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It all began with a poster for JET ( The Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme) in my university's Asian Studies department. Suddenly it was 10 months, one interview, and 4 overstuffed suitcases later and there I was, sitting in coach on the 10-hour flight to Tokyo. And when I first laid eyes on my new home, from the epileptic lights of Shinjuku to the dusty corners of my 6 tatami mat apartment, I knew I was beginning something that would encourage me to work harder than I ever had in my life.
I was placed in two low academic level senior high schools. I would visit my ‘base school' three times a week, and my ‘visiting school' twice a week. I was required to team teach all of my classes with the schools' Japanese teachers of English (JTEs), and be responsible for creating my own lesson plans for our oral communication classes.
I had imagined my Japanese classroom to be a teacher lecturing at the front of a class of 20 students diligently taking notes. Instead it was comic books nestled between the pages of English textbooks, sleeping heads on desks, hairbrushes, mirrors and fake eyelashes in place of notebooks, and bold voices challenging me with Japanese word play and cracking jokes. I found my lessons morphing and changing to accommodate the needs of each student—but this was all part of the joy of teaching. And I do mean joy.
One afternoon after team-teaching a class with JTE Mizoe sensei (teacher), we walked out of the classroom to find some students perched on the desk outside. Seeing an opportunity for English conversation, Mizoe sensei pointed to me and asked one of the boys, "Do you know who she is?" The boy just grinned and said, "Ri-chan". Mizoe sensei and I looked at each other, confused. Again the boy looked at me, smiled mischievously, and repeated, "Ri-chan, Ri-chan!" A few puzzled moments later it hit us that he had taken my name and added the diminutive "chan" to the end.1 I burst out laughing and wagged my finger at him for being so presumptuous- this was his teacher for goodness' sake! At the same time, however, it was these antics and general high-school silliness that made me fall in love with these kids everyday.
One of my other favorite memories is of a fine fall afternoon when I was cleaning up the board after class. A few of my 1st year boys came wandering in with the usual, "OI! RISA! How are you?!" grinning and waving and attempting to flirt. They started jabbering to me in half-English/mostly-Japanese that they just wanted to watch the swim team and that they wouldn't be there long. So I laughed and said, "Okay," and continued clearing up the room. As they ambled over to the window and peered out, one of them shouted, "OHH! GARUZU SUIMU CHIMU DA!"2 and immediately the other three boys pushed closer and one even clambered up onto the desks in front of the window to get a better look. The boy on the desks looked to me and pointed at the girls, and with his eyebrows raised and his eyes wide with excitement, he exclaimed, "NAISU BODI!"3 and pointed out the window, grinning like a lunatic. Completely surprised and on the verge of bursting out laughing, I smiled, rolled my eyes and left them to their revelry. By the time I got back into the staffroom the story tumbled out of my mouth in a fit of the giggles as I told the other teachers what I had just witnessed. Joy and laughter, indeed.
Still, there were difficult days, classes, and students. Often I felt plagued by the question of what I would teach to my second years- they didn't have the curiosity and wild abandon that the first years did. The sophomore slump is not exclusive to America! However, vibrant, creative lessons such as Black History Month in chilly February that used different media and required student interaction always saved the day. Never underestimate what Kobe Bryant, Beyonce, and Barack Obama can do for your lesson plan! The students welcomed the step away from directions, food, and movies, and I learned the valuable lesson that you don't always have to fall back on standard textbook lesson plans to get your students motivated and learning.
I strongly believe, however, that the best thing I did while I was in Japan was join my students during their club activities. Club activities in Japanese schools are often the only form of social interaction students get, so it is no wonder that the students put an enormous amount of time and effort into them. Wobbly and uncoordinated, I wasn't keen to embarrass myself in front of my students, but one grey, wintry day I decided that I desperately needed more time outside in the sun. The solution? Joining the girls' tennis team.
On my first day, everyone stared, pointing, whispering, shouting, "Ohhh! RISA!!! Tenisu bu desu ka?"4 I was terribly embarrassed. I swung madly at the ball and meekly watched it fly over my head into the handball field nearby. But the girls on the team smiled and spouted words of encouragement, "Oshiii! Naisu kya! Ganbatte!"5 And so I kept going. Every. Day.
Although I never did become a tennis pro, I knew that that wasn't the point. The point was that it brought me a lot closer to my students. It gave us a chance to get to know each other, to build a relationship. This was when the real communication took place—asking things like how to say different Japanese tennis terms in English, or learning about the latest Japanese game show, or even pointing at a ladybug and saying, "Ingurishu...how do you say?" Seeing the students working so hard and genuinely wanting to communicate, was incredible and I encourage all teachers to find a way to meet their students as people, respect them, and discover that lessons are not only limited to the classroom.
It's true that the JET Programme is not just about teaching English. Of course, having had TESOL training you'll be better prepared for it; however, that is probably one of its lesser goals. Applicants to the JET Programme must have a passion for culture and adventure, a thirst to think outside of the box, and a desire to plant seeds of curiosity and cooperation. This is not just about going in everyday and teaching a few grammar lessons to faceless high school students. This is about getting involved, encouraging conversation, learning about yourself and others, and taking as much advantage of that experience as you can.
As an assistant language teacher on the JET Programme, you can expect to make about 300,000 yen per month, adding up to about 3,600,000 yen in one year. You will be placed in one of Japan's many prefectures at the Board of Education office, an elementary, junior, or senior high school. You will team teach reading, writing, and/or oral communication lessons with Japanese teachers of English. You may end up in the rural hills of Ibaraki, or the historic city of Kyoto. Either way, you will find plenty to love about Japan. The JET Programme accepts strong English speakers with at least a Bachelor's degree from all over the world. To learn more or apply to the JET Programme, visit their website.
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1. In Japan the consonant “L” is often exchanged for “R”
2. “OHH! It's the girls swim team!”
3. “Nice body!”
4. “Oh! Lisa! Are you going to tennis club?”
5. “Almost! Nice catch! Try hard!” |
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