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CardsFan
Joined: 01 Jun 2005
Posts: 7
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 Posted: Fri Jun 03, 2005 11:54 pm Post subject: Crab's Reply |
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Finally someone who understands what I'm trying to get at. It's too bad that's the way it is but I have seen the same thing here in Japan. Way too much emphasis is on where you went to school. It might not be that way everywhere but it is where I am.
I've been looking around at different programs and there's all kinds of schools out there; name-schools, legitimate schools, non-accredited distance schools, very suspicious schools, and diploma mills. I guess each person just has to decide for himself what is best for his own situation. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2005 1:34 am Post subject: |
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CardsFan,
Just for my own sake, I'm going to repost some of your earlier comments. Doing that helps me collect my thoughts before replying.
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| I am presently working in a very good job at a private high school. There are no employment problems for me and I am not looking to change my job any time soon. I graduated from a small private college in North Carolina with a major in business and minor in English. I then graduated from the graduate school with a Masters in psych. |
I work at a private HS in Japan, too. We have 2 tenured foreigners. Neither of them, nor any of the non-tenured foreign teachers, has any degree in education, let alone a master's degree. I am the only exception, with a master's in a science field. I am not tenured.
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| I absolutely loved it here in Japan and the teaching profession as well so I decided to make a career of it. I studied my head off in Japanese and got my Japanese Language Proficiency Level One Certificate. |
Excellent. Good for you. Our 2 tenured foreign teachers have very good Japanese skills, but I don't think either of them is as highly fluent as you. Both have been in Japan over 10 years.
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| Chalk it up as my own personal mid-life crisis, but I am wanting some qualifications of my own. Some qualifications that make Japanese ears perk up. |
Ok, now I can start asking questions. You are tenured, secure, and seemingly happy. Why do you want ears to perk up? If you are not thinking of leaving your school, what will additional qualifcations get you? A higher salary? Doubtful, if it is anything like my own school. Salary increases here come only with time.
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Since distance education has really caught on in the past few years, I decided to look into it. There are quite a few programs out there but I have to chose what I really want to do.
I've looked into some of these universities and some are accredited while others are not. Accredidation is not important to me. |
Again, what sort of education do you want to add to your current skill set? ESP or EST? Extensive reading? Vocabulary acquisition? I think this is a critical point that you need to define for yourself.
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| Something that doesn't cost too much, doesn't take up too much of my time, and will boost up my credentials a bit. |
As I asked earlier, to what end do you want to boost those credentials? If it's not for salary, and if you are already happy where you are (ie, not thinking of moving to another school), then all I can think of is that you want to teach something better or different. What is it?
Maybe this will help you to focus your efforts and plan what you "want". Right now, I see only that you have accomplished a great deal and feel envious of some Ivy Leaguers for a reason that is not really pertinent. I mean, Japanese may feel they hold some sort of prestige, but you have the tenured slot, the 1-kyu language ability, and a happy life. Does your school have something that you want to do that you feel your current situation is holding you back on? Or is it that you have some notions about changing its curriculum and feel that you need some additional training to be qualified to do that?
Final thought: Do you belong to an organization like JALT? Such groups have special interest groups (SIGs) that cover various fields which might interest you, if supplementing your current credentials is what you really want. If you can contact those people, they will certainly provide more information than you can get here. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2005 6:31 am Post subject: |
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Paul,
Lower your shields.
All I meant was that people in JALT could steer him towards places that provide credentials. Attending seminars, learning what others are doing, sharing ideas and gaining information is EXACTLY what I had in mind. In other words, networking with the pros.
That's what I meant by
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| If you can contact those people, they will certainly provide more information than you can get here. |
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CardsFan
Joined: 01 Jun 2005
Posts: 7
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| Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2005 7:26 am Post subject: JALT |
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I did't get the impression that JALT would be offering courses. I took it that they could steer me in the right direction.
Mr. H. I don't know what is up but you are way too argumentative and cynical. Please try to calm down and read things clearly. Thanks. |
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PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 4672
Location: Western Japan
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| Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2005 8:15 am Post subject: Re: JALT |
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| CardsFan wrote: |
I did't get the impression that JALT would be offering courses. I took it that they could steer me in the right direction.
Mr. H. I don't know what is up but you are way too argumentative and cynical. Please try to calm down and read things clearly. Thanks. |
Pay your yearly membership and they will send you the Language Teacher magazine every month. That has lots of info in it as well as jobs.
Register for the annual conference in Shizuoka in November. Networking central.
Join up in a SIG for 1,500 yen per SIG. Join 3 and you get one free, and make a point of going to meetings and weekend conferences.
You can see them all on http://jalt.org/calendar/
Ive been a member myself for the last 5 years. |
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Henry_Cowell
Joined: 27 May 2005
Posts: 3352
Location: Berkeley
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| Posted: Sat Jun 04, 2005 5:59 pm Post subject: |
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| Giving a JALT presentation, conducting a JALT workshop participating in a JALT conference would definitely be things to add to a resume to improve your "credentials". This is true with any professional organisation. You can list them on your resume under the headings "Professional Service", "Presentations at Conferences", or even " Training Offered". |
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