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geekpie
Joined: 17 Oct 2006
Posts: 31
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 Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 4:40 am Post subject: How genki? |
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I've heard plenty about how eikaiwas want their fresh meat to be lively and energetic, but to what extreme is this taken? Are we talking friendly and professional, or is there a need to drop some acid and do star jumps with a smile like the joker on your face? Also, apologies if this is easily researched, but does anyone know of any videos of eikaiwa classrooms online? I'd be grateful for your replies  |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 7:14 am Post subject: |
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Just how would you have us measure "genki-ness"?
Show some interest in what you are doing, genuinely smile a lot, and show a halfway decent lesson plan for the demo lesson. That's about all most can advise you.
And, yes, be professional. |
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Cool Teacher
Joined: 18 May 2009
Posts: 930
Location: Here, There and Everywhere! :D
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| Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 11:30 am Post subject: Re: How genki? |
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| geekpie wrote: |
| I've heard plenty about how eikaiwas want their fresh meat to be lively and energetic, but to what extreme is this taken? Are we talking friendly and professional, or is there a need to drop some acid and do star jumps with a smile like the joker on your face? Also, apologies if this is easily researched, but does anyone know of any videos of eikaiwa classrooms online? I'd be grateful for your replies |
I think this is a good qurstion because I worried before about this kind of thing because I am a bit of a shy person most of the time and I worried that I would be asked to be reeally really extroverted and...well...American. 
Acutally most of the time I didn't have to be like really really the centre of attention but I suppose you have to do a lot of smiling and putting on your cheerful face even if you don't always feel like it. 
Mostly I didn't go overboard but tried to look interested in the students even if they were sometimes I shouldn't say this but sometimes really boring. 
I think sometimes the eikaiwa worskhops try to make you do all that really childish stuff and they clown around like real "goofballs". But when you are in your school I think mostly you wont be accepted by the students to be the amusig chimpanzee. 
Don't worry too much! |
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natsume
Joined: 24 Apr 2006
Posts: 409
Location: Chongqing, China
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| Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 1:05 pm Post subject: |
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| Don't act. Don't be the "gaijin monkey". Be yourself, and have passion for the job and your students. If you genuinely enjoy working with your colleagues and students, it will show. If you are not so interested in education, it will show. Plastic smiles are glaringly obvious to everyone (well, maybe not Herman Cain.) |
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Cool Teacher
Joined: 18 May 2009
Posts: 930
Location: Here, There and Everywhere! :D
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| Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2011 1:43 am Post subject: |
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| natsume wrote: |
| Don't act. Don't be the "gaijin monkey". Be yourself, and have passion for the job and your students. If you genuinely enjoy working with your colleagues and students, it will show. If you are not so interested in education, it will show. Plastic smiles are glaringly obvious to everyone (well, maybe not Herman Cain.) |
He's great! I have a smile a bit like him! 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhm-22Q0PuM |
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mhard1
Joined: 09 Dec 2009
Posts: 54
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2011 3:05 pm Post subject: |
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Here is a free piece of advice that took me a few years to figure out and also come to terms with:
the kids are not affected by your energy or lack there of. They will have their own individual levels of energy of course, but generally speaking, the younger the more wild.
I personally am not very "Genki" at all. However I am good hearted and cheerful. So I think this makes up for it.
So just come over and be yourself and save your energy for trying to figure out the riddle of teaching English to Japanese. |
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nimaime
Joined: 14 Aug 2011
Posts: 51
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| Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2011 12:09 am Post subject: |
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i'm korea, i hope to get to japan someday. but anyway, i'm not the stereotypical teacher. i just be myself and the kids LOVE me. i never thought i'd be good with kids, but gave it a whirl voila!
unfortunately, i believe my laid-back demeanor has cost me many face-to-face job interviews. i've seen the teachers that behave like they snorted coke and drank three large coffees, the kids don't like them any better. it's all about your ability to build rapport.
during my last trip to japan i was in a hostel with some JETs (supposedly the "cream of the crop"). these girls were genki but couldn't finish a sentence with "like, um, or totally" used five or six times. if that's the definition of a "good teacher" count me out.
just be yourself. stereotypes don't make good teachers. a warm-heart goes a lot further than being a dancing lunatic. |
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rxk22
Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 1629
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| Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2011 9:39 am Post subject: |
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| nimaime wrote: |
i'm korea, i hope to get to japan someday. but anyway, i'm not the stereotypical teacher. i just be myself and the kids LOVE me. i never thought i'd be good with kids, but gave it a whirl voila!
unfortunately, i believe my laid-back demeanor has cost me many face-to-face job interviews. i've seen the teachers that behave like they snorted coke and drank three large coffees, the kids don't like them any better. it's all about your ability to build rapport.
during my last trip to japan i was in a hostel with some JETs (supposedly the "cream of the crop"). these girls were genki but couldn't finish a sentence with "like, um, or totally" used five or six times. if that's the definition of a "good teacher" count me out.
just be yourself. stereotypes don't make good teachers. a warm-heart goes a lot further than being a dancing lunatic. |
When I worked at a kiddie eikaiwa the trainer was kinda like that. A lot of the older kids hated the crap outa him. Why? Because he was approaching them like they were little kids. When you are 10, you need to be treated differently than if you were even 8 yo.
'Genki' teaching is a distraction, and often times is not teaching at all. |
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nimaime
Joined: 14 Aug 2011
Posts: 51
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| Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2011 12:08 am Post subject: |
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| rxk22 wrote: |
| nimaime wrote: |
i'm korea, i hope to get to japan someday. but anyway, i'm not the stereotypical teacher. i just be myself and the kids LOVE me. i never thought i'd be good with kids, but gave it a whirl voila!
unfortunately, i believe my laid-back demeanor has cost me many face-to-face job interviews. i've seen the teachers that behave like they snorted coke and drank three large coffees, the kids don't like them any better. it's all about your ability to build rapport.
during my last trip to japan i was in a hostel with some JETs (supposedly the "cream of the crop"). these girls were genki but couldn't finish a sentence with "like, um, or totally" used five or six times. if that's the definition of a "good teacher" count me out.
just be yourself. stereotypes don't make good teachers. a warm-heart goes a lot further than being a dancing lunatic. |
When I worked at a kiddie eikaiwa the trainer was kinda like that. A lot of the older kids hated the crap outa him. Why? Because he was approaching them like they were little kids. When you are 10, you need to be treated differently than if you were even 8 yo.
'Genki' teaching is a distraction, and often times is not teaching at all. |
right. it's more scary than anything. i've noticed kids don't really bond with people like that. i can make them laugh and amused just being myself and not jumping around like a clown. but like i said, "enthusiastic" seems to be a pre-requisite. that can be defined many ways... |
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rxk22
Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 1629
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| Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2011 1:10 pm Post subject: |
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Exactly. I think not being a cramugin or how ever you spell it is the way to go. I feel the 'genki' people are kinda like the guys with no self confidence, who hit on girls is super creepy and annoying ways. Really hard to even want to talk to those kinds of people genki/annoying, and kids can see this, they aren't morons.
It's funny, that genki guy at my old eikaiwa, I took over some of his schools. His older students, a JHS class of girls wouldn't even talk to him. |
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