seven years old.

TI: And so I'm curious, at this point, I'm guessing your Japanese was much stronger than your English at this point.

MY: There was no English in my background, so when I entered Grant School I spoke no English.

TI: And so you're going in about, what, second grade?

MY: Well, there was this difficult question of where to place me. Age wise I was a... I was not normal, let's put it that way. But, however, since I was a new kid on the block they just placed me with the age appropriate class. When they found out that I was essentially retarded and couldn't understand anything, they lowered me. And my understanding was when they lowered me, they naturally tested me and I was superior in mathematics, because in Japan, as you know, arithmetic, math, is very highly esteemed and they teach it. So here I am, above grade level both at the lowered level and at the age appropriate level, and so they put me in the advanced class, not the age appropriate, but the advanced age.

TI: Even though your English abilities weren't there?

MY: There was no English there, so they couldn't do anything with me, so they really had no idea what to do with me, so they put me back in the age appropriate class, and that's where I ended up.

TI: Oh, that's interesting. So they put you here, then they put down here, then they put you up here.

MY: And see, arithmetic was the basic thing.

TI: Okay, so they knew that you were bright because of your arithmetic, or math abilities, but then they figured, well, he'll just learn English quickly and then be fine. Okay. And how did that hinder you, your English, lack of English abilities, over the years? Or were you able to catch up?

MY: All I can say is that those teachers at Grant School did a beautiful, marvelous job of teaching me English so that I was able to not only comprehend, but use the English language in the curriculum in such a way that when I graduated at the eighth grade from Grant School into Lowell High School, one of the highest esteemed schools in San Francisco, I had no problem of any kind when it came to use of the English language.

TI: Is there anything that, you talk about how they taught you English, how did they do that? I'm curious because teaching English in the United States today --

MY: I have no idea how they taught me English. All I can say is they did one hell of a job in teaching me English, because Ruthie, my wife's, mother was an English teacher in high school, and if anything, I could correct her English.

TI: Amazing, so her grammar, your grammar would be, would be excellent. That's interesting.

<End Segment 6> - Copyright © 2011 Densho. All Rights Reserved.