RANT 'N' RAVE
My chosen profession
McJob. Hired voice. Pet gaijin. Yep, I'm
an English conversation teacher, and I've been reminded since the day I got here that my
job is at the bottom of the employment food chain. I've been told that anyone who speaks
English can be a teacher here, that my students only study English because it's
"trendy," that I'm being paid for the use of my American vocal cords. In short,
numerous foreign residents of Japan have made me feel as though teaching English for a
living is about as meaningful as turning screws on an assembly line.
I know they don't mean to be rude. It's become something of a pastime to bash English
teaching, mocking it in the same breath as kogyaru and mangled English slogans.
When I tell people that I'm a conversation teacher, they automatically assume that I'm
doing it just to make ends meet, that there's no possible way I could actually enjoy
it.
Prepare yourself for a shock, then. I like my job.
I am, by choice, a teacher. I've wanted to be a teacher since I was fourteen years old. I
even have - gasp! - qualifications, namely, two teaching certificates awarded by my
university that give me permission to teach secondary English and drama. Teaching has
never been just a means to an end for me, as anyone who has spent time in American public
schools will surely understand. I love to teach, and I think I'm pretty good at it.
I'm not living in a dream world. I know that most Japanese conversation schools will
employ anyone with a Western mouth. I know that there are plenty of students who take
English lessons simply because their company forces them to, or because they think it's
cool to have a gaijin friend. Sometimes I go home tired and frustrated, feeling as though
I'm just going through the motions.
The good days make up for it, though. I love the look in my students' eyes when they are
able to converse confidently in English. In discussions with my advanced students I gain
new insight into Japanese society and culture that I could never glean from a book. As I
teach them, they teach me.
I came to Japan for a lot of reasons - to have a chance to study a new language, to live
in a world completely different from the one I'm used to, to experience another culture
and ideology. Whenever people ask me why I came to Japan, though, I always give them my
number one reason - to teach. My life here is good. I have wonderful students, plenty of
planning time, a supportive staff, and great friends. Now all I'd like is a little respect
for my chosen profession.
Many thanks to Lindsay Nelson for this Rant.
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