[Sangetsu]

How difficult teaching can be depends entirely upon the person who is doing the teaching. If you dislike the job, are antisocial, or simply don't like kids, you'll probably think that teaching is difficult.

Schools in Japan require little to no Japanese ability for a reason, and that is that they wish to have their students immersed in English. They want the students to have to think in English, to come up with what words they can to ask questions or otherwise communicate with the teacher.

I disagree that using Japanese in the class helps to add meaning, in my experience it doesn't. It is impossible to translate exactly even the most simple Japanese sentence to English, or vice-versa. It's a waste of time to attempt it. If you want your students to become fluent, they must learn to think in the language they are learning, not to read it or hear it, and then translate into their own language before comprehending it.

I was skeptical of this method at first, but I've found that it works, and that it works well. I'm often amazed at what the kids are able to retain, and it's amazing to hear them begin to form complete sentences in English.

One thing to remember is that some students are shy, and are not comfortable asking questions. This can hamper their learning if you don't pay attention. It's easy enough to tell if a student is struggling by the expression on his or her face. It's not a good idea to ignore such expressions, I always take a look at their work and determine where the problem is, and help them through it. If another student wishes to help, that's fine, so long as they use English in their explanation. Japanese is not permitted in the classroom.

When I first began teaching, I felt overwhelmed. I taught an average of 5 classes per day, covering several different levels of English. Therefore, most lessons were different, and had to be planned separately. You have to use the school's texts, and formulate your plans with those, in a manner from which the students can learn.

The students are another factor. They won't learn properly if you don't control your classroom, and provide quality lessons. I've heard from other teachers about certain "hell kids" in their classes, but so far I have yet to meet any such kids in my own classes. Some kids are wilder than others, the secret is directing their energy toward learning. Paying attention to them, and planning lessons which they will find interesting enough to participate in keeps them docile enough.

The first three months were the most difficult for me. It took time for the students to adjust to me, and me to them. It took time for me to understand the methods used in the textbooks, and how best to employ them in my classes. And while this was going on, I still had to adjust to life in a new country. It's not an easy thing, and many people find that they don't like it.

Now its been a year, I find myself enjoying teaching very much. Lessons that once took an hour to plan now take about ten minutes, and in the more advanced classes, I no longer use a pre made lesson plan. I just use the texts and teach the lesson in whichever direction which seems to hold the most interest for the students.

The more I teach, the more I enjoy teaching. But not everyone does; of the group of teachers who arrived with me last year, I'll be the only one remaining. The others came only for the experience, or they found that they had no interest in teaching, and are returning home to pursue other goals.

For myself, I have no regrets, and I'm looking forward to the start of the new school year next month.