「Volunteering」カテゴリーアーカイブ

Ling Xi Min: Volunteering at Kyoto Museum for World Peace

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I had the privilege of volunteering at the Kyoto Museum for World Peace as part of my weekly CIP activity. The arrangement was that I would go to the museum every Tuesday to volunteer for a period of about 3 hours after morning classes, where I would carry tasks including translation (between English and Japanese and occasionally German), research and miscellaneous jobs like digitizing the museum’s postcard collection (from the 1920s).

I had never worked in a museum before, let alone a museum in Japan, and to some extent I did not know what to expect, particularly with regard to how much language ability I would require in order to function and contribute effectively. Thankfully, in spite of being one of two people in the museum who could speak fluent English, things turned out as well as they could have. I think that how much one can contribute in these contexts depends as much on how one deploys one’s skills as what skills one has (which for me was a middle-schooler’s Japanese, native-level English and some limited research experience). The reality for me was that my Japanese was not good enough to write descriptions for the permanent exhibition, and probably will not be for a while. The speed at which I read and processed Japanese language research materials was also obviously slower than that of the Japanese staff. What I did instead for translation tasks, was to take the target passages in English, translate them to the best of my ability and leave the rest to the Japanese staff. Though I initially worried about the appropriateness of my translation, the curator explained to me how they saw it: it is far easier for the Japanese staff to fix broken Japanese than it is for them to read English. And though Japanese-language research materials could obviously be parsed faster by Japanese staff, what I could bring to the table was specialized knowledge and new interpretations of data related to what I had been studying in my home institution. Communicating ideas in academic Japanese to my hosts was not always easy, but it could be done with a dictionary and vocabulary list.

One important lesson this CIP taught me was to be realistic about my Japanese ability and keep short-term goals realistic. For me, it was sometimes tempting to aspire to native-level Japanese in the long term without figuring out all the small steps along the way or whether I even needed native-level Japanese to function meaningfully in a particular work context. I never imagined that something as simple as a vocabulary list would help so much – especially in a workplace where specialized vocabulary, more than grammar, is key. Having measured goals really helped me to make the most of my time at the museum and identify the ways in which I could contribute to the team.

A lot is said about the purported differences between the Japanese and non-Japanese work environments – that the former requires a greater attention to formality and hierarchy than the latter for instance. This is perhaps true to a degree, but what I encountered was not a rigid environment where everyone wore suits and bowed to their superiors at a set angle. Rather, people were in general quite relaxed. Hierarchy was not entirely eliminated – there were clearly staff with managerial responsibilities – and it was not fun and games all the time, since there was always work to be done. But in all, the whole system seemed to work out reasonably for most if not all. I think that while it is always good to have an idea of possible cultural differences between oneself and one’s hosts, what is equally or perhaps more important is to be observant of and sensitive to one’s specific context, rather than come in with a fixed idea of what one expects to find. Much like anywhere else, Japan is a big place, and there are all sorts of people and organizations, some of which will resemble the stereotypical Japanese work environment more than others. For me, the museum was a happy balance between the new and the familiar, and I especially owe a lot to the patience and open-mindedness of the staff I had the privilege of working under.

Jordan LaPointe: Assistant Language Teacher at Ohara Gakuin/Yoga at Tamisa Yoga Studio

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For the Spring semester, I split my time between teaching English as an ALT at Ohara Gakuin (which I go into detail about in my Fall semester post) and doing yoga at the Tamisa Yoga Studio on Teramachi. Ohara was very engaging and it was nice to see the students mature a little over the past 6 months as well as become more comfortable with my presence. Because of this experience, I now have some insight into teaching English to a variety of grades, which may come in handy if I decide to pursue an ALT position with JET.

In respect to yoga, I am learning A LOT, mostly that I am as flexible as a tree trunk. Fortunately, the studio has bilingual instructors so the transition into yoga with virtually no experience hasn’t been to bad. It is also a nice change of pace, to go from being a teacher to being a regular student. Also, I’ve gotten more opportunities to practice my listening skills and silent observation as I have attempted to discreetly check the actions of my fellow yoga practitioners to ensure that I’m doing things correctly…Overall, yoga has been a great experience and I recommend it to anyone interested, regardless of prior experience.

