ブックタイトルa-history-of-international-exchanges00

概要

a-history-of-international-exchanges00

- 3 -years at the longest. But Mr. Butterworth taught at MU for 27 years! Otherforeign teachers in Miyazaki sometimes asked why he could stay for such along time. On one hand, his colleagues at the university wanted him to stayforever, but on the other hand, we were worried whether he could stay hereforever. Mr.Takasu explained the details (though he said this includes hisguess) like this: When I was asked to write an employment contract, I wroteonly the courses he would teach at MU. The general affairs secion chiefconveyed to him orally the ethical matters that required attention. Neitherthe secretariat nor the Mombusho pointed out the incompleteness about histerm of office. When I asked Mr. Butterworth to come to Miyazaki, I told himto stay for a long time, telling him a story about one foreign teacher at OtaruCommercial College, who taught there so long that people put up his bronzestatue as a token of their gratitude. Mr. Adams worked for five years atMiyazaki College of Medicine, and Mr. Sminkey, Mr.Butterworth’s successor,was given the contract with the three-year term of office. Later, wheneverthe English Department received from Mombusho a document several timesthat demanded us to fire Mr. Butterworth and hire a younger foreign teacherwith a lower salary, we sent a written petition to tell them how great hiscontribution was to the department and the university. That was how wewere successful in extending his term.Another project he was deeply involved was to give TOEFL (Test ofEnglish as a Foreign Language) at MU. Those who want to study at auniversity or a college in English-speaking countries must take this test andget the scores required by the institutions he or she wants to go. When therewas no place to take this test in Miyazaki, the students had to go to Fukuoka.This can be both an financial and a mental burden for them. It can be saidthat the reduction of their burden made it possible for them to get betterscores. He did everything alone to organize the test, including arranging theclassrooms for the test, putting the signboard in front of the main gate, askinga foreigner to be a proctor, collecting the answer sheets and sending them toEST (Educational Testing Service) office, and other small things.In March, 2002, he went back to America to take care of his 97-year-oldmother, who passed away in 2007 at the age of 102. In 2011, he visitedMiyazaki with his wife, Katy, nine years after his retirement, for thememorial event of 25th anniversary of the Support Committee of StudentExchange Programs of Faculty of Education and Culture.