Teach English in Ciyao Zhen - Tai'an Shi

As an ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) in Japan for the last 9 years, I worked in elementary, and junior high schools and it can be a lot of fun and great but also challenging. In the past, to teach English in Japan was a relatively simple affair – as long as you spoke English, you could often expect to get a job. These days, the Japanese education board are tightening things up and if you want to land a job you need to have the proper qualifications. Recently a lot of ALTs have started to be introduced into the elementary system because teaching English became a requirement at that level. the homeroom teachers simply don't have the expertise to really teach much beyond what the teacher manual says to them. As the only foreigner in the school you're instantly liked by the students because you're so alien to them. You're not in any position to discipline students so you'll never be hated which is nice. As an ALT you generally plan all the lessons and games, and team teach the lesson with a Japanese teacher of English (JTE) if you teach in junior high school. It’s pretty common for ALTs to actually be teaching Elementary on their own and be given a lot of leeway to do what they want. Junior High is still pretty locked down though, if you are in junior high school teacher you are just a human tape recorder. The JTEs won't often be interested in changing up stuff too much because they have a tight schedule to hold for getting through the books and making sure the students know what they need to know. Teaching English in japan is can be difficult for some people, you will often teach the same lesson dozens or hundreds of times, Apathy is endemic, getting students to talk and open their mouths can be challenging, major problem students face here is shyness. Japan is a collectivist society. The emphasis is on the group here. Thus, students are often reluctant to speak out or state their own opinions separate from the group. This becomes a problem in the English classroom, as many assignments designed to practice spontaneous creation of language rely on students speaking their minds. Another thing is, that Japanese students are terrified of making mistakes in front of their classmates or teachers. Class activities that require students to work individually may also be daunting for similar reasons. However, this may change slightly the longer you teach in the school. Once the students become used to you and how you contribute to the class, they can become more comfortable. To conquer that I make fun activities, get them motivated and fun. Lots of teachers knock the dancing bear schtick about having to be a performer but that’s what teaching really is. You are “on air” for 45 minutes and if you are bored then students will get bored too. Have lots of activities, lots of variety (especially with kids their attention span is 5 minutes or less) and keep them busy. Continue to keep learning, get more training. Learn how not to re-invent the wheel in class but make a BETTER wheel. Another problem IMO is that the Japanese school system is centered around standardized testing, and the main reason students learn English is that it's in high school and university entrance exams. For this reason, many of the classes you will teach as an ALT are geared towards the purpose of passing tests. This doesn't necessarily mean that you will always teach to the test. In many of my lessons I try to run classes in a way that puts English in a context outside of exams. However, students still have to pass exams to go to high school. In other words, there will be many classes when you have to teach what's in the textbook and on the test. In a public school, you follow the cooperating teacher's instruction or lead. (This varies widely from teacher to teacher.) Normally this will include a formal greeting and closing, with students either standing or sitting. Do all you can to supplement and back up the teacher's explanation. (Sometimes no additional comments are needed or welcome.) Do all you can to make the lesson a positive experience- grammar can be interesting! . Sprinkle comments about recent news, popular music or sports in with the lesson. It's all too easy for Japanese students to fall into the attitude that English grammar is a lot like rocket science - your most important job is to put a human face on all the details, and be interesting and appealing doing so. While students all around the world are just that -- students -- the ones in Japan are, for the most part, a pleasure to teach. They're generally cooperative and often enthusiastic, In Japan, it’s perfectly acceptable/okay to show affection to students, so teaching young children, especially elementary students, on a regular basis will eventually result in smiles, laughs, hugs and cuddles. To summarize the question, what it’s like to teach English in public schools in Japan, It can be very hard depending on your circumstances, In the average public school, the English level of your typical class is likely to be very low. While this may be somewhat demotivating to some new teachers, for those who enjoy the challenge, if you can engage with your students you will start to see results very quickly. For an English teacher, there is no greater sense of accomplishment than seeing the spark of comprehension in your student’s eyes when they finally “get it”. I have learned that I can work very well with 6 to 15 year old’s kids, it's great being looked up to and being a source of inspiration. If you can present to 40 students and have them take part, you can present to anyone regardless of age. Your mindset is the biggest differentiator. If you work hard and try to understand your students, you'll go far!