Regina Hong : Volunteering at the Kyoto Institute of Technology Museum and Archives

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One of the key reasons I had in applying to KCJS was its CIP component, particularly since I hoped to gain some experience volunteering and offering whatever skills I had to a museum. The path to obtaining this museum volunteer opportunity took some turns however; I was told that it was rather difficult to get a volunteer placement with a museum but remained reluctant to give up on this, and Professor Henry Smith, the former director of KCJS suggested that I could contact an acquaintance of his at the Kyoto Institute of Technology Museum and Archives, Namiki Sensei (the director of the museum), who offered me the opportunity to volunteer at the museum.

Every Monday, I would catch the train after lunch to Matsugasaki for a three-hour volunteer session. I worked mainly with two colleagues who arranged various tasks for me. These tasks were largely administrative; I might sort out and scan posters one day, catalogue and translate Chinese posters the other, and place letters of notification into letters for mailing on another day. One might think that such administrative tasks would not have “really” shown me what working in a museum is like, but I think that that might have been the point – the backbone of museum work often consists of simple but tedious administrative work.

These administrative tasks also provided a lens through which I could view the relationships that the museum had with their clients, and the work culture of the museum in general. Two particular incidents come to mind. The first was when I was sorting the letters notifying the museum’s patrons that there was a new exhibition on architectural models coming up when I noticed that they had been personalised, with the addressees’ names handwritten and a short line or two explaining the relevance of the museum to their organisations or interests. This was presumably done to encourage greater visitor turnout, although I think that it also highlights the care that the museum took in thinking about how to personalise these invitations. While I do not agree with essentialist descriptions of a “Japanese” work culture, I found this to be a unique aspect that I had not seen before at the other places that I had interned at in Singapore. It is unclear if this was a thing unique to museums in Japan or if it is a hallmark of museums in general but I think that it is reflective of the regard that this particular museum holds for its relationship with its clients.

The other incident was when there was a mistake with the phone number printed on one of the posters for an upcoming exhibition, necessitating the manual blanking out of the misinformation using correction tape. Although I had been assigned the task, my two colleagues worked with me, and other colleagues came over from time to time to help out. Contrary to the stiff rigidity I had been expecting, the work culture at the museum was wonderfully relaxed, with my colleagues being quite at ease with Namiki Sensei (I once jumped up to greet him when he walked into the room to speak to us but my colleagues remain seated and they began to chat casually). My colleagues took care to remind me to go for a break at 2:30 pm every session, and would offer me delicious snacks from the staff pantry. They were also keen to speak to me on a variety of topics, and always patient whenever I had any queries.

In terms of advice, I would say that, however cliché, one’s attitude in the course of a CIP activity that involves volunteering is key. To make that statement less ambiguous, I think that there are two key components to this attitude. The first is having an open mindset, and the other is being aware that it is less of what the opportunity can do for you and what you can offer it. Although I am a history major, I had never had prior experience with art history and had never thought I would work in an art museum. I admitted as much to Namiki Sensei while expressing interest in learning more about art history, and he took this into account, reassuring me that there was work I could do even with my lack of experience, such as translation. As such, I stumbled into this volunteer opportunity not knowing what was in store, but emerged from it with a new interest in looking at posters and thinking about their historical significance.

I also walk away with an added appreciation for the culture of omiyage. Bringing omiyage back from one’s travels is a very effective way of creating a conversation topic, and on a practical level, also helps feed hungry colleagues on their breaks!

