Tomoko Tsuzuki-Deboer

Modern Languages

Tomoko Tsuzuki-Deboer has been a consummate teacher of Japanese and a congenial colleague during her 16 years as adjunct in the Department of Modern Languages. Through her dedication and perseverance, excellence in teaching, and success in engaging students, she has strongly contributed to the teaching mission of the department and university. Ms. Tsuzuki-Deboer began Wright State’s Japanese program in 2002. In her introductory courses, students were thrilled to discover a new world of Japanese language and culture. The courses were so successful that she was able to create subsequent classes at the intermediate level and eventually two upper-level sections of Japanese conversation. Despite the inherent difficulty of the language for American students, Ms. Tsuzuki-Deboer consistently received high scores on evaluations, and students regularly noted her organization, encouragement, and ability to provide clear explanations in a helpful and friendly manner. Students praised her for allowing them to expand their thinking and perception of the world, and noted that classes seemed too short—rare praise indeed!