So…My CIP. As a quick summary, I have koto lessons once a week with Gabri in Yamashina since we both live relatively close to each other. Thankfully, Gabri’s host mom is friends with Imoto Sensei, our teacher, so that made planning a bit easier.
After my initial participation in my CIP, which consisted of two lessons and a rather informal concert in the space of one week, the pace of koto lessons has certainly slowed down. The next planned concert isn’t until sometime in February, yet Imoto Sensei has already chosen a song for us to play by then. I’m not sure if that means that we are only going to be practicing this one piece for the next few months, or if we play this one until it is as good as it is going to get and we get additional songs. I’m hoping it is the latter, or else I will not be very amused by the time February rolls around.
As for the actual lessons themselves, they are so-so. First of all, I have no memory for Japanese formalities, so I am always at a loss for whatever phrases are expected out of my mouth at the beginning and end of every practice. Perhaps I will remember one day, or I should just improvise whatever I think sounds appropriate. Continuing on, Sensei reminds me very strongly of my childhood piano teacher, and I have a feeling it’s because I feel like I’m being treated like a child when I make a mistake or can’t understand exact details of whatever she says. (Oh, the fate of every person who can’t speak the local language.) I likewise respond by acting like the child I’m being treated as by being as uncooperative as possible. Really, there is just something about Japan that brings out my worst character traits. Anyhow, I am again grateful that Gabri is there to handle the situation with her superior Japanese language skills and social grace while I seethe in the background until I start feeling magnanimous again.
Nevertheless, Imoto Sensei is certainly a character. Because I didn’t bother learning how to ride a bike until coming to Japan, I was practicing my biking one day and I happened to be in her neighborhood since she lives about five minutes away from my house and I was familiar with that area. She must have seen me almost run into a neighbor of hers on my bike as I was turning the corner of her house, since the next thing I knew, she was making me do laps around the neighborhood and critiquing me on how good my left turns and right turns were. She also invited me to accompany her and her husband to a Buddhist ceremony at a shrine on a holiday instead of having koto lessons, so that was nice. Overall, Imoto Sensei is probably a rather generous person who very much means well, but can’t help trying to correct mistakes or weaknesses.
As for the involvement part of the CIP, I do feel like I am literally more a part of the community. I get greeted on the street by the Ojiisans and Obaasans that saw me at the mini-concert at the temple and having Sensei so close makes my world seem a little smaller.
「Boston University」カテゴリーアーカイブ
Drae McKenzie: Assistant English Teacher
Kids Will be Kids
When I first entered the doors of Doshisha’s kindergarten I didn’t know what to expect. How were the children going to react to me? Will they be any different from the children in America? Turns out children are equally energetic and wound up any where in the world. Everywhere I looked they were screaming, clawing at each other, jumping off the slide, hanging upside-down from monkey bars. To be honest, I was a little terrified.
Then I heard the first “Hello!” Many other small voices hesitantly followed, tiptoeing towards me as to get a closer look. My reply resulted in an explosion of giggles from the investigative party. I can certainly say spending time with these children allowed me to see a unique facet of Japanese life.
Most of the time I felt the kindergarten wasn’t much different than that in the United States, there was one apparent difference. When children got frustrated, or angry, sometimes just a little too energetic I often saw them hit (or even tackle) their teachers. Thankfully, because I am a foreigner I was granted a “barrier” from the children’s physical attacks. But the teachers I encountered weren’t as lucky; I witnessed countless numbers of secret ambushes. The teachers seemed more like “human piñatas” than “figures of authority.”
As an American, I found this shocking. I’d grown up with the idea that a “good parent” or a “good teacher” was someone who set strict boundaries and, when those were crossed, consequences. I’d assumed that these standards were the same no matter where you were in the world. But after volunteering at the kindergarten I realized rules aren’t considered nearly as important as fostering the development of a mutual child/teacher friendship. To me, this seemed more effective than the strict rules placed in American schools. All in all, it was an eye-opening experience that allowed to me to experience teaching English and, in turn, gave me new insight into Japanese culture.