Sabrina Bidus: Assistant English Teacher at Kyoto Bunkyo High School

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This semester, I had the opportunity to volunteer as an assistant English teacher at Kyoto Bunkyo High School. I wanted a chance to help Japanese students with English because I understand the struggle of learning a foreign language; and luckily, I was able to help this class of students who were preparing to study abroad in Canada. They were making presentations about something Kyoto-related that they enjoy—everything from calligraphy to green tea to the Shinsengumi—so not only did I have the opportunity to help them with written and spoken English, but I also learned a lot about Japan and Kyoto along the way.
Because they were preparing to study abroad, these students were enthusiastic and willing to learn—I was concerned that I would be in a class full of kids who did not really care about learning English, but this turned out not to be the case. I was also extremely surprised to be placed in a class of high school students; I expected elementary or junior high students, but not students much closer to my age. I thought that maybe I would get more attitude, less respect, and little cooperation from some students of this age. But as mentioned before, these students want to learn English and as a result, appreciated my help. There were times when I thought the students did not want my help or did not enjoy my presence in their classroom. Again, I turned out to be wrong. These students were just a bit shy or timid, and when I tried talking to them about their presentations, they often eagerly accepted my help. Whether it be listening to them practice, helping them with PowerPoints, assisting them with their pronunciation, or fixing their English presentation scripts, they usually listened closely and the changes they made reflected my commentary.
The last day I volunteered was particularly interesting. I finally got to see the final product of weeks of practice on the students’ part. But before that, I met another group of students and helped with their class. These students had studied in Australia and likewise were very motivated. I assisted with and judged a debate the students had—about the pros and cons of the internet and smartphones! I remember having to write on a similar topic for my Japanese class back home and therefore understood how difficult it could be. After the debate, they had to make up alternative endings to fairy tales and present them. Again, I was impressed, and their humor and personalities came across even in English. My favorite story ending was created by a couple of girls who had to write a new ending for Pinocchio. They said that Pinocchio and his father were spit out of the whale’s mouth—but into another whale’s mouth! (The End.) I was also amused by an extremely vocal female Japanese student who was playful with the teacher and the JET assistant; far from being the stereotype of a quiet Japanese student, she spoke her mind and asked me multiple questions. I appreciated her enthusiasm and it was a change from my encounter with the other class, where I had to ask the students questions to get them to speak with me.
My CIP was a great experience; I only regret that I was not able to help out more. Due to the conflicting schedules of KCJS and the Japanese school system, I could only volunteer at Kyoto Bunkyo High School a few times. Yet this time allowed me a new perspective on Japanese school life and a chance to help motivated students—students who, like me, will soon be studying abroad and living daily life in a foreign language.

April Kim: Bazaar Cafe

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At least once or twice in my life, I have had the dream to work in or own a cafe. The scent of freshly baked bread, the calming sound of coffee machine brewing, the comfortable atmosphere where customers drink quietly while reading a novel…

…that idealistic perception of cafe life is not what I experienced while volunteering at the Bazaar Cafe. But that does not mean my time at Bazaar Cafe was a negative one.

First and foremost, what I wanted out of my CIP was simply this: to interact with Japanese people and understand their daily life within the community. At first, I had planned on sticking with a cooking class, but because of their infrequent meetings, I decided to look for other options. The Bazaar Cafe caught my interest because it was one that did not require previous food & service experience, it was close-by to the university, and finally because other KCJS students had volunteered there in the past.

At first it was hard to schedule a time to volunteer because the cafe is open on a few days of the week: Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 11:30 AM – 5:00PM to be exact. Because my school schedule consisted of an afternoon class everyday, it was hard to figure out the days I could volunteer for them. But despite this obstacle, I ended up volunteering at the cafe during my lunch time on Fridays (12:30 PM – 2:30PM). If one ends up having a pretty full class schedule, this place may not be the best choice.

What makes the Bazaar Cafe so unique is that beyond its cafe exterior, this place is a second-home and haven for those who do not have a “safe” place to be themselves. The casual atmosphere and family-like staff make the customers feel very relaxed to the point that sometimes they would play the musical instruments kept at the cafe. Furthermore, the cafe’s staff consist of many foreigners who speak Japanese. Japan, Thailand, Philippines, South America, South Korea, Vietnam, China…Bazaar Cafe staff members come from countries near and far. And although the level of ability varies among staff member, everyone understands their roles and still manage to share a joke or two, which contributes to the lively work environment.

Now to the nitty gritty. If you expect a large role in the cafe logistics, unless you are an actual cafe staff (and not volunteer) that will most likely not occur. It’s not to say that they do not appreciate the help of volunteers, but there are already so many co-workers and only a certain amount of cafe duties to be done. Therefore, depending on the time I volunteered, I would often be waiting around or asking for more jobs to do. But because there is already a system for the cafe staff, mainly the duties of dish washing, food prepping and meal serving were my most consistent duties. Therefore in order to compensate the sometimes slow time, I often started conversations with other staff members and pro-actively found duties to finish around the kitchen. I found that rather than always expecting a task, it is better to find things that one can do without being asked. Furthermore, the tasks are quite rudimentary and things you can experience working in the food service back home. So if you expect an exciting and “foreign” cafe experience, this cafe is not the place.

