A passionate educator who believes in transforming lives beyond the standard lessons taught inside the classroom, she said she has helped to change this reality for her students, building their confidence and making them citizens of the world. “I remember going into the classroom for the first time, and I just had these eyes staring at me with no reaction. You ask a question, and you tell them, ‘come on, raise your hand,’ and nobody wants to answer, nobody wants to stand out”,  she told the Jamaica Observer in a recent interview.

Blake Lee said this was a major culture shock for her because, in Jamaica, students are more outspoken and willingly participate. “In Japan, there is this culture of community. It’s not about the individual, it’s about the group. In the classroom, you won’t find students wanting to stand out. If everybody’s quiet, they’re just going to be quiet. You won’t find where students want to just share their opinion because it shouldn’t just be one person’s opinion, it’s everybody’s opinion and everybody’s on the same page”,  she explained.

Once I understood the culture, I could plan specifically, so I ensured that they realised this classroom is not Japan, this is our classroom. I allowed them to feel as if it’s okay to have different opinions, it’s okay not to be right all the time, and it’s totally fine to make mistakes.