Ms. Hiroko Darnall

Japanese-English Dual Language Teacher
Thomas Dooley Elementary School
Schaumburg, Illinois

Ms. Hiroko Darnall has been teaching in the Japanese-English Dual Language Program at Thomas Dooley Elementary School in Schaumburg (IL) District 54 since the earliest years of the program. One of the first of its kind, Dooley’s innovative program continues to draw observers and researchers from universities and organizations in both the U.S. and Japan. Mrs. Darnall plays an important role not only in developing the dual language curriculum but also in helping the community recognize and celebrate Japanese culture.

From the beginning, she was involved in setting up the Japanese dual language program at Dooley and helped in the final proposal presentation to the board of education. She helped lead a variety of efforts to familiarize Dooley’s regular student body and staff with the new program and culture. Over the years, she has helped organize various cultural events, develop curriculum, and mentored new dual language teachers. To further enhance the appreciation of Japanese culture, Hiroko also helped launch Dooley’s Japanese speech and chorus clubs.
Mrs. Darnall’s dual language classes consist of approximately half Japanese native speakers and half English-speaking students. They often work in pairs for activities, sharing materials and helping one another with assignments and projects. The partner interactions promote authentic communication as the students strive to get their messages across. After more than a decade teaching first grade, Mrs. Darnall now teaches third graders and is delighted to see their growth, not only in academic areas but in the target languages for both groups of students.

Hiroko’s teaching career began well before her work with the dual language program. Previously, she taught ESL and Japanese bilingual in District 54. Prior to moving to Schaumburg, she lived in Bloomington-Normal, IL, where she taught ESL at various grades and Japanese at the high school, college, and adult education levels. She also helped the community and schools there prepare for the arrival of a major Japanese automobile plant, its suppliers, and the families that came to live in the community as a result. She has worked in summer language/culture programs for children as well.

Furthermore, Hiroko has made significant contributions to Japanese language assessment. In addition to serving as a language proficiency evaluator for teacher certification, Hiroko was the Japanese language representative on content advisory and coordinating committees for the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), working with National Evaluation Systems to develop tests for bilingual certification. She also helped develop and pilot the Japanese language version of the National Online Early Language Learning Assessment (NOELLA), part of a project commissioned by the Center for Applied Second Language Studies.

Mrs. Darnall’s contributions to Japanese dual language teaching reach beyond her school. She contributed model unit and lesson plans to The Two-Way Immersion Toolkit, published by the Northeast and Islands Regional Educational Laboratory at Brown University through the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL). She presented on dual language programs at an immersion conference organized by CAL and the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA) and has spoken at Illinois statewide conferences.

She has always tried to make a difference in her community. Her non-teaching involvement has included helping the Asahikawa-Bloomington-Normal Sister City program, volunteering at the Chicago Japan Festival, proctoring the yearly Japanese Language Proficiency Test, and helping extensively to support an annual Japanese exchange program at a nearby high school. She has served on numerous committees at the school and district levels, received a District 54 Excellence in Education Award, and been nominated for the Illinois Golden Apple Teacher Award.

Mrs. Darnall states, “It has been an honor and privilege to share my language and cultural heritage with students. The process of applying for the Elgin Heinz award was a wonderful chance to reflect on my teaching and to think of new ways I might help students better acquire Japanese and increase their appreciation of the language and culture. I fully realize that I am only one of many who dedicate themselves to opening students’ eyes to the world and increasing cross-cultural understanding through the teaching of Japanese. I am humbled by my being selected for this recognition.”