Brandon Syms : Assistant English Teacher
My experience with CIP has been excited, yet a little unfulfilling. I say that because although I enjoyed going to the school to partake in the activities with the students often I was unable to because I was scheduled on a Friday and it seems that many field trips and holidays fall on that day. I originally decided to become an Assistant English Teacher for my CIP because I was thinking of doing the JET program and I wanted to be sure that this type of work would be something I would want to do. I got quite a few other things out of the experience as well. For instance, I got an insight into the Japanese education system. The thing that shocked me the most of is how relaxed the atmosphere is while still managing to maintain the same structure. The teacher has a friendly relationship with is students and yet he still holds together this structure. The role I played was at first more difficult that I had expected. Not using Japanese with the Japanese teacher was strange to me. I felt as if it kept the students outside of the conversation. Something I realized about the English classes in Japan, is that it is taught in much the same manner that Japanese is taught to native English speakers. However, I still don’t quite understand why it is done in such a strange manner, yielding very few that are able to fully master the other language due to things like limited vocabulary and intense grammar. A suggestion that I have to offer to the English Education Department is to perhaps focus on two things, vocabulary themes (lists that cover all the words of the same theme) and more frequent speech practice. I understand that not all students want to learn English but with the way it seems to be structured, those who do want to learn won’t be able to do so to the extent of their full potential.
On a lighter note, I really enjoyed getting to know one of the classes, I remembered a lot of their names and they really enjoyed my lessons. One lesson in particular I really enjoyed because I got the chance to explain the grammar point in Japanese to the students. Unlike Japanese classes in America, English classes in Japan are taught in English at the middle school level. I can only imagine how difficult that must be to grasp if you do not understand the language of instruction. When I explained it to them in Japanese, they were more enthusiastic and they began to correctly use the grammar point.
Being a foreigner in that setting is also very interesting. Unlike adults, children are not as accustomed to foreigners since they wake up early and go directly to school where they socialize with other Japanese children and leave later to go home where they spend time with their family. So as a foreigner I at first felt a little awkward because I didn’t understand from their point of view why I was so astonishing. But little by little I grew very comfortable and eventually feeling more prideful able being a foreigner. For the most part Japanese children thing foreigners are cool and mysterious. So all the students are just very curious of me and about where I come from. I think in all, my experience was different. I am just glad that I got the chance to see what a Japanese school is like in a hands-on way. I’d recommend it but only if you can go more than once a week.
Rebecca Gabriel : English Teaching Assistant
My CIP, teaching at a middle school, was quite enjoyable. I happened to be lucky: out of the three who taught at the middle school, I had the least amount of canceled classes, so I got to see the students more. I taught 9th grade mostly, as 8th grade was cancelled almost all the time. I recently switched to a different 9th grade class, which made me a bit sad (I was almost finished remembering their names!!), but I really like my new class as well. I also got to teach the third 9th grade class, so I’ve seen them all at this point. I’ve never taught in an officially before; I was always the girl who you’d ask for help on home work in high school. But, I always enjoyed that, and I’ve enjoyed this as well.
One of the many interesting aspects about teaching at a Japanese middle school was that I got to see how English is taught as a second language in a language I am trying to learn. For example, we just learned the grammar pattern for “language I am trying to learn,” or “noun modifying sentence that comes directly after.” In Japanese, it is the opposite, but from the student’s perspective the English phrase is written the other way around. (I couldn’t begin to count the number of times I said 反対 while I helping them.) They would often rearrange phrases to make a grammatically correct sentence (something I personally never did while learning a language). For example, this past week a question would have “I like,” “the season,” “summer,” and “is” and they would have to put it in the right order. (This is harder than it seems. As I was walking around helping them, I noticed that almost every student put “Summer I like is the season.”) It’s also nice that I can explain some in Japanese as well, which usually earns me a 「日本語うまいね」 or some variation.
Another thing that they do is using games as part of the learning process. I never thought I would play “rock, paper, scissors” against a class of middle school students. If they won, they could ask me a question and get a point for their team. I discovered that I am 「じゃんけん、強い！」 that day. They did things like that all the time. It was interesting and a bit strange to be able to understand the teacher in Japanese explaining English grammar. I could really sympathize with the students, being in a similar, though reversed, situation.
I found it really interesting seeing a Japanese middle school from the inside. I have heard many scary things about the intensity of the Japanese school system. This one was surprisingly laid back. The students all talked through class, for example, or even slept on occasion with no one bothering to wake them up. They were also very rowdy and talked rather casually with the teachers. They also use some kind of reward system. A winning team or the first ten people to finish a crossword would get to make another step on their world map. I only got gold stars and the like until about 4th grade or earlier, but they still do things like that in 9th grade. Another difference was that the teachers moved from room to room instead of the students. This nicely avoided “traffic jams,” but the teacher did forget his marker on occasion. They also ate lunch in the classrooms where it was brought to them and changed in them after gym. (I walked in twice by accident, and twice a boy was just wearing underwear in the back. And no, I have no idea what that was about, but he got clothed quickly while the teacher ignored him.) They cleaned the school themselves. There were always a few students with brooms around that would say “Hello” to me or bow.
