Animal Crossing: I can't stoooooooooop!!!!
Yep, it's true. I'm hooked on that game. I don't know why and I can't explain it. I'm on my DS pretty much every day, paying off the loan on my virtual house, fishing, catching bugs, putting up new wallpaper on my house, and just having tons of fun with it. WHY is it so much fun??? What's happening to me????
Anyways, here's life and other stuff!So, work's been keeping me incredibly busy. So far, it's been work, and then home. Which I don't really mind, since work's been interesting, and dare I say it, fun. And I'm not teaching!! Nothing against teaching; it's a tough job, and someone has to do it. However, in order to be a good teacher, you have to have something in the beginning, something inside, I suppose. I was dedicated, sure, but I lacked something. I wasn't a bad teacher, but I wasn't one of those teachers that made an impact.
When teaching in Japan, where one goes is rather important. There is a bit of social status on where you teach. In some places, it really doesn't matter, but people do pay attention to where you teach. Mind you, this isn't set in stone and others may say that there isn't any social status on where you teach, but again, these are things I've observed.
First off, the most common teacher is the eikaiwa teacher, or the English Conversation School teacher. I used to be one of these, and within this there are some levels. Some people teach in the smaller, lesser-known schools and some even own them. People who work in some of the other larger, more commercial schools are usually the people who are just coming into this country and/or not planning to stay for a long time. There are some exceptions, of course, but your usual big name eikaiwa teacher doesn't stay there for very long. Unless you plan to move up the ladder very quickly, then I wouldn't suggest staying there for a long time-too many people come and go.
Then you have your ALTs. I think they have an incredibly tough job. You have to follow what the school wants you to do to the letter, and you're just there to show what real English sounds like. In most cases, the kids don't pay too much attention anyway. It depends on which school you're at; there are some great schools out there, where the kids really want to learn. Oh, and usually you have to participate in the school functions, such as arts and sports festivals, too. They're the ones who teach at the "real" schools, and not in conversation schools. Whether one is better than the other, it's left up to personal opinion. Both have good and bad points.
Next, you have your actual teachers in international schools. These people usually have degrees in teaching and have had tons of experience back in their home countries. I can't really say much about them, since I've never taught at an international school. These teachers, I feel, have a bit of higher standing, since they are certified teachers. I guess the correct term for what I was is instructor, rather than teacher. But then again, it's open to discussion. I'm not that picky about names like that.
So there's a peek into the world of teaching English in Japan. Next time I'll talk more about it. ^_^ Right now, I'm sorry if this entry's a bit boring... I knew I had to write something, and this came out. -_-;;;
Anyways, here's life and other stuff!So, work's been keeping me incredibly busy. So far, it's been work, and then home. Which I don't really mind, since work's been interesting, and dare I say it, fun. And I'm not teaching!! Nothing against teaching; it's a tough job, and someone has to do it. However, in order to be a good teacher, you have to have something in the beginning, something inside, I suppose. I was dedicated, sure, but I lacked something. I wasn't a bad teacher, but I wasn't one of those teachers that made an impact.
When teaching in Japan, where one goes is rather important. There is a bit of social status on where you teach. In some places, it really doesn't matter, but people do pay attention to where you teach. Mind you, this isn't set in stone and others may say that there isn't any social status on where you teach, but again, these are things I've observed.
First off, the most common teacher is the eikaiwa teacher, or the English Conversation School teacher. I used to be one of these, and within this there are some levels. Some people teach in the smaller, lesser-known schools and some even own them. People who work in some of the other larger, more commercial schools are usually the people who are just coming into this country and/or not planning to stay for a long time. There are some exceptions, of course, but your usual big name eikaiwa teacher doesn't stay there for very long. Unless you plan to move up the ladder very quickly, then I wouldn't suggest staying there for a long time-too many people come and go.
Then you have your ALTs. I think they have an incredibly tough job. You have to follow what the school wants you to do to the letter, and you're just there to show what real English sounds like. In most cases, the kids don't pay too much attention anyway. It depends on which school you're at; there are some great schools out there, where the kids really want to learn. Oh, and usually you have to participate in the school functions, such as arts and sports festivals, too. They're the ones who teach at the "real" schools, and not in conversation schools. Whether one is better than the other, it's left up to personal opinion. Both have good and bad points.
Next, you have your actual teachers in international schools. These people usually have degrees in teaching and have had tons of experience back in their home countries. I can't really say much about them, since I've never taught at an international school. These teachers, I feel, have a bit of higher standing, since they are certified teachers. I guess the correct term for what I was is instructor, rather than teacher. But then again, it's open to discussion. I'm not that picky about names like that.
So there's a peek into the world of teaching English in Japan. Next time I'll talk more about it. ^_^ Right now, I'm sorry if this entry's a bit boring... I knew I had to write something, and this came out. -_-;;;