Where We Call Home.

Teaching English at a middle school in Nagano Prefecture is this man from Uganda.

Kalule Deogratius, affectionately nicknamed "Mr. Deo" by the students.

These...

Including games and fun activities, his lessons focus on letting the learners enjoy studying English.

I want everyone to have fun and feel motivated, no matter their English level.

To foster communication with his pupils,

Deo has them write about their thoughts and feelings in their notebooks

to which he responds with personalized messages.

To the third-years about to graduate, what will be his last message?

Let's get a closer look at the bonds between the dedicated Mr. Deo and his students.

Komoro City in eastern Nagano Prefecture.

Steeped in history, it flourished as a waystation town more than four centuries ago.

Beneath a splendid view of the Asama Mountain Range is the Ashihara public middle school, which counts some 380 students.

Deo is in his eighth year here.

Are you filming already?

He teaches English to every class from the first to third year students.

Hello!

- Good morning!
- Hello!

You're gonna be late!

This is the room he always uses.

I arranged this classroom, the English Room.

I wanted to create a space where students could be immersed in English.

On the walls are maxims Deo wishes for his students to remember,

such as, "Never be afraid of making mistakes."

And, "Learn from your mistakes."

The fear of mistakes is an obstacle for Japanese students.

I want them to know that this is a place of learning.

So, it's OK to make mistakes.

Deo is what is called in Japan an Assistant Language Teacher, or ALT.

He works in tandem with a Japanese English teacher when preparing his lessons' content.

Today, they're holding a class for third-year students about to graduate a month from now.

Who is the leader today?

Good afternoon, Ms. Yokoyama and Mr. Deo.

Good afternoon, everyone. How are you?

- I'm good.
- That's good!

To prepare them for a test coming up next week, they review basic English phrases.

Deo has them do a game of telephone.

Each vertical row becomes a group.

The first group to accurately transmit the sentence all the way to the student at the back wins.

First, the front-row students hear the phrase they must memorize.

How long has Ms. Yokoyama taught you English?

How long has Ms. Yokoyama taught you English?

How to...

Not "How to!" There's no "How to" there!

How long... "Matte." How long has Ms. Yokoyama taught...

- "Chotto matte." How long has...
- Has?

- ...has Ms. Yokoyama...
- ...Ms. Yokoyama taught English?

...taught English?

How long has Ms. Yokoyama taught English?

Ah! One word is missing.

How long has Ms. Yokoyama... taught you English?

Perfect! Answer please.

- She has taught us for two years.
- Perfect!

Listening time.

If you have free time, what do you want to do?

For this exercise, the first team to write down their answer wins.

Deo says that students who are usually too shy to raise their hands do so more easily when they're part of a group.

- I want to sleep. Perfect!
- Yay!

Mr. Deo awards stickers to the winners - a simple trick to keep everyone motivated.

Great job!

We get more chances to speak English with classmates. It's great.

Mr. Deo is not only funny, he also explains when I don't understand.

His classes have a lot of variety. He's very kind.

I want all the students to participate.

I don't want to see any of them left behind.

I set up my lessons so that everyone has fun...

and feels motivated, no matter their English level.

Even when not teaching, Deo puts importance into communicating with students.

He makes it a rule to always eat lunch with them.

He says it helps build a fun classroom atmosphere.

You like salads?

- Yes.
- OK.

There's another exercise Deo highly values.

He calls it the "Deo Notebook."

He picks a theme, such as summertime memories,

and has students freely put their thoughts and feelings into written words in their own individual notebooks.

This time, he asked them to introduces themselves.

This student wrote about something she treasures.

Deo then replies with messages to each and every student.

It's a notebook only the student and I can see.

Some are reluctant to speak out.

It's a kind of shyness that's quite common at their age.

Some students even use the Deo Notebook to talk about things like

issues they have with friends or their worries over high-school entrance exams.

Come in.

Deo lives with his wife and their son about a thirty-minute drive from the school.

He met Eri while taking part in a local language exchange club, and the two got married in 2003.

Alan is in sixth grade.

Pick up your things.

On occasion, Deo cooks some traditional dishes from his homeland,

like "kawunga" a Ugandan household favorite: corn flour mixed in hot water.

You have to mix it well, otherwise some powder is left.

Bon appétit!

Deo also loves Japanese miso soup.

It's delicious.

Preparing "kawunga" requires strength. So, he makes it.

Deo likes people.

He's built up a bigger circle of acquaintances than I have.

When he was ill, many people worried for him.

Deo once suffered from a life-threatening health condition.

He says it was what prompted him to become a teacher.

He was born in the Ugandan capital of Kampala.

Afflicted with renal insufficiency since childhood, he had to make regular visits to the hospital.

He was strongly interested in Japanese manufacturing.

After graduating university, he came to work at a metal processing manufacturer in Nagano in 2000.

Back then, he could barely speak any Japanese.

I was worried at first, but I wrote down everything I heard to learn Japanese.

If I fix myself a goal or a challenge, I won't give up until I succeed.

Six years after moving to Japan, just as he was getting used to life here,

Deo was diagnosed with kidney failure and thus needed dialysis to survive.

It was Eri who came through for him.

She made every effort to arrange for her husband to get a kidney transplant.

In addition, it was Deo's younger brother, Meddie, who became the donor.

"Why put your life at risk for me?" I asked.

He told me he didn't want to see me suffer.

"Take my kidney," he said."

Thanks to the devoted efforts of his doctor and family, Deo was able to live normally once again.

He decided to put this new lease on life to good use.

Because I had a transplant in Japan, I'm alive today.

Japan saved my life. I wondered what I could do in return.

I felt I should give my time to children, and help them enjoy learning.

In 2014, Deo became a middle school Assistant Language Teacher.

