Each week goes by faster and faster. This week went faster not only because we are getting used to Tokyo, but also for the fact that we only had a four day week. It was well needed. Even though it wasn't long, it doesn't mean that it was uneventful. The leaders at the Chat Room still managed to fit as much as they could into the four days. Then, we tried to fit as much as we could into the long weekend as well, but the rainy season came quick and was relentless. It's still raining... If I had to wrap up this week into a title, I'd call it an adventure: new places, people, and, most importantly, knowledge. So let's jump into what happened and see if I get everything important without boring y'all too much.
High School:
As a Secondary Education major, I was thrilled when it came time to first step into a Japanese high school for the first time on Monday, and then Tuesday as well. The classrooms are around thirty students and forty minutes long. We were in the highest English level. The teacher told us that the students' level of English in these classes were considered top not only for the school, but also among the top for all high schools. Aoyama Gakuin High School is a hard school to get into if you are trying to test in. The students in the highest level of English are the students that want to actually learn and study it. Well, that's true for the majority. Since Aoyama Gakuin is an "escalator" system, the students that go through the Elementary then the Junior High automatically get admitted into the High School if they so wish. Most do, for obvious reasons. The students that fall into this category don't usually make it into the highest level of English, which is surprising. Even if they do, they aren't as high of level as other students even though they have studied English since the first grade. There are a few reasons that may explain this. The homeroom teacher tells me one reason is the lack of motivation in the students to learn the language. Since they are go through the Elementary school or the Junior High school, then there is no need to worry about making it into a good high school. Another reason is they think they have learned it all. They've been learning the language for around nine years. Although they aren't fluent, they think their level is good enough. Both of these reasons are what the teacher has told me. I don't know for a fact if these are true, but I do know that the students who did struggle to understand and communicate with me had been in the school longer.
For the first day, we did short introductions to the class and then split the class into three groups. Each one of us took a group for ten minutes to answer questions and talk about our life in college. Some of the students, especially the ones confident in their English, talked a lot. The ones who sat farther away and the ones who had struggles communicating their ideas let the other students talk. I always tried to direct questions at the quiet ones and listen as intently as I could. Even though the teacher told us to talk about our college life, it was hard. I don't exactly know what my college life is. I go to class, I study (not a lot, but I still do), I eat food, watch YouTube, and talk with friends. Their college life isn't too much different. I do have a few go to facts:
1) If you are decently close and "chill" with a professor, you can call them by their first name or a nickname. The students "ooh" and "ahh" every time when I tell them this. In Japan, they treat their teachers and professors with the upmost respect. Their professors are their sensei.
2) We don't have trains and we drive at the age of sixteen. Most of these kids don't know what life is like outside of Tokyo. Their only knowledge is what they sometimes see on television and the sort. Even though you can drive at eighteen in Japan, it is more often than not more difficult and expensive. Driving is still expensive in the U.S. don't get me wrong. The freedom and space we have is something they are envious about. What they don't know is that there is a lot of space. They have Shibuya, Shinjuku, Yokohama, and so many wards thirty minutes away or so by train. You drive thirty minutes away in any direction from Bloomington, you end up surrounded by corn. Don't fact check me.
3) We live on campus. Most students in Japan live with their parents all the way through university because it's expensive to move out and taking care of elders is a lot more important. Since they also don't go to the closest high school, like the majority of the U.S., that means long commutes daily. From the students in high school alone, I heard up to a hour commute one way. In the university level, I've heard up to two hours one way. Living on campus is something they are always interested about. I tell them I can wake up 5 minutes before class and still get to class on time (again, don't fact check me). It also means we don't live with our parents and we live with people our age.
Bonus Fact) I'm twenty. They all guess around twenty-five or twenty-eight due to my bear I'm currently rocking. My supervisor was also surprised, not only because of how I look, but also because I talk very collectedly and calm. I'm pretty sure I'm just monotone and sound hollow.
The main theme they pull away from talking to them is they want to feel the freedom that we have. It's something we don't usually think twice about, but it's such a foreign concept to them, almost a dream.
The second day, the teacher told us the day before that she wanted a presentation on our life in the United States and college. This should've been enough time, but the Wi-Fi at the school stopped working for us. We did our best though. Technology is always improving, but it always has the same amount of problems in schools no matter where you are. The presentations were almost like the day before, but we didn't have a lot of time to communicate with the students. The presentation cut the ten minutes to more of a seven minute Q&A. It was fun none the less. High schoolers are always a hoot. Then on Wednesday we went to the Junior High School.
Junior High School (first time with students):
This was nothing very special, other than the fact that it was our first time meeting an actually Junior High student. Maybe a little special. The first half of the day was working with our supervisor. We recorded different listening tests for the students. For the first year, reading slowly was the key. The reading for the second and third years were still slow, but the topics and information were more in depth. The multiple choice questions at the end were read out loud for all the years, but the questions had similar sounding answers for the upper years. This took a little bit because we messed up a few times to say the least.
Following this, we observed a worship service in a classroom. They usually hold worship in the mornings in the chapel. On Wednesdays they do it in their classrooms and it is student lead. They also do it throughout the day depending on the homeroom. It was nice to listen to and they sang in Japanese. I tried my hardest to sing along and I got a lot of looks for it.
then we shadowed one of the English teachers classroom. She told us to be ready. The class was talkative and loud. They were seldom to quiet down even when she asked nicely. The topic today was weather, but she failed to make it entertaining to the students. It was lecture based and the students weren't having it after the first fifteen minutes. I felt bad, but I did do my job and observe. After the class she told us that the stereotype of Japanese students being quiet and focused is just wrong. They are energetic, maybe even more than the U.S. junior high school students. She also told us about how she never had a formal education in education, but she had been teaching in Japan for thirty-three years, so she's picked up a few things and knows quite a bit.
The last of the day was with our supervisor for the Junior High. His students loved him. He seemed to have a great relationship with his students. He made jokes and was into the lesson he was giving. The students were on a "camping" trip the week before and returned over the weekend. This was the first time he has seen them for a few weeks he said with how the schedule has been. His lesson was basically asking them what they did on the camping trip, which was stay in a hotel, have the teachers start a fire with a lighter, and playing cards in the lobby. He joked with them and told them what a real camping trip was. Then they had to come up with ideas for what they would do if they could redo their camping trip. It was practicing conversational English as well as using the future like "I would." It was cool to watch him move around the classroom to engage everyone. The next day was our first time in the University classrooms at the Shibuya campus. It was crazy to say the least.
University:
Our supervisor for the University was different than the supervisor for the interns last year. We had a two hour conversation with him about what we were going to do in the classroom, but it still didn't prepare us. After a session in the Chat Room, we went around the University buildings to find different levels of English classes. From one class in one building, to another classroom in another building. Back and forth. The crazy part was the schedule gave of three minutes to get all around the campus. Oh, and we also only had ten minutes in each class. In the classrooms we were supposed to demonstrate a book talk: a talk between two friends about books they've recently read. That happened in like half of the classrooms, but most of the professors wanted us to talk to the students about our life in the States. It was a speed run through university. One student asked about our stance on the legalization of marijuana and on the second amendment. We were barely mentally prepared for a book talk, so we answered like U.S. politicians by not answering at all. The next time we are in the University, I hope to shadow and observe the classrooms to see if the classrooms are like the students say: lecture based. I feel like it's different in ESL classrooms and I don't think I will have a chance to be a Physics classroom.
Thanks for reading! We are already half way through the internship. It's weird to say. There is still so much to see, do, and learn. I'll tell you all about it next time!
-Caleb Hansen
Comments