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gaijinalways
Joined: 29 Nov 2005 Posts: 2279
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Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2006 4:47 am Post subject: |
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Sure, students wont do their homework
Me included, my wife is always yelling at me to study Japanese more!  |
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diva
Joined: 15 Oct 2005 Posts: 22 Location: Tokyo
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Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2006 11:28 am Post subject: |
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| takamatsudaiki wrote: |
I still stand firm that as long as you show that you are working hard, students will reward you. Remaining positive is the best thing anyone can do and I stand by my beliefs. |
Fair enough. There is no room for being cynical in the classroom. Being a hard-working, positive and caring teacher is the best way to go about the job. But, to repeat myself, working in a Japanese college is not about teaching. It is a business. Most college teachers won't tell you this because a) they are in on the joke or b) they have heard the word 'sensei' so much that they really believe they are the best teachers in the country and don't realise that they only got the job because they have Japanese children and won't cause any trouble! (Or they happened to do their MA at a college in a city where the Head of English did a homestay 30 years ago).
The above may seem cynical but what a lot of Japanese and North Americans don't seem to realise is that negative opinions can sometimes be true! |
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gaijinalways
Joined: 29 Nov 2005 Posts: 2279
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Posted: Sun Jan 29, 2006 11:59 am Post subject: japan forum |
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The above may seem cynical but what a lot of Japanese and North Americans don't seem to realise is that negative opinions can sometimes be true!
I've tried to point that out in another forum, that there are some negative aspects in Japanese society, talk about a barbeque! |
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takamatsudaiki
Joined: 25 Jan 2006 Posts: 11 Location: Where I don't want to be
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Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2006 2:41 am Post subject: |
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| gaijinalways wrote: |
Sure, students wont do their homework
Me included, my wife is always yelling at me to study Japanese more!  |
LOL I have been studying for the past month for the Kanji nouryokushikentei level 6 but I got lazy during my first real break in a year and kinda neglected to get started The test is next Sunday to boot. |
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takamatsudaiki
Joined: 25 Jan 2006 Posts: 11 Location: Where I don't want to be
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Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2006 2:48 am Post subject: |
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| diva wrote: |
| takamatsudaiki wrote: |
I still stand firm that as long as you show that you are working hard, students will reward you. Remaining positive is the best thing anyone can do and I stand by my beliefs. |
Fair enough. There is no room for being cynical in the classroom. Being a hard-working, positive and caring teacher is the best way to go about the job. But, to repeat myself, working in a Japanese college is not about teaching. It is a business. Most college teachers won't tell you this because a) they are in on the joke or b) they have heard the word 'sensei' so much that they really believe they are the best teachers in the country and don't realise that they only got the job because they have Japanese children and won't cause any trouble! (Or they happened to do their MA at a college in a city where the Head of English did a homestay 30 years ago).
The above may seem cynical but what a lot of Japanese and North Americans don't seem to realise is that negative opinions can sometimes be true! |
I think the thing I fear most about being in that environment (whether it be college, Primary or secondary school) is that I will constantly be looked down upon for being gaijin. I think the only way to change that is by doing my job and doing it the best to my own ability. If that can't be respected oh well. It's Japan, not my country. Everyone has their own views of things and while I may not agree with some of them, it means that I just have to ignore it and move on.
Negative opinions, of course, can be true. However, at the same time, you can't just walk into a situation where you have heard negative things and look for all the negative signs. Sure, you might sound cynical to a lot of people, but to me, you are teaching me what you have learned from your experiences. What I have to do, as a person, is take what you said to heart, see how much of what you said is true, and use it as a guide to learning the ropes of living and teaching in Japan.
I sound really weird the way I write these posts, eh?  |
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diva
Joined: 15 Oct 2005 Posts: 22 Location: Tokyo
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Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2006 10:37 am Post subject: |
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| takamatsudaiki wrote: |
| Sure, you might sound cynical to a lot of people, but to me, you are teaching me what you have learned from your experiences. |
That's the first time anybody has said something nice to me  |
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gaijinalways
Joined: 29 Nov 2005 Posts: 2279
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Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2006 2:40 pm Post subject: japan forum |
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| Yes I agree, though of course we know we don't want to bring a negative attitude into work (the classroom) or too much out into the public. The problem is that these guys in the online forum seem to think I am like this all the time, giving forthright opinions about society (yeah, and my brother is Bill Gates). |
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takamatsudaiki
Joined: 25 Jan 2006 Posts: 11 Location: Where I don't want to be
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Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2006 9:36 am Post subject: |
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| diva wrote: |
| takamatsudaiki wrote: |
| Sure, you might sound cynical to a lot of people, but to me, you are teaching me what you have learned from your experiences. |
That's the first time anybody has said something nice to me  |
People need positive, not negative, reinforcement. Hell all my teachers in my MA TESOL program have been smashing this in my head for 2 years... Positive and professional attitude at all times... Maybe the brainwashing... errr. teaching has worked  |
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JimDunlop2

Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 2286 Location: Japan
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 12:01 am Post subject: |
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That's only a part of the equation, Sukebe... It usually isn't just criticism of the board's management that will earn you a holiday. If someone gets banned from Dave's, it's usually because they've made themselves into a public nuisance, and most users are glad to see him go even more than the mods. Otherwise, most other trolls and undesirable users stop posting on their own when they discover there's no audience (or tolerance) for their BS.
The choice is simple. If you want professional, well-thought out, lucid answers to questions and discussions, come to Dave's. If you want a free-for-all party, go to one of the other message forum websites.
CLARIFYING COMMENT FROM ME:
Just so my post doesn't get seen as appearing out-of-context, I was responding to a comment by another user that appeared just before mine, early this morning. Since then, that comment has been removed, and my "QUOTE" from that deleted posting subsequently was mod-edited out. |
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gaijinalways
Joined: 29 Nov 2005 Posts: 2279
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 3:38 am Post subject: japan forum |
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I concur. This forum, as well as a couple of other ones, don't encourage flaming and the moderators seem to be fair in allowing some disagreement but not encouraging the place to be a bar.
Sometimes the bar type of forum has some interesting conversations, but often in those kinds of forums, discussions either never get off the ground, or sometimes their is a real mob behavior with more senior members (who are often friends with the moderators) flaming any opinion that contradicts their own theory (no matter how flimsily it may be constructed). |
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Sweetsee

Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Posts: 2302 Location: ) is everything
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 3:50 am Post subject: |
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| How does one find one of these bars you are speaking of? |
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Brooks
Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1369 Location: Sagamihara
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 3:53 am Post subject: |
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| perhaps he meant GP |
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PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 4672 Location: Western Japan
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 3:56 am Post subject: |
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| Sweetsee wrote: |
| How does one find one of these bars you are speaking of? |
Gaijinpot and Let's Japan are two of the biggest. Let's Japan is the Internet equivalent of a Harley Davidson bikers bar in South Queen's .(if such a place exists).
Go there at your own risk.
http://www.letsjapan.org |
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Sweetsee

Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Posts: 2302 Location: ) is everything
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 3:58 am Post subject: |
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Oh, that GP 
Last edited by Sweetsee on Thu Feb 02, 2006 4:10 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Sweetsee

Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Posts: 2302 Location: ) is everything
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2006 4:00 am Post subject: |
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| Thanks Paul, worth a peek. |
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