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RustyShackleford
Joined: 13 May 2013
Posts: 449
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 Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2016 1:55 pm Post subject: |
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Of the dozen or so teachers I worked with personally in JHSes, only one really had a lot of outside materials brought into the class AND the linguistic/pedagogical chops to back it up.
Unfortunately, he was about as charismatic as a block of soggy wood and all of his students despised him. I also hated the guy until I saw the method behind his madness. |
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rxk22
Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 1629
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| Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2016 10:30 pm Post subject: |
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| Lamarr wrote: |
In my experience, schools in Japan are more interested in hiring someone who's a smiley, genki, functioning gimp that doesn't ruffle any feathers. If they can get an applicant that also cares about the English language, then that's a nice little bonus on top, but they don't usually require that (they'd probably struggle to get enough quality instructors in it for the long haul anyway).
These eikaiwa and ALT jobs generally are happy enough as long as their instructors/ALTs can spit out something that at least vaguely resembles English. That's all they require linguistically. The people on the receiving end of the language "instruction" probably don't know any better anyway. That and the continuing demand for English is why language teaching in Japan is so suited to criminal scammers and exploitative English "schools". |
I agree. When we hire people, I see the candidates resumes and CVs. Most of full of spelling and grammar errors.
I also think that with so few truly professional foreigners here, that a lot of unprofessional and lax attitudes are never censured/they don't get in trouble for their actions |
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rxk22
Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 1629
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| Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2016 10:37 pm Post subject: |
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| RustyShackleford wrote: |
True> However, as far as I know, you have not worked in Japan.
There are a lot of issues in Japan with non-native teachers. I was actually shocked when I went to Vietnam, Spain and now Saudi Arabia that almost all the non-native teachers could/can hold a reasonably fluent and nuanced conversation in English without overly grading the language! Often, in Japan, I would more often than not confirm things out in Japanese because I difficulty understanding what they wanted in English! |
After being an ALT for 3 years, it took 2 years in the US for my English to recover. Being around the JTEs and their terrible English, made me forget how to use the more complicated English words. It really is amazing how bad most the JTEs are. |
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mitsui
Joined: 10 Jun 2007
Posts: 1562
Location: Kawasaki
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| Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 1:09 am Post subject: |
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What pissed me off is to find out from a source that a couple of teachers spoke ill of me to a vice-principal about how I am arrogant and look down on them.
This became a partial excuse to deny me a new contract.
The boss probably would approve.
I was going to quit anyway, but this has just generated ill will.
Instead of being an adult and admitting that your spelling/vocabulary leaves something to be desired I get this.
It seems that conforming to the group matters more than what is taught.
We are not going to like every teacher we work with.
People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.
I will collect some rocks by March.
Last edited by mitsui on Fri Jan 29, 2016 2:29 am; edited 1 time in total |
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marley'sghost
Joined: 04 Oct 2010
Posts: 255
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| Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 1:30 am Post subject: |
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| nomad soul wrote: |
| Frankly, it's unfair to label others as "dumb" or "lazy" based on their fluency and proficiency in a foreign language. Second language acquisition/usage is not simplistic nor associated with high intelligence. |
I'll second that. Some of the best teachers I've worked with have had the worst English. They may struggle having a conversation with me, but the are organized, engaging, professional, and would lie down in front of a truck for their kids, and the kids know it and would do likewise.
One of the teachers I'm talking about, this year is the teacher in charge of guiding the 3rd year students through their high school entrance exams and and get them graduated and into high school. It's a big job and not for a lazy guy. He's certainly not dumb either (at least for a baseball coach....  ).
If these great teachers' job was to actually teach children to communicate in a foreign language, yes they by and large fail. But as their job is to teach children to work hard, do what they are told, inspire them and ultimately to sort, label and give them some happy memories for the next stage of life, they are doing just fine.
Conversely, I can think of a couple of Rusty's "blocks of soggy wood". Smart as hell, one even tried to bring in new material and be original, but they just had no connection with kids. Even when you have that rare, rare super teacher who has the best of all qualities, the pressures of conforming to the "textbook" because, "Tests are next week and we don't have any time." can be nearly insurmountable. Takes a lot of guts to break from the tried and true, lecture, drill,cram, test, rinse, repeat.
