Grrrr...
Today, I don't like my job. I think Fridays are the hardest day of the week, because it's the one day that I do not teach any "advanced" or "motivated" students. So my morning started with two classes who remained almost entirely unresponsive to anything I did, and then another relatively inactive class. Don't get me wrong - I love all my students... I just don't know what to do to get these guys/girls to actually do what they're supposed to be doing! I don't have any freedom as far as what I teach - it's all pretty much laid out for me.
To top it all off, the room is filled with boxes of new "textbooks" that are supposedly going to help these kids learn English better. I am extremely skeptical of it though, as it will require students to be very motivated. (See Paragraph 1 for my reality.) What's more, they have to find time on their own to do this stuff, as it is not part of their regular (already heavy) workload. And none of this will be part of their grade, either. And so I ask myself just how successful it will all be.
And then there's the two lovely teachers beside me, who bicker like a newlywed couple after the honeymoon period's over. (Or maybe while it's still on - I wouldn't know!) Note: they're not married (to each other), so it's just bickering about the value of teaching a particular aspect of English to the kids. (Note: Their argument is in Japanese, and what they teach the kids about the English language is also in Japanese, which is just another frustrating aspect of the job.)
Have I ever shared with you my theory about the way English is taught in Japan? I see it this way:
Imagine having to teach piano to several kids at once. Piano, which is learned much better when taught one-on-one. Piano, written in a language that transcends mere words, and needs to be "felt" more than it needs to be theorized about. Mind you, there is some need for theory, but not until there's some practical ability. Now imagine teaching this class all about the piano: its origin, construction, parts, functions, composers, notes, chords, everything about it, without actually touching the piano itself! A few more things: the teacher only actually plays the piano when necessary, and doesn't even necessarily like it; and the students, if ever asked to play a note, will hesitate, freeze up, maybe confer with a friend to make sure it's the right note, and then play it pianissimo. Then there's the tests they need to take, which are 100% theory, and written in words and not in musical form. They are learning all about Beethoven's Symphonies, and can read them perfectly well, but can't produce a single note of it.
Substitute "piano" with "English" and you pretty much get what teaching English in Japan is like.
Oh how I can be negative sometimes! I'll try to be more cheerful next time.
To top it all off, the room is filled with boxes of new "textbooks" that are supposedly going to help these kids learn English better. I am extremely skeptical of it though, as it will require students to be very motivated. (See Paragraph 1 for my reality.) What's more, they have to find time on their own to do this stuff, as it is not part of their regular (already heavy) workload. And none of this will be part of their grade, either. And so I ask myself just how successful it will all be.
And then there's the two lovely teachers beside me, who bicker like a newlywed couple after the honeymoon period's over. (Or maybe while it's still on - I wouldn't know!) Note: they're not married (to each other), so it's just bickering about the value of teaching a particular aspect of English to the kids. (Note: Their argument is in Japanese, and what they teach the kids about the English language is also in Japanese, which is just another frustrating aspect of the job.)
Have I ever shared with you my theory about the way English is taught in Japan? I see it this way:
Imagine having to teach piano to several kids at once. Piano, which is learned much better when taught one-on-one. Piano, written in a language that transcends mere words, and needs to be "felt" more than it needs to be theorized about. Mind you, there is some need for theory, but not until there's some practical ability. Now imagine teaching this class all about the piano: its origin, construction, parts, functions, composers, notes, chords, everything about it, without actually touching the piano itself! A few more things: the teacher only actually plays the piano when necessary, and doesn't even necessarily like it; and the students, if ever asked to play a note, will hesitate, freeze up, maybe confer with a friend to make sure it's the right note, and then play it pianissimo. Then there's the tests they need to take, which are 100% theory, and written in words and not in musical form. They are learning all about Beethoven's Symphonies, and can read them perfectly well, but can't produce a single note of it.
Substitute "piano" with "English" and you pretty much get what teaching English in Japan is like.
Oh how I can be negative sometimes! I'll try to be more cheerful next time.