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[SeasonedVet]

I once told a supervisor of mine that teachers at the Eikaiwa I was teaching at were "creative" ( I think that's the word I used). His reply was " but ... "
He didn't say otherwise but he went on talking about ... I don't remember. I guessed that he just wanted to have a stronger say than me or he didn't really hear what I said before going on.
I really believe what I said though. I know alot has been said about language teachers in Japan that is less than complimentary. we know them, for example:
They are here running from something
They are here for the girls/guys
They can't get dates back home but they are superstars here ( Charisma Man/Woman)
They have little or no teaching experience
Straight out of Uni
They know nothing about teaching
And the list goes on and on.

However I would like to say some things to add some balance to the outlook.
Is it well known that the Eikaiwas' "Language Infrastructures" have been built by these same teachers? Not by the owners, Not by the Theorists and authors who write books back home in our countries while we are actually here doing it all, in the field, right up front.
I remember when I was studying Lnguage Acqusition and Second language Acquisition a while back before I ever dreamed of teaching EFL in Asia.I read about and heard about The Top Down method,The Bottom Up Method, The Grammar translation Method, The Direct Method. These meant little to me. I was reading and listening and regurgitating ad trying my best to understand. But studying like that without having actually having been in the field might not mean a whole lot to some people. I had forgotten all that and later found myself in Asia teaching EFL. A few years down the line it was as if I had a lightbulb experience

"Ahh this must be the grammar translation method, and this must be the Direct Method. Now maybe I can do this ___ and I can do that ___. Hmmm"

The point?
We do stuff here, untrained and inexperienced as some of us may be, we do stuff that is written in the Language Acquisition Books and other Lingustics texts and we are not aware that we are.

Alot of Eikaiwas started out with the rooms and the furniture and some students. It's the teachers who built up the "language interiors" of these Eikaiwas.
I have seen teachers create realia, games,booklets, lesson plans and other teaching apparatus that have been used successfully year after year. Which text book can you find those in as a complete set?
Which store five or ten years ago or even now could you or can you find those things as a complete set?
In the schools they are all created by the same inexperienced teachers who are through doing that themselves becoming experienced.
I didn't come to Japan inexperienced but when I came I found all those things created and waiting. Teachers coming after also improved upon them, remade them or created new stuff. ( all of the stuff isn't useful but alot of it is)
That's an achievement if you ask me.
Alkot of the Eikaiwas in Japan ( and I figure other countries too) have had their "Language Infrastructures" built up by Teachers.

So I salute You Language Teachers!

[canuck]