There is some hope, I think. What I do in my JHS classes now is much more communicative than the Human CD Player lessons I got stuck in as a High School JET all those years ago. Chatting with one of my JTEs the other day. She got back this year from a couple years abroad teaching Japanese language and culture with JICA...JAICA...? She is bemoaning that she and the other volunteers were free to make up their own curriculum and really teach the kids to communicate. Now she has to plow them through "the textbook" again. She's no firebrand, like F.Hamster mentioned, but she has a bit of a coal glowing in there. |
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fluffyhamster
Joined: 13 Mar 2005
Posts: 3292
Location: UK > China > Japan > UK again
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| Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 2:45 am Post subject: |
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I don't think it's at all unfair to suggest that low FL proficiency tends to correlate with poorly thought-out pedagogy. If you can't make enough sense in or possibly even of the language, how can you hope to craft convincing, communicative lessons? The worse JTEs (worse teachers, I mean) generally have the poorest English, while the reverse is less true (though there are indeed also a fair number of quite intelligent and fluent types who barely stretch themselves let alone their students in ever going beyond the textbook, even though they could comfortably do so). How could it not be so?
Personally I would place good communication above safe pedagogy, as one can work on and proceed from the former to the latter, but not necessarily from the latter to the former.
Last edited by fluffyhamster on Fri Jan 29, 2016 2:48 am; edited 1 time in total |
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mitsui
Joined: 10 Jun 2007
Posts: 1562
Location: Kawasaki
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| Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 2:46 am Post subject: |
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Another thing which irks me is when I must initiate things.
The JTE is passive and just stands there or sits there.
So I say, "Sensei, would you please explain..."
I mean, how KY are some of these people?
Team teaching means both teachers teach.
It is obvious that they could just drone on in the L1 for years but now they must speak English, and still they are not ready for it.
The passive-aggressive behavior is so annoying. |
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marley'sghost
Joined: 04 Oct 2010
Posts: 255
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| Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 6:07 am Post subject: |
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| fluffyhamster wrote: |
I don't think it's at all unfair to suggest that low FL proficiency tends to correlate with poorly thought-out pedagogy. If you can't make enough sense in or possibly even of the language, how can you hope to craft convincing, communicative lessons? The worse JTEs (worse teachers, I mean) generally have the poorest English, while the reverse is less true (though there are indeed also a fair number of quite intelligent and fluent types who barely stretch themselves let alone their students in ever going beyond the textbook, even though they could comfortably do so). How could it not be so?
Personally I would place good communication above safe pedagogy, as one can work on and proceed from the former to the latter, but not necessarily from the latter to the former. |
True, but the suggestion, if I remember was that these teachers are "lazy and dumb", and that is an unfair generalization. Specifically, these teachers that are driving mitusi out of his mind, may be that, but not every teacher with poor English is lazy and dumb.
Another example, I did some recitation/Q&A tests with the kids the other day. The really good teacher I mentioned in my previous post, well his students did, really good. Surprise! The other English teacher the kids hate, not so. I told the good teacher after the lesson, "Hey, Class 3A did a really good job." He paused, gathering his words with visible effort and answered, "We spent the whole class period before to practice."
The point being, he had his class organized enough to give the kids a free practice period and had the kids motivated enough not just piss it away. The other teacher couldn't do that. I imagine, she is probably running behind schedule.
Oh, and a comment on "good communication over safe pedagogy". If the goal is to teach communicative skills, yes. That's the goal I think we foreign mercenaries here on the board have. If the goal is to get the kids through the next multiple-choice test, which is sadly the reality our Japanese counterparts are stuck with....... Better stick to the CD player unless you are really ready for it.
@mitsui- Are you about done with the rant? Seriously, it's good to get this stuff off your chest, but be careful. It's easy on these boards to feed the bitterness and make it worse. Take a breath. Think of something you like at your workplace and maybe from there you can figure out some ways to if not fix it, make it bearable. |
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mitsui
Joined: 10 Jun 2007
Posts: 1562
Location: Kawasaki
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| Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 6:16 am Post subject: |
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It has been busy this month.
One more month of teaching than I can coast.
Feel free to ignore my rant. I work in a toxic school.
You haven't walked in my shoes, so I generalize as I see fit. |
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Shakey
Joined: 29 Aug 2014
Posts: 199
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| Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 9:03 am Post subject: |
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| mitsui wrote: |
What pissed me off is to find out from a source that a couple of teachers spoke ill of me to a vice-principal about how I am arrogant and look down on them.
This became a partial excuse to deny me a new contract.
The boss probably would approve.
I was going to quit anyway, but this has just generated ill will.
People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.