Ever since, he's been devoting himself wholeheartedly to his work,

pouring his love for children into teaching English.

Let's go!

Even when he's not teaching at school, he cherishes the time he spends with children in his community.

Today, he heads out with local kids to perform a little ceremony for the deity said to watch over the neighborhood.

Careful. Stay on the side.

Alan will make the offering of mandarin oranges.

This is where I live, where I call home.

So, it's important to connect with both children and adults here.

Deo reads the students' final entries in their "Deo Notebooks" and writes messages for each of them.

He chose for the last theme, "My Future Dream."

I want my last message to be one of encouragement.

So, I thought dreams would be a good theme.

Some students have more difficulty making effort in class than others.

Their dreams may be harder to achieve, but I encourage them not to give up.

Deo decided letters would be a fitting way to convey his messages.

Two weeks before graduation.

This is the third-year students' very last lesson with Mr. Deo.

At the end of the class, Deo hands out the letters with personalized messages for each student.

This card has a message.

Dreaming of working as a civil servant is Haruna.

After visiting the local city office for a school project,

she felt she wanted to one day contribute to her community.

She makes a short presentation of what she wrote in her "Deo Notebook."

"My future dream is to be a civil servant."

"I've wanted to be so since I was twelve."

"If I become a civil servant...

I want to help foreign people by speaking English well."

And here's Mr. Deo's reply to her.

"You are a hard-working, gentle student."

"I know you will work hard to make your dream come true,

and become a very good civil servant who will make a lot of people happy and smile."

"There are many people waiting for your kindness."

"Never be afraid of challenges."

He gave me more confidence to make my dream come true.

I know Mr. Deo supports me in my efforts to achieve my goal. It's heartening.

Rina says joining the school's brass band has further ignited her love for music.

"My dream for the future is to work in a music-related field...

because I've always loved music."

"Also, I like listening and playing instruments."

"To achieve this, I would like to study more about music."

"I want to continue enjoying music."

"I haven't decided on my future dream yet. So, I want to study hard."

To Rina who has yet to find a concrete goal to strive toward,

Mr. Deo expresses his confidence in her finding "a job connected with music."

"You are a kind, gentle student." I like that first line.

I'm happy to know Mr. Deo sees me like that.

My dream is to be a hairdresser.

- Really?
- He knows it.

To Yuto who wishes to be a hairdresser,

Mr. Deo stressed the importance of "not running away from challenges,"

and to always respect and learn from his seniors.

He told me to work hard and move forward. I'm so happy.

At the core of all the letters are simple words from Mr. Deo.

"Don't fear making mistakes as you reach for your dream."

I'm just so happy.

He told me to do my best to achieve my goals. It makes me glad.

- Don't cry!
- I can't help it!

- It's OK.
- I cried this morning, too.

- Why?
- I'll miss you.

I know. I'll miss you, too.

But I'll always be here.

March 18th - graduation day.

Mr. Deo sends the students off.

Haruna, the aspiring civil servant who wants to help foreigners using English.

I can enjoy studying English.

Oh, that's nice! And please keep studying.

- Thank you.
- OK? I want you to chase your dream.

And I want you to make your dream come true.

OK? Never give up.

OK! See you!

I passed level three.

Music lover Rina passed an English proficiency test.

- Thank you.
- Keep it up.

Thanks to Mr. Deo, my English improved. I'm so thankful.

It's sad to say goodbye.

But that's life.
They have to take the next step.

I know they'll do their best.

I want to help children grow, as much as I can.

Hi! I'm Quoc, from Vietnam.

I grow mandarin oranges in Ehime.

These mandarins are beautiful and tasty!

Akehama, Ehime pref.

This region is one of Japan's major producers of mandarin oranges.

8:00 a.m. work starts

Good morning! Let's do our best again today!

harvesting

From mandarins to lemons, this farm produces 15 citrus varieties.

I cut where the stem meets the branch, then here and here.

If the stem is too long, it'll damage the other fruit.

It prevents them from wrinkling, and protects them...

from insects and birds.

The delicate Setoka mandarins require painstaking effort to produce.

Let's take a break.

Setoka stems have long thorns, really long.

They make you go, "Ouch!"

Like syringe needles.

The fruit are carried downhill with a monorail.

From childhood, Quoc had worked on his parents' farm.

He came to Japan in 2020 to study Japanese farming techniques.

The mountains and the tech used to work on them, like the monorail, amazed me.

Japanese mandarins taste and smell great.

I'd like to grow some myself on my parents' farm in Vietnam.

sorting

The fruit are sorted by whether they'll be sold as is or processed.

Quoc carefully checks each one for any defects.

This one's a little damaged. It'll be processed.

This year's Setoka taste great.

Less rain makes them sweeter. They're good!

Hiroo-san and I work together.

He teaches me about our work, and the words related to it. He's so kind.

Quoc is a fast learner, and he's got dexterity. He works so well.

In 2016, Hiroo moved back here, and took over the family farm.

Things like the summer heat were hard at first.

We're a rather large farm.

I can't do this alone. I get help from everyone.

Quoc works with determination. It's very admirable.

I have him cut large trees with a chainsaw.

I can only cut small ones.

He can cut the big ones.

afternoon

Cut this here.

pruning

These three have similar branches. Hold on.

If they face inward, they'll create shade. So, we cut them.

The others, too. To get sunlight.

Pruning requires much thinking. So much to learn.

I'd like Quoc to stay here forever.

We don't have anyone to take over.

My son's the successor, but he's getting old, too!

I got this watch from my girlfriend.

The two met in Japan. She too is Vietnamese.

She asks me every night how my day was.

When I feel tired, she says, "Hang in there."

It encourages me to work hard.

I do this work for both my family and myself.

I want to gain experience with this work.

As much experience as I can.