So . . . about being a Native English Teacher in Japan. It's fun. It's hard work, but it's fun too. I don't know if I think that because I've only been at it about two weeks now, but I love the English language, and being a big, gigantic nerd is a real boon with this job. I thoroughly encourage my students to ask me questions about obscure grammar/spelling rules because it sends me off on a quest to find the answer. I like puzzles. I told one of my private lesson students that, and she laughed and said I was in the right job then.
I have a total of 21 classes, which I divide into four types: Sprint, Active, Kids, and Private (which actually go back to being one of the first three classes, but they pay more, so they get their own category.) My favorite classes are Active classes with 2+ students because you can get more conversation going, and I'm there pretty much as a mediator and helpful grammar checker.
Sprint classes are firmly structured and focus on learning a grammar point (such as the proper way to word a sentence when giving a compliment), followed by a period of using that grammar point in conversation. I wasn't so keen on these at first, but they're growing on me. I still follow the structure, but I've found that if I get a little creative, students respond better. I only have two lower-level Sprint classes, and one of them is with a guy from Peru, and I understand his natural speaking pattern a little better than I do with my Japanese students. He puts a Spanish twist on a lot of his words, and since I can recognize that, we have a common meeting ground. He's actually really good with conversation, he's more concerned about learning the proper grammar. It takes me 30-45 minutes to write a Sprint lesson plan, depending on what else I'm doing (I usually watch a movie or listen to music while I work, it actually goes faster that way because the noise helps me focus). I'm lucky because my school has a whole library of lesson suggestions for Sprint classes, and a lot of the props are already prepared. Usually, I just have to decide what I want to use and then make copies and keep everything organzied. For a couple, I've had to make my own props (cutting out magazine pictures, for example, to match with adjectives), but that doesn't take too long either.
Active classes are way more flexible, and that seems to be a little scary with Japanese students sometimes because they have to offer more original responses. Getting opinions out of them is like pulling teeth, but I like these classes because when the students do start talking, they usually have good things to say. All of my students are pretty intelligent (they're learning a foreign language, so they'd pretty much have to be), and they run the gamut from bored housewives to teenagers to office workers to scientists (seriously, one of my students is a horticulturist who crossbreeds onions). So, they've all got really good opinions and can back them up well, once they get going. The hard part is getting them to talk. They'll sit and think about their answers for a few minutes, and it's less getting the English right and more figuring out exactly what their opinions are. Active classes are really easy to plan, especially because the books come with Teacher Guides and there are plenty of activities in the books to fill class time. I can do an Active lesson plan in about 15 minutes, with a little extra time for making copies if I need them. One book was published in England, so I've had to look up a couple of phrases/words here and there to figure out exactly what they're saying, but otherwise, it's my favorite. The last class I did with this book (with my horticulturist student) studied a Shakespeare sonnet, and I had a blast. The student was completely intimidated, but he did an awesome job and ended up feeling pretty proud of himself. Easily the best class of the week.
Kids classes are the hardest to prepare, I think, because I have to make sure that I have enough activities to keep them busy all the time. I have six kids classes (not including a private lesson with a four-year old, but she's so well-behaved and on the ball that I have no problem with her), and they're arranged according to age. This is a somewhat bad idea, I think, because some of the classes are terribly mismatched. I have one class with 2 10-year olds who are on very different levels. Fortunately, the higher level student is a girl and she's pretty well behaved if I have to slow things down to help the boy. In a class with four 12-year olds, though, the one girl is a little slower (no less intelligent, just slower with her replies), and the rest of them get a little impatient with her. I consider myself lucky the boys are actually nice boys; they may make a snide comment or two, but they listen to me and do as I say if I keep on top of them. The only class I really am not overly fond of is the one with two 5-year old boys because they haven't quite figured out who's in charge here. I'm starting to wonder in Japanese kids don't get any discipline until they get into school, because these two can be outright brats sometimes, and one of them has a younger brother who's even worse. On a good day, they're okay; on a bad one, the only thing I can do is keep them focused on doing something to distract them from wandering around the room and causing trouble.
Kids classes also have Teacher Guides, which I use profusely for writing lesson plans because there's a lot more going on here than just grammar. They're learning phonics, writing, listening, speaking - a whole bevy of things. It's pretty intense, but at least it keeps them busy. Fortunately, I only have to write three lesson plans because I have two classes of each type. It takes me about 45 minutes to do one of them, mainly because I'm having to stop and find games to play, or make lots of copies, or listen to the cds to figure out what work they're going to have to do. For the younger kids, I also have to learn songs and the hand gestures that go along with them. My private lesson girl stopped me once and showed me the "right" way of doing one song, so at least she's being patient with me too.
And then there are the private lessons, which are usually a conglomeration of the above. I have a couple who come together, and they don't like the book (which is too advanced for them and was probably pushed upon them by the old manager), so their class is mostly just conversation. I use the book as a jumping off point to ask them questions, and then we just go where we please. It's quite pleasant. Last week, we had a long discussion about the relocation of American Indians and the Japanese government's treatment of the native Ainu in Hokkaido. Another private lesson is with a woman who wants to learn business English so she can work for her husband's company. So, again, that's a lot of conversation, using a book to help her learn new phrases and how to use them correctly. And then I have one woman who has Sprint classes with Benni-sensei (the JET) but wants private lessons with a NET so she can practice conversation with a native speaker.
So, it's a variety of classes, and if I take a couple hours a day, I can get all my lesson-planning done in a good amount of time. And they're fun because it's a subject I know pretty well and love quite a bit. The only classes I generally feel a little nervous about are the kids classes, mainly because I'm never sure if I have enough prepared for them (so much so that I generally over-prepare for them, which makes me feel better), but they go by so quick that I usually don't have time to worry about it.
And there you have it. It helps being such an English geek, because even simple grammar rules (such as the proper usage of simple present tense) make me happy. And the students have noted that I seem to enjoy it, so that probably helps. Maybe the novelty will wear off in a while, but for now, I'm loving every minute.
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