It was much less formal and less strict than I thought it would be. They are really friendly students, always making jokes. I somehow developed a joke with the boy who is always changing in the back. It’s a nice example of how laid-back they classes can be. (It’s all in English except the first two lines)
N: “Who do we like in Fahrenheit?”
Together: (while pointing fingers at each other) “JIRO!”
Mr. Ueno: “So, you like a man?”
N: “Yes, I like a man.”
Mr. Ueno: “You like men?”
N: “No no no, I like women!”
Once they know that I can speak Japanese and if I speak informally with them, they respond in kind, which was nice for talking to them. I have some great memories from this experience: playing janken with everyone, the “Jiro” joke, and the time I did a Kamehameha wave with them to name a few. It makes me happy that I can keep on observing all this and that I can teach again next semester! I believe I’ll have another school next semester, my host brother’s. I kind of hope I get his class!
カアハアイナ・ホク：お琴
最初CIPのために剣道をしたかったけど、その場合はちょっと面倒すぎると思いました。昨同志社の剣道部と京大の剣道部もけいこは土曜日の午後のだし、他の日に遠い京田辺キャンパスへ行ったりしたくなかったです。とにかく、岡山にいる間に、ホストファミリーのお母さんがおことのひき方を教えてくださいました。その後で、剣道からおことにCIPを変えたかったです。最初はおことのけいこは高すぎて、家に動物がいるから楽器を借りないので、おことをひくのは無理と思いました。
でもEクラスのガブリさんはおことのけいこをもう始まったし、山科も住んでいるし、私におことの先生の連絡先をくれました。だから十月の十日に先生に電話しました。次の日に二時間のけいこをしました。優しい歌をひきながら歌いました。でもひくより先生と話すの方が難しかったです。井元先生は話すのが早すぎて、分からない言葉をたくさん使われました。話が全然分かりません。同じの週の木曜日もけいこがありましたが、その時ガブリさんもいました。中学校と高校の時にオーケストラとビオラをひていたので、一人より他の人とひく方が好きです。だからガブリさんとひくのは楽しかったです。ガブリさんに井元先生の話を翻訳してくれました。本当に助かりました。日曜日に祭りがあったから先生の他の生徒と山科にある神社でおことをひきました。神社はとても楽な感じがあって、心配しないでひけました。自分で「チューリップ」と「たなばた」をひきながら歌って「十五夜お月さん」もひいて、ガブリさんと「数え歌」をひいて、「さくらさくら」をひきながら歌いました。たくさん間違えたけど、いい経験でした。
ドレイ・マッケンジー：幼稚園の英語アシスタント
幼稚園での楽しい英語！
毎週火曜日二時から四時まで私は同志社の幼稚園で英語を教えています。私はCIPが大好きです。私はエヴァンさんというショアさんの息子さんと一緒に教えています。エヴァンはおもしろくていい先生だと思います。日本人の助手の先生は、ばんば先生です。私は、2つの異なる授業を教えます。最初のクラスは、4／5才の子供のクラスです。2つ目は5／6才の子供のクラスです。
クラスの初めに出欠を確認するために、エヴァンさんは英語で子供に 「名前は何ですか」と言います。それからエヴァンさんは自分を指して、「私の名前は何ですか」と尋ねます。その後エヴァンさんは私やばんば先生を指して、「彼女の名は何ですか」と尋ねます。子供たちはいつも私の名前を覚えていて、私はいつもびっくりさせられます！
