In April of this year, my partner Chiharu starting teaching at our school, Smith’s School of English Ohtsu.
At first she was very worried that students wouldn’t like having a Japanese National for an English teacher.
But her worries quickly abated as she realized several things: (1) she is an amazing coach with a deep understanding of the English language and her native level speaking abilities are more than sufficient; (2) the Smith’s School of English curriculum is supportive of ALL types of coaches and is easily adaptable to personal teaching style; (3) the head office staff and support network are amazingly supportive and helpful; (4) students are very happy to have a coach who can empathise with them and being Japanese gives her an advantage in understanding student needs; and (5) SSE students are the best, most supportive and caring students in Japan.
After 2 months, Chiharu is feeling strong and confident. She has coached students of all levels and together we have created an excellent environment where our students are comfortable speaking and learning English. Furthermore, a 2 teacher system combining a Native Speaking Foreigner and a Native-level Japanese National gives our students the best opportunity to improve their English abilities. I feel now that we are able to offer our students the best possible Eikaiwa experience available in Japan.
And the icing on the cake………
Last week I announced to Chiharu that she would be teaching a trial lesson. She was nervous. I told her “so was I when I taught my first trial”. She was still nervous. But she did it, and the student signed up on the spot! He was a nice middle-aged Japanese businessman, interested in learning English for his work. As I already mentioned, the staff at head office are very supportive. As such, Chiharu’s first trial lesson experience was easy and fun, with positive results. 2 days later, I told her she would do the next trial as well, this time with a middle-aged housewife.
I am proud to announce that in 1 week, Chiharu taught 2 trial lessons successfully. Is it too modest to state simply that Smith’s system is the most instructor supportive and student friendly system in the eikaiwa industry? I believe this should be obvious, as the results speak for themselves.
To my partner and co-worker, I wish to simply say “Thank You, for rounding out our school and improving it in so many ways, and congratulations on your first (2) successful trials and first (2) wonderful months”
From SSE Ohtsu in sunny Shiga prefecture,
Edward Iwaskow
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