Teaching English in Japan
Are Japanese Children "Just Shy" Or Is It Something Else?
Some of my students don’t talk. At all. At first I thought they were just extremely shy and I tried to be patient with them. I figured they only needed a little time to warm up to me. So each week, I’d spend the 50 minute class having a conversation with myself as my five … Continue reading
Teaching English Is No Joke
Photo: Sad Clown Doll Sometimes I feel like I don’t understand my role my as an English teacher in Japan. What exactly do parents expect from me? I thought my job was to depart knowledge. I speak English. I will therefore teach your children to do the same. But now I’m beginning to think that … Continue reading
English Teacher…Or Aerobics Instructor?
A few weeks ago I was very gung-ho about joining a gym. But then luckily, I remembered that I don’t actually go to gyms. I just join them, buy a closet full of cute exercise clothes and then talk incessantly and obsessively about how I should be at the gym instead of at (insert name … Continue reading
The Hokey Pokey: That’s What It’s All About…My Job Teaching ESL In Tokyo
This is the song currently replaying over and over in my head: To the tune of “Are you sleeping?” “Walking, walking, Walking, walking, Hop hop hop, Hop hop hop, Running running running, Running running running Now we stop, now we stop.” I sing it everywhere. On the train, in the car, on a bus, and … Continue reading
