I just got done with my first session of speaking practice with Japanese students at my college, and it was a blast! I've thought for a while now that I might want to teach English in Japan, but I didn't have any prior experience. I definitely feel really good about that aspiration now. Here is a post I put up on my blog about it. Has anyone helped Japanese students with their English, at a college or otherwise? Have any current English teachers in Japan decided to do so because of an experience like this? Let me know what you guys have done like this.
My First Encounter with Teaching English to Japanese Students
Today I got my first chance at something I’d hoped I’d be able to do for a while now: help Japanese students with their English. A few weeks ago, while I was getting some basic information about studying abroad in Japan, I met Kevin, who told me all about being over there while he was an exchange student just out of high school. He mentioned also that he was an intern at the Intensive Language Institute and was going to be helping organize some conversation partners for Japanese students who just arrived from Hirosaki University. I jumped at the chance to help out. So how did my first session go? In a word, amazing.
I woke up today a bit nervous, like I always do before going to try something new. But there was an extra bit of trepidation here: what if I can’t speak with these students? What if they don’t understand me? What if I come across as boring, or intimidating? What if I just don’t like it? I’ve felt for a while now that I would like to spend some time in Japan, and teaching English too, so there was a lot riding on this. But there was excitement, too. So with that, I went off to the Union where everyone would be meeting.
When I got there, I was a bit concerned because I didn’t see any Japanese students or people who looked like they were there to be conversation partners. The email they sent out the night before said that the meeting place was Hauck Auditorium, so of course I went up and yanked on the large brass door to check. It didn’t budge and I felt a little stupid. Luckily, the feeling didn’t last long as a parade of Japanese people came around the corner, led by what appeared to be the two guys (Dave and Chris) in charge of today’s speaking practice. The students lined up, and then we were separated into groups. I was paired with two really interesting guys, name Yoichi and Tasuku. After a quick introduction, we made our way over to the tables in the Union to sit down and get started. They had these lists of questions on a sheet of paper that they had been given earlier, and we went off of that. I quickly found myself enjoying talking to these guys and helping them to practice English. Their English was leagues better than my Japanese, but I still made sure to speak slowly and deliberately, because if I went too fast or found myself rambling, they would ask for me to repeat.
They asked basic, get-to-know-you questions, and it was great fun to get to know them and them to know me. Yoichi and Tasuku are both from Aomori, which is a city to the east of Hirosaki University. One is 21, and one 28. Yoichi, the older guy, is programmer and is getting married next February. Tasuku was the more outgoing type, and he did a lot of speaking. When I asked him if he liked American girls, his reaction was quite humorous. He looked around, shifted his glasses up and down, and said, “Yeah! Beauty everywhere!” We all got a good laugh out of that. They seem to enjoy it here in Maine, and we talked a bit about the weather of the state, and how Hirosaki and the University of Maine compared in terms of size. They learned some new vocabulary, too, because as we went I found them writing down certain words. It really made me happy when we were able to figure out that Tasuku’s part-time job was moving, since he never knew how to say that before. They were impressed too, when they asked me if I knew any Japanese. I introduced myself again in Japanese, and told them about my plans to possibly study abroad in Hirosaki. If I go next Spring, they said they will still be around, so that will be at least two familiar faces!
I really enjoyed talking to these students and getting to know them. The time seemed to fly by, and we still had plenty to talk about once the time was up. I can’t wait for Wednesday now. I’m glad to say with confidence now that I want to teach English in Japan, if today was any indication. I feel that just the little bit of help I gave Yoichi and Tasuku today will really make a difference in the long-run, and I hope to do that for many more students of English.
Link to the blog post
surprises.
