I've been learning some interesting tidbits about what, exactly, I'll be doing in Himeji, Japan.
Firstly, my official designation is that of an "ALT" or "Assistant Language Teacher."
The other position available is the "ASE" or "Assistant Supervisor of English."
As an ALT, my primary function is to be a "cultural ambassador" whose goal is to get the students--and community--excited about learning English and to expose them to American culture. I'll be working with the equivalents of middle and elementary school students, as well as teaching classes to the community.
My function in the classroom, from what I've learned so far, seems to be somewhere in between that of a Practicum Student (where you observe teachers for a certain amount of time, and help out in a limited sense) and a Student Teacher (which I've been doing for the last semester; where you learn how to teach and to co-teach with the help of an experienced mentor teacher). I have been told that I will not be allowed to directly instruct my students in English, unless given prior approval by my "JTE" (Japanese Teacher of English). All lesson plans will need to be rigorously approved by my JTE, so we'll see what kind of activities I will be allowed to design. In the end, alumni of the program have been telling me that that each school I'll work at, and each JTE I'm assigned to, will use me in different ways.
Being a conversation tutor, which I think is, in essence, what my position boils down to, is still a ton of fun. And I think an easier workload at the beginning will give me more of a chance to adjust to the Himeji culture and school system. My goal is to work my way up to being an ASE next year, which will allow me to plan a curriculum and run some of my own classes; I wasn't able to apply for this right away, since a) I hadn't finished my teaching certification yet, and b) I know absolutely nothing about the Japanese Curriculum, so how could I plan my own? Hopefully, a year as an ALT will prepare me for becoming an ASE. And who knows, two years as an ALT might not be all that bad, either!
Here's a bunch of fun little facts I've been learning about ALT's and Japanese Schools:
Firstly, my official designation is that of an "ALT" or "Assistant Language Teacher."
The other position available is the "ASE" or "Assistant Supervisor of English."
As an ALT, my primary function is to be a "cultural ambassador" whose goal is to get the students--and community--excited about learning English and to expose them to American culture. I'll be working with the equivalents of middle and elementary school students, as well as teaching classes to the community.
My function in the classroom, from what I've learned so far, seems to be somewhere in between that of a Practicum Student (where you observe teachers for a certain amount of time, and help out in a limited sense) and a Student Teacher (which I've been doing for the last semester; where you learn how to teach and to co-teach with the help of an experienced mentor teacher). I have been told that I will not be allowed to directly instruct my students in English, unless given prior approval by my "JTE" (Japanese Teacher of English). All lesson plans will need to be rigorously approved by my JTE, so we'll see what kind of activities I will be allowed to design. In the end, alumni of the program have been telling me that that each school I'll work at, and each JTE I'm assigned to, will use me in different ways.
Being a conversation tutor, which I think is, in essence, what my position boils down to, is still a ton of fun. And I think an easier workload at the beginning will give me more of a chance to adjust to the Himeji culture and school system. My goal is to work my way up to being an ASE next year, which will allow me to plan a curriculum and run some of my own classes; I wasn't able to apply for this right away, since a) I hadn't finished my teaching certification yet, and b) I know absolutely nothing about the Japanese Curriculum, so how could I plan my own? Hopefully, a year as an ALT will prepare me for becoming an ASE. And who knows, two years as an ALT might not be all that bad, either!
Here's a bunch of fun little facts I've been learning about ALT's and Japanese Schools:
- Japanese Schools are neither heated or cooled. That means no heat in the winter, where it gets to about 30 degrees, or cooling in the summer, where it gets to a very humid 85 degrees. Apparently students and teachers will, in the winter, cover themselves in these stick-on heating packs. And Japanese deodorants are--apparently--significantly weaker than what we have here in the USA, so everyone has been telling us over and over to bring a year's supply of deodorant with us.
- I will be alternated between rural and local schools. Apparently the farthest school anyone's been sent it was about an hour's bus ride away from the Shirasagi Residence. No wonder they make us invest in a $300 bus pass right off the bat.
- Stickers and stamps are really popular with the students there. They are apparently major fans of Spongebob Squarepants (Considering their age, I'd be impressed if they can get even half of the jokes...). I'll be building myself a collection of fun stamps and stickers to bring over as "prizes" for my students and gifts for my co-workers (apparently giving gifts to bosses and co-workers is an extremely important part of Japanese culture, so I'll be devoting a lot of time this summer to collecting these).
- Students stay in the same classroom all day long; it's the teachers who move from class to class each period. Definitely a big change from American schools. In some ways I can see this being a very awesome way to build classroom community, but at the same time I can see it as a horrible experience for kids that get stuck in a classroom with no friends. It'll be interesting to see this in action.
- No eating or drinking allowed in the classrooms--even for teachers. I guess if I want a sip of water, I have to wait until I'm in between classes. I wonder how that works during those days where I talk a lot? I can already tell that this particular rule is going to be a tough one to adjust to.
I'm sure I'll learn more definitive answers and facts about what I'll be doing as an ALT once I actually start working. But I figured I should post something between now and August 24th!
I'll attach some interesting links here:
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