However, if you want to immerse yourself in a family-like work environment, then this place is a good option. Overall, my time at the cafe tends to be long only because I am able to work once a week. But volunteering on different days will let you meet the other workers and each day has a different atmosphere (because cafe regulars come on certain days). And at the end of a good day’s work (at least for lunch time), the cafe owner provides a small meal for all the staff.

If you are looking to volunteer at a cafe, I’d say be realistic. The behind the counters of a cafe or coffee shop, things are not as a rose-colored as one imagines it to be. Just like the jobs in the food & service industry, there are both interesting and mundane tasks…more of the latter. In the end, what makes this place interesting to me is the interactions I have with the workers and the relationships I make with them. It may not be for everybody, but it made me understand Japanese and non-Japanese people’s every day life in a different light.

Sarah O'Connell: the Kyoto National Museum

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“What makes a work of art Rinpa?”

Throughout my first semester at KCJS, this has been a question I have worked hard to answer.

When I first applied to KCJS, I did so primarily because KCJS offered the CIP component. Currently I am an East Asian Studies Major at Bryn Mawr College with a concentration in Japanese Art History, and at the time I applied it was my hope that getting into KCJS would bring me one foot closer to getting an internship at a Japanese art museum. Luckily, through the help of my artisans class professor, Monica Bethe, who had a contact at the Kyoto National Museum (京都国立博物館 Kyoto Kokuritsu Hakubutsukan), I was able to land my dream internship and work together with a crew of people to help visitors understand what special characteristics Rinpa art contains.

Almost every Wednesday at 12:30PM, I’d finish my lunch and then ride the 100 raku bus to the museum, or Kyohaku (京博) as it is commonly referred to by staff and peers alike. Once there, I would check in with the guard at the Western Gate before preceding to meet my CIP contact, who would let me know what type of job I would be working for the day. Some days, I was assigned basic training, such as learning the layout of the museum or studying the Rinpa art movement in Japanese and English. Other days, I got to participate in more hands-on activities, such as attending a class on how to teach Rinpa to elementary school students, or helping visitors make a fan inspired by Rinpa Design. Rinpa (or the “Aesthetics of the Capital” as the exhibition states) is made up of four main principles: 1) 繰り返す (kurikaesu) – Repetition　2)はみ出す (hamidasu) – Running off the Page　3)余白をとる (yohaku o toru) – Leaving an empty space (usually in the middle of the artwork, though it is not always limited to this) and 4)ジグザグ (Ziguzagu) – Creating an uneven pattern (so when repeating an object, making sure the object is not always at the same height level). Together, these four principles create a sense of movement in each Rinpa piece, and it has been my job this semester to faithfully teach children and adults alike how to recognize and explain these principles.

Another component of my CIP has simply been getting to know my peers. With the exception of my fellow college student interns, whom I spend the majority of my time working with, I also work with several adult volunteers and staff members. Because everyone comes from a different background and social standing, learning when to use 敬語 (keigo – Japanese polite language) and です/ます (desu/masu style – still polite, but a much less formal style of Japanese) has been a challenge. I also was able to attend one weekly staff meeting, which ended with everyone discussing the day’s events: what happened, how many people came to the exhibit, what troublesome things occurred, what positive things occurred, what was bothering us, what we were thankful for, etc. One person also brought traditional 和菓子 (Wagashi – aJapanese-style sweet) with them to the meeting, and everyone sat down to eat the snack together. In this regard, I have picked up and learned more about the Japanese work force than I initially expected.

The semester has not been an easy one. As I am treated the same as any other college intern at my CIP worksite, my schedule relies more on when my CIP contacts need me rather than the other way around. Thus, in order to meet my requirements this semester, I have also taken on several smaller volunteer positions in order to have enough credit, such as helping middle school students learn English, working at a tourist office, joining the photography circle, making nabe, etc. Overall, each experience has been a rewarding one, but my favorite experience so far has definitely been the Kyohaku. In the future, my CIP contact Yamakawa-san has promised to let me join in on more hands-on excavation sites (such as one in Osaka where I will be able to handle the rare objects directly), and to let me sit in on more academic lectures and meetings. Although I am sad this semester is coming to an end, I cannot wait to continue building my different CIP relationships next semester in the Spring.