I will collect some rocks by March. |
Mitsui,
I can empathize with you.
Who is it that complained about you to the administration, Japanese or native English teachers?
Well, if you can't run with it, run from it. It is always possible to move on and find a work environment where you have a good relationship with both Japanese and foreign teachers. I've had shitty jobs with shitty people, too. But, wherever I work, there are always one ore two nasty people on staff somewhere that like to start fires, stand back and watch them smolder. I've seen both Japanese staff, teachers and foreign instructors engage in backstabbing and gossip. The Japanese are usually a little more slippery, though, because they will feign friendship to you and smile, even compliment you, but then go bad mouth you to others.
Never underestimate the stupidity or cruelty of people. |
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Shakey
Joined: 29 Aug 2014
Posts: 199
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| Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 9:17 am Post subject: |
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| mitsui wrote: |
It has been busy this month.
One more month of teaching than I can coast. |
So are you looking for a new job, then, for April?
Are you certain that you will not be renewed?
You are better off working for a school that does not use team teaching and permits a native English speaking teacher to manage his or her own classes without the interference of a Japanese person. Pairing a Japanese teacher with a foreign teacher invariably results in a lot of grief, confusion, hurt feelings and anger on the part of native instructors. There are a lot of reasons for this.
Last edited by Shakey on Fri Jan 29, 2016 6:03 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Shakey
Joined: 29 Aug 2014
Posts: 199
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| Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 9:21 am Post subject: |
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| marley'sghost wrote: |
| @mitsui- Are you about done with the rant? |
Proof again that no one is harder on gaijin moreso than other gaijin.
Translation: Man up. Get in line. Take a seat. Deal with it. |
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mitsui
Joined: 10 Jun 2007
Posts: 1562
Location: Kawasaki
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| Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 1:23 pm Post subject: |
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Yep, I will work somewhere else in April.
It is a tough time as my wife needs surgery and I thought last year that I should take this job as it pays better than some universities.
Her surgery starts next week.
No more team teaching for me.
Part-time is better that way. You do your own thing and don't have to fit into an organization.
Yes it was a couple gaijin that did it although the boss probably had her opinion. You know the kind. The boss who wants the foreigner to act a certain way. I assume I am thought of as too wagamama.
As you get older one tires of this.
Your experience is not valued.
One's experience matters not as you are at the bottom of the hierarchy. At work I have to fake it. |
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Shakey
Joined: 29 Aug 2014
Posts: 199
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| Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 6:17 pm Post subject: |
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| mitsui wrote: |
Yep, I will work somewhere else in April.
It is a tough time as my wife needs surgery and I thought last year that I should take this job as it pays better than some universities.
Her surgery starts next week.
No more team teaching for me.
Part-time is better that way. You do your own thing and don't have to fit into an organization.
Yes it was a couple gaijin that did it although the boss probably had her opinion. You know the kind. The boss who wants the foreigner to act a certain way. I assume I am thought of as too wagamama.
As you get older one tires of this.
Your experience is not valued.
One's experience matters not as you are at the bottom of the hierarchy. At work I have to fake it. |
I'm sorry to hear that. Seems like the work related stress and medical issues with your wife have made a tough few months for you.
Well, it's probably time to move on, then. You mentioned working part-time at universities. That is a great way to teach EFL, providing you can fill up your schedule and not have to travel too much. I know quite a few people in Tokyo who do just that. They teach a lot, though. And most of them have been in Japan for many years. So filling up their schedules did not happen overnight.
But, the best thing about being a part-time university English teacher is that you can be a ghost. It is usually totally hands off, and even if they tell you to use a certain textbook, you can do what you like with the students. You go in and teach your lessons and then leave. No meetings, no committees, no entrance examination duties, no political bs to deal with.
You just need to make sure you do two things: (1) Show up on time, and (2) Enter your grades correctly.
If you can manage to do that, most universities won't even know, or care, what you look like after a while. Slip in, teach your classes, and leave. It really is a perfect job for people who are not into being micromanaged and do not want to mess with all of the bullshit that goes along with being a full timer and being part of the group. In fact, it can even be kind of lonely for some people who would prefer more interaction with coworkers.
Anyway, good luck in your job search. It might still be possible to pick up some part-time positions in the Tokyo area. Check out the JREC-IN and JACET job postings. |
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TokyoLiz
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1548
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Fri Jan 29, 2016 11:16 pm Post subject: |
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| Mitsui, you need out of there. Best of luck in your next teaching assignment. |
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