After 8 months of eikaiwa teaching, I feel that my teething stage is officially complete. It feels like my first set of "educator teeth" have fully grown in, but now they are loose.
It feels as if new punches occur each day and I must spit out the tooth and keep on teaching. Despite these growing pains, I am fully embracing my first year as a full-time educator. These growing pains are building resilience.
My eikaiwa has also been very valuable to my overall growth as a human being. I want to share what there is to be gained from this experience, in case anyone is considering a similar venture.
If you teach in an eikaiwa,
you will become...
1) A more confident public-speaker.
In other words, having a full set of "teeth" means that I'm not afraid to show them. My "teeth" represent the tools needed to lead a class. Although sometimes I interject at the wrong moment (hence the metaphor of loose teeth), I have been increasingly more courageous to lead conversations.
I also learned quickly that there's a big difference between lecturing and public speaking. Eikaiwa teachers are not meant to talk your ear off, but rather to clearly lead the discussion, distribute talking time, and build a sense of flow in the room. A great public speaker is one who can properly balance the energy in a room. After 800+ hours of practicing this, I can feel my voice gaining confidence.
2) A more diverse conversationalist.
Our society seems to be built in a way that stresses the importance of being really good at one or two things. This means that many people develop conversational skills in only a handful of topics, myself included. The beauty of an eikaiwa curriculum is the diversity of conversation. It requires that I properly research each topic in advance, so I can be well-equipped to lead a class on, let's say, the 7 wonders of the world, Garfield the cat, a Bollywood film, professional soccer, and James Bond. This is only a typical Tuesday.
3) Free from the media machine.
I moved from the east coast of the United States to central Japan this past October. Since then, the world has turned upside down. I have been able to stay informed, but not over-informed. Being in the U.S felt like I had no choice but to consume the news, while here in central Japan, I've had freedom from the media storm.
I am not immersed in the U.S media machine that was feeding me before. When I walk in a convenience store, my eyes are not drawn to the magazine headlines. My evenings are not filled with watching negative news stories. Instead, I have developed an appetite for reading, cooking, and cleaning. It has been a blessing to be freed from excessive media. It has allowed my soul to explore. It has helped me focus on the story that I am presently living. This may be the most substantial gain that Eikaiwa teaching can provide someone.
Please feel free to reach out if you, or anyone you know, is considering Eikaiwa work in the near future. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.
-J.S
It feels as if new punches occur each day and I must spit out the tooth and keep on teaching. Despite these growing pains, I am fully embracing my first year as a full-time educator. These growing pains are building resilience.
My eikaiwa has also been very valuable to my overall growth as a human being. I want to share what there is to be gained from this experience, in case anyone is considering a similar venture.
If you teach in an eikaiwa,
you will become...
1) A more confident public-speaker.
In other words, having a full set of "teeth" means that I'm not afraid to show them. My "teeth" represent the tools needed to lead a class. Although sometimes I interject at the wrong moment (hence the metaphor of loose teeth), I have been increasingly more courageous to lead conversations.
I also learned quickly that there's a big difference between lecturing and public speaking. Eikaiwa teachers are not meant to talk your ear off, but rather to clearly lead the discussion, distribute talking time, and build a sense of flow in the room. A great public speaker is one who can properly balance the energy in a room. After 800+ hours of practicing this, I can feel my voice gaining confidence.
2) A more diverse conversationalist.
Our society seems to be built in a way that stresses the importance of being really good at one or two things. This means that many people develop conversational skills in only a handful of topics, myself included. The beauty of an eikaiwa curriculum is the diversity of conversation. It requires that I properly research each topic in advance, so I can be well-equipped to lead a class on, let's say, the 7 wonders of the world, Garfield the cat, a Bollywood film, professional soccer, and James Bond. This is only a typical Tuesday.
3) Free from the media machine.
I moved from the east coast of the United States to central Japan this past October. Since then, the world has turned upside down. I have been able to stay informed, but not over-informed. Being in the U.S felt like I had no choice but to consume the news, while here in central Japan, I've had freedom from the media storm.
I am not immersed in the U.S media machine that was feeding me before. When I walk in a convenience store, my eyes are not drawn to the magazine headlines. My evenings are not filled with watching negative news stories. Instead, I have developed an appetite for reading, cooking, and cleaning. It has been a blessing to be freed from excessive media. It has allowed my soul to explore. It has helped me focus on the story that I am presently living. This may be the most substantial gain that Eikaiwa teaching can provide someone.
Please feel free to reach out if you, or anyone you know, is considering Eikaiwa work in the near future. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.
-J.S
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