English Teacher or English Coach?
Hello! It’s Derek from Smith’s School of English Tsukaguchi. I have around 20 years of experience teaching English in Japan. I’ve been teaching English in Tsukaguchi, Amagasaki, Japan since 2002. Or should I say coaching English? Is there a difference between teaching English and coaching English? Let’s examine that.
Coaches of Communicative Confidence
At Smith’s we call ourselves Coaches of Communicative Confidence. In a nutshell, we coach confidence in previously-taught English skills. What does that mean? Well, all Japanese are required to study English in school. Students who join Smith’s School of English Tsukaguchi have all studied English for at least 6 years and have a solid base in grammar, can read English and can write it. What they lack is English conversational skills and the confidence to speak English. As their English coach, my job is to take their previously-taught skills and bring them to the point where they can speak English and do it with confidence.
Coaching English and Teaching English
Like