Ruiqi Wang: Niconico Totato (volunteering for hospitalized children)

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Before I came to this program, I am not that in volunteer activities because I think personal class can learn more about Japanese culture. However, I knew I was wrong when I actually started volunteering at the first time in KCJS program as an English assistant for a junior high school English activity. I haven’t decided to do volunteer for my CIP at that time. Then, considering the fact that I live very far from school and really need to do something have flexible time schedule, I chose Niconico tomato for my CIP, which is basically a volunteer association for children in hospital. When I started to do this weekly, I knew I finally find something that fit my schedule and very meaningful.

The basic job for Niconico tomato is to help children in hospital to have lives as normal as usual healthy children. Besides the treatments they have to take during the most time of their time, Noconico tomato offers them a chance to have a library and play room, even school. Elder children can read books freely and even have classes in hospital and for younger children, they can get a chance to learn some little hand crafts every week with professional teachers. My work is to do some regular work like pasting labels on a monthly magazine of Niconico tomato and doing decorations for children’s profile album. Speaking of this album, I really learn a lot from it. The profile album is different for each child recording their life before hospital, in hospital and after hospital. When I read the album, I am impressed by the vitality shown from the pictures of their smile. Even though they are in hospital and some of them have serious disease, it can’t take away the right of a child to learn, to play, to laugh. Looking at their smiles, I feel I am doing something for them and it is really meaningful for me.

There are also something happened in-between volunteers. I learned that you have to be very humble to someone who are elder than you or working longer than you and use careful language to them, but this doesn’t mean that there is a distance between. They were all very kind to me and helped me a lot, not only in my working but also in my Japanese. Because the speed of their conversations in usual speed, I have to listen really carefully to understand them. This is an absolutely good chance to practice listening and speaking. I really appreciate this experience as a volunteer in hospital for children.

Emily Robinson: Volunteering at an Elementary School

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My first instinct, after learning about the CIP project, was to join a club or other group activity. After exploring my options further, however, I ended up going back to my childhood for reference. The Community Involvement Project I ended up becoming involved in was volunteering at an elementary school in the Shugakuin neighborhood of Kyoto. This particular school ends up being host to an unusually large population of international students, despite being an otherwise average local elementary. Because of the significant amount of students who end up attending with little to no background in Japanese, however, they end up providing special resources, including an “International Class”. This project was incredibly personal to me, since as a child I had not only lived in Kyoto for a period of time, but also attended this elementary school as a foreign student who spoke no Japanese. Remembering what it was like being in this situation where I could neither understand nor communicate, I wanted to go back under new circumstances, and hopefully help where I could. The specifications of my volunteering turned out to be more one on one than I had imagined, with me going to individual student’s classrooms and doing any translation that was needed. Although sometimes, when things were slow, it felt more like providing moral support than language. I was there for two class periods every Wednesday afternoon, and it soon became a very regular part of my routine.

To be honest, going into it, I was not expecting to learn very much that I had not already been exposed to. The classroom environment was not new, and given my somewhat limited interaction with teachers, branching out in that direction was difficult. What I had not anticipated, however, was being able to view the curriculum through a new, language proficient perspective. I was particularly struck by the emphasis on expressing oneself publicly in Japan, that was never highlighted through my education in the States. Even from a very young age, the format of public speaking, and the frequency with which students are required to stand and speak in front of the class is significant. Even things such as answering or asking questions during class require that students stand up to speak. The intonation patterns too, are ones that I recognized from speeches given by adults, and the way these skills must have become ingrained can be clearly seen taking root in the classroom. In terms of my own language practice, despite the many years I have spent studying, it was humbling to enter a classroom and see the gaps in my own proficiency. While it was not the setting for studying myself, it served as a good reminder that there are always ways to improve my language, even going back over the basics.