出欠を確認した後、英語の動詞の確認をします。例えば、「スリープ」と「ウェイクアップ」です。それから、英語で形容詞の確認をします。「ホット」と「コールド」または「ファニー」などの形容詞を言います。その後、英語のアルファベットを教えます。最初のクラスは若いから、一日に一文字しかを考えません。 でも、次のクラスには一日二文字の一日を教えます。 大きなアルファベットの文字と小さな文字を８回ずつ書きます。その後、子供たちはその日に習った文字で始まる単語の四種類の絵を描きます。 子供たちに教えることがとても楽しみです！
サマンサ・リー：子供のボランティア
日本語で子供と話したかったため、「にこにこトマト」に参加することにした。「にこにこトマト」というのは京都大学病院に入院している子供と遊ぶボランティアグループのことだ。「にこトマ」は年中子供達のために色々なイベントをしていて、例えば夏は祭りをしたり、１２月にはサンタクロースが来たりする。
初めてにこトマに行った日に子供達は書道をしていて、黒とオレンジ色のすみで大きな字を書いていた。子供達は「青空」とか「火」といった字を書いて、書き終わったらボランティアが紙にはんこをおした。私たちは書道を見学した後で、ほかのボランティアとハロウィーンカードを作った。そのハロウィーンカードはとてもかわいくて、すごくこっていた。そして、カードの中にキャンデーを入れた。今週の木曜日はハロウィーンパーティーだから、子供達とボランティア達がコスチュームを着る。前のハロウィーンパーティーの写真を見ると、とても楽しそうだ。ハロウィーンパーティーが楽しみだ！
レベッカ·ガブリエル：英語のアシスタント
私は毎週火曜日に開晴中学校に英語を教えに行く。英語の先生のアシスタントとして、八年生と九年生の授業で 教える。どうしてか分からないけど、八年生はよく授業がないことがある。そんなわけで、九年生の学生の方がよく知っている。すごく元気で、いつも笑っている学生たしだ。初めの日に自己紹介をしたら、学生に面白い質問を聞かれた。「どんなばんぐみが好き？」とか「僕の彼女になりたい？」とか「この教室の中でだれが一番かっこいいと思う？」とか聞いた。
最初はすごくはずかしかったが、だんだん楽になって来た。少しずつ学生の名前を覚えているから、前よりもっとしぜんな感じがする。学生が「What’s my name!?]と聞いて、私が正しく答えられたら、うれしくなる。ある子がアニメのキーチェーンをくれたので、そのアニメは知らないけれど、かばんにつけた。男子学生たちとはドラゴンボルの「カメハメハ」をして、笑った。八年生の教室に行ったら、男の子たちが着替えていたが、だれも教えてくれなかったので私は知らなかった。私をみて、男の子が「女だ！」と言い、私は急いで教室を出だ。楽しい思い出を作ってよかった。
中学校で英語の発音とか文法とかを教えながら、日本の習慣を習っている。例えば、日本の中学校は先生とすごくカジュアルに話す。「かさおか先生は今日もきれいだ」というのを聞いたことがある。それでも、授業では先生の言うことをちゃんと聞く。ところで、開晴中学校の建物の中には小学校もある。小学校の子供たちはいつも「ハロー！」とか「See you again!」といったあいさつをしてくれている。めっちゃかわいい。でも、私は自分の学生が好きだ。面白くて、楽しいCIPだ。
ブランドン・シムズ：英語のアシスタント
私は大きすぎるようですねぇ〜☆
現在、京都市立開晴中学校で上野先生のアシスタントとして英語を教えている。教えるクラスは二つある。一番目のクラスは９年生が十五人いて、 皆いつも元気で私と面白い冗談を言うところは普通の学生らしい 。その理由で金曜日をいつも楽しみにしている。二番目のクラスは８年生が同じぐらいの人数いるのに、雰囲気は全然違うようだ。このクラスは、体育の後なので、学生は英語の授業の時間までにすごく眠くなってしまうようだ。でも、こんな問題は毎週頑張る理由になるから楽しいと思う。秋学期の終わりまでに８年生の中で教室の一番目の列の真中に座っても寝る学生を元気にする予定だ。
授業では、大抵アメリカからの曲を歌ったり、一緒にニュースを読んだりした。私が中学校に行くと、中学生はびっくりするほど私に質問を聞きたがる。私は学生に「どこから来ましたか？」や「キャン・ユー・スピーク・ジャパニーズ？」などの質問を聞かせて、適切に答える。授業の雰囲気はずいぶんのんびりして先生と学生との仲は友達みたいだ。しかし、授業の始まりと終わりには学生は私と先生にきちんとお辞儀する。
アシスタントの活動の中で、私の好きな活動は文法である。特に文法を教えるのが好きかどうかという質問に答えるわけでもないが、文法練習中に教室を歩 いて学生が間違ったところを探して出来るかぎり助ける。活動の全部の中で一番学生と直接関わることができるので、私の本当の性格を学生に表せるチャンスだ。
このCIPでは、大学生としてあまり見ることができない日本社会の部分を発見できる。しかも、将来日本で英語を教える上で、京都で教える経験の右に出るものはなさそうである。これからも、頑張ります！