Job Discussion Forums

[PAULH]

I am doing a small survey on team teaching in Japanese
elementary schools and am interested in getting responses
from native speakers of English who are teaching in
elementary schools. Please take a few minutes to fill out
my online survey. Responses are totally anonymous and your
identity can not be tracked by myself or the website
operators. Spammers and flamers will be deleted.

Your assistance is kindly appreciated

Paul

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=45258632844

[azarashi sushi]

Hi Paul... I filled in the survey although in my case, I feel it doesn't really give a very accurate picture at all.

I currently teach at MANY elementary schools in Tokyo. The programme is still very much in its infancy. Some schools are into their second year of English (and having a foreign teacher) ... But with many others, I'm the first foreign teacher they've had and the it's first time English has been taught there. At the schools, I get the whole range of attitudes from being treated like a rock star to being nothing more than a freak show. As far as the teachers go, you get the whole range as well: From truly remarkable and helpful teachers who can't get enough of English to ones who would best be put to use as landfill.

Basically I think what problems there are, stem from the Japanese teachers having no English teaching experience and suddenly being thrown in the deep end. More often than not, they just completely stand back and don't get involved in the lesson at all (which pi$$e$ me off no end!)

I feel there are rarely any MIScommunications problems... It's more a lack of communication. The Japanese teachers don't have any experience with team teaching... and I get the feeling alot of them have probably never travelled outside of Honshu and are not terribly comfortable with foreigners. Some teachers will never approach me... Perhaps they don't want to tread on my toes. Who knows. I'm sure though with time it will change.

Anyway, if you have any more questions or want to know some specific details, please feel free to PM me.

A.S.

[PAULH]

[omarr380]

I filled out your survey also. I work at a junior high school and two elementary schools. Well, now it's one elementary school because I finished my time there. That school was THE ONLY place that appreciated my time in any way. I returned the crap car my dispatch company loaned me (another story about theses companies) and walked an hour and a half into the mountains to the school and back just to teach there and I was glad to do it. They appreciated my time and brought me out to plant with the children.

The other elementary school it varies with the teacher. I always write my lessons in Japanese and a week (at least) in advance. Some teachers are very active in the class, read my lesson plans beforehand and will make sure the kids are paying attention. Other teachers won't even read what I wrote and not know what's going on and/or won't bother showing up to class. While I typed this, one of the teachers told me he won't be there for class because of a business trip. This is the second time a business trip has come up for him and he couldn't be there for class. Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't leaving a person without Japanese teaching qualifications alone in a class with the students illegal in Japan (according to education law)?

At my junior high the head english teacher is a good guy, but I don't think he really cares about teaching any more. He has walked out on me in the middle of class giving the reason that it was "too cold" in the room and once walked out of class to take a phone call on his cell phone! The other teacher the same age as I am is effective, but we can't stand one another and I have gone off on her (did it yesterday in fact). She has no respect for me.

I am not a professional english teacher and I DON'T WANT TO BE IN THIS COUNTRY that's for sure! Feel free to PM me and we can further discuss this.

[azarashi sushi]

I thought I'd share a little incident with youthat happened the other day... An example of a teacher who would be best used for landfill.

Firstly, I'd just like to say that I have never encountered any kind of racism or discrimination (not that I'm aware of) and rarely come across any problems that seriously pi$$ me off ... But this one did! And I'm still annoyed!

Generally, most teachers are fine... The basic problem is just a lack of involvement on their part... not especially helpful but not rude either.

Anyway... picture this:
Parents day at elementary school...
Tamokuteki shi tsu filled with about 40 fourth grade little monsters AND THEIR PARENTS ... And an ugly bunch they were at that too.

The target language was very basic: Colours and "What's your favourite...?" However it was the first time that these kids were being taught English at school. Some kids are really smart and know all the stuff, but some kids are not so smart and no matter how many times or how slowly you drill the language, they still can't get it.

So... I write it for them in katakana. I'm always reluctant to do that because even if they can pronounce it correctly when you first drill them, as soon as they have it in katakana, they turn it into Engrish. But anyway, for the not so smart kids, speaking Engrish is still better than not speaking any English at all.

As we were preparing for the activity, I wrote the colour names, along with "what's your favourite colour?" in katakana up on the board. It's only meant as a guide to help them remember and not to be the final word on pronounciation. Anyway, I write colour as "ka ra" and not "ka ra-" (long a) because I figure that's closer to the way it's spoken in English.

And then suddenly... All the parents BURST OUT LAUGHING... Like it was the funniest thing they had seen in their life. And next thing, the Japanese teacher jumps out of her seat, also laughing and rolling her eyes with this pained look on her face as if to say "You stupid bumbling moron"... Then, comes to the front of the room (the only time in the whole lesson I might add) and announces REALLY LOUDLY in front of the whole class with a really superior tone in her voice "You made a mistake!" and adds the line to ka ra.

I was ready to crawl out of the classroom by this stage but anyway, I pointed out to her that in English we say "kala" and not "karaaa" and so that's why I wrote it like that. But she only yelled back defiantly, "Well, in Japanese it's karaaa!" I tried to point out that it was in fact an English lesson and not a Japanese lesson... But she wouldn't have a bar of it!

By this stage, it was no longer a question of "should I hit her?" but rather "how hard?"

I felt like all my work of telling the kids that it's OK to make mistakes, accents are OK and no-one is going to laugh, all went out the window that lesson.

Anyone got any good ideas on how to get revenge?

A.S.

[Mike L.]