It is more difficult to become a member of a group in which you do not have a place. I found this reality reflected not only in my own position as an American volunteer for foreign students in a Japanese school, but also in that of the international students themselves. The less Japanese a student understands, the more difficult it is for the teacher to communicate the requirements of the class, and unsurprisingly, the less it happens. In turn, the less the student expects to be involved in the classroom and the less they make an effort to conform. It becomes a cycle difficult to break, and while I had been a part of it myself, never before had I been conscious of the effects. While volunteering at the elementary school provided no great revelations on how to fix this, I do like to think that it was two hours a week when a student who might otherwise not be able to talk all day could communicate, and for once not feel like the only odd one out in the classroom.

The activity I chose for my CIP was not group based. It did not help me make friends, or improve my language skills. But it was something not only that I was interested in, but that was very personal to me and my own experiences. For those first looking into options for the CIP, I think a first instinct is usually to seek out an activity that will allow a lot of social interaction, or deep involvement with an established group. These are both important things, but I would also encourage students to search out something they are passionate about, or that they have a personal connection with. Without the investment needed to make it a part of your regular routine, regardless of the superficial value of your chosen project, the effects are null if you’re not there and interested. Ultimately, each CIP can be what you make of it, so choose something you want to make something out of for yourself.

Aiden Thomas: Assistant English Teacher at Kamigyo Middle School

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I joined another KCJS student as an English assistant at Kamigyo middle school. The CIP met once a week every Tuesday, the starting time changing depending on when we were needed. Each session usually lasted about 1-1.5 hours, varying, again, on when we were needed.

Every week, the students worked on reading out loud a specified passage that they’d been working on. In the later sessions, after the contest was over, I helped students with a mock exam. The students had a set amount of time to read a passage, where they then had to answer a few questions not only about the passage, but two personal questions about their thoughts based on some aspect of the readings. I was then required to write down feedback for the students, and suggest areas they should work on, as well as ways to improve on those sections.

When working with the students on the speech contest, it was really interesting to see how each student responded and interacted with me. Most of them were shy at the beginning, but I had one student who was very enthusiastic. I had a lot of difficulty trying to get to know them better. The main hindrance was that I was on a very strict time schedule. I had about fifteen minutes with each student, and if I went overtime, the English teacher would come in and have the next student come in. This made it exceptionably difficult to ask personal questions, because I had to focus on their speech contest first and foremost. What further compounded this problem was that the students had difficulty answering my simple English questions. I would ask them about how their weekend went, or what they like to do as a hobby, and for the most part I got blank stares. I tried some advice I got from other students and from my Sensei, to stick to just present tense and to make the sentences as simple as possible. This worked better, and I got at least a basic response, if not overly-shy and hesitant. It was really interesting, though, to see what problems were common throughout the students’ English. Most of the big problems were pronunciation, but they were able to read everything they were assigned. As for if they understood everything, I do not know. Each student’s level of comprehension differed slightly, and some seemed to understand more than others.

When I had the opportunity to do the mock exam with the students, it was even harder to get to know them. Because it was a mock exam, I had absolutely no time to do anything personal, and from greeting the student to writing up a quick report, it was also extremely formal and timed. Everyone was able to read the initial passage just fine, and had little difficulty answering an almost word-for-word question from the passage. However, when it came to the next sections, all students except one had major difficulties. The situation required the students to look at a picture and describe to me what each individual was doing. Many of them did not understand the question I asked them, and needed me to repeat it multiple times for them to understand. After the first two repetitions, I changed the wording of the question to make it as simple as possible, and in one case, I had to point to the pictures to help the student understand. The last section had me ask two ‘personal’ questions about the student’s thoughts, the subject for which originated from the passage they had read. All of the students were able to answer these questions, albeit some more explicitly than others. At the end of this task, I had to complete a short evaluation form and provide feedback and comments. This was extremely difficult for me, because at that point time was almost up, and I was only able to provide the most minimum of details.

During the mock exam, a major concern I had was the presence of the English teacher in the room. At the start of the test, she would leave us alone. But as I was getting towards the end, the teacher would come into the room and watch us. This not only made me nervous, but I could visibly see the students freeze up. Most of the time, she came in towards the very end when I was leaving my comments, which I would then explain to the students. But the last student I had was having a lot of difficulty answering the questions, and he took some extra time. As such, the teacher came in while he was still answering questions, and then he became even more nervous and especially reluctant to speak in English. I was actually quite annoyed by this, but I was not able to say anything. The teacher even came over and helped him understand the questions, except she used Japanese to do it. Even though this was a mock exam, I think it was important to not use any Japanese at all, which I took care to do so. Using Japanese would have created a fall-back for the student, and should have only been used to explain once the test was over, not while it was still ongoing. Despite his difficulty, this student was actually the most enthusiastic of them all, and at the end he was really interested in asking me what I thought about how he did.

Overall, I learned a lot just by observing the students, even if I wasn’t able to get to know any of them personally. I was able to observe the general difference in the second and third years’ English, how they interacted with me personally and respectfully, and how the teacher interacted with the students. This was a very valuable experience for me, mostly because I am considering the JET program. I was initially unsure about this CIP because I was never in a situation where I tutored or taught someone other than a close friend or family, so this was an entirely new experience for me.  I was extremely nervous at first, and was unsure about how to do this CIP successfully. However, once I met the students, my initial apprehensions faded, and I started to look forward to visiting the students every week. This opportunity has definitely made me more interested in pursuing the JET program, though it is still more of an idea than anything.

Christine La: Assistant English Teacher at Kamigyo Middle School

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As my CIP, I chose to become an Assistant English Teacher at Kamigyo Middle School, near Doshisha University. I met with students interested in learning and improving their English once a week for an hour, and helped them read English more naturally and practice speaking.

The main idea I had behind choosing to teach English was to gain experience for the JET program, which I intend to apply to after I graduate. At my home university, I would often attend exchange lunches with Japanese students and we would help each other with learning about our respective languages and cultures. In that time, I found I really enjoyed teaching English to others, though being a teacher never really crossed my mind. However, after coming to Japan, I wanted any chance to return, and was reminded of my love for teaching when we talked about CIPs.

In that regard, I suppose it was a natural procedure from there to try out being an English Assistant, before I really decided on whether or not I would devote up to five years of my life to teaching my native language. When I first entered Kamigyo Middle School, I was pretty nervous; I was an A class student, with the bare minimum language ability to enter KCJS, and had a bad habit of using casual speech regardless of my listener’s social status or familiarity with me. With that, my journey started with five young girls of varying English-speaking abilities, and five odd little readings. I was told to listen to the girls recite the passages, and then to well, fix them. The rush to start was daunting, but the hour and a half passed by almost too quickly. I hardly felt prepared enough, and I probably wasn’t as helpful as I wanted to be. I couldn’t even remember all the girls’ names. Yet as discouraged as I was, I remembered one of them telling me when our fifteen minutes were up:

“Your help was really clear and easy to understand. Thank you.”

I suppose that this is the reason all teachers can put up with the frustrations of their work. Over the next couple of visits, I began to notice that perhaps, just the slightest, I was making a difference. Not only to them in regards to their recitation, but in myself by being more prepared, by knowing what to do, how to help, and being more confident in myself. I found ways to make the experience more fun, even if it was just rainbow colored pens, and I found ways to tweak my teaching style to the student, such as speaking quieter to the shyer students or being excitable about accomplishments for the outgoing ones. I started to realize that Japanese students needed a lot of positive reinforcement for their abilities, probably because of the modest culture and strict school structure they were raised in. Teaching, even in such brief intervals for each student, had a strong impact on me.

However, I also felt a lot of frustration during my CIP. Because I only had about fifteen minutes with each student, I never got to know each individual very well. Some of the students seemed interested in learning more, but they were quick to leave because of the teachers coming by at the end of the time limit. I think I would’ve been able to help a lot more had we had more time together or to be working on more broad English conversational skills. I was also quite surprised to learn how drastic the level of English ability could change between school years. A lot of my second year middle schoolers were a lot more capable of general conversation than the first years, who hadn’t even learned past tense yet. I would’ve really liked to see how English was taught in the classroom, as well as maybe seen what would’ve happened if I met more often or for longer with each student, and done different activities with each of them.

Though at times my CIP was frustrating, I really gained a lot of valuable experience from it. Teaching, while difficult at times, continues to interest me as a path I hope to take in the future. I wish the best for my students as well, in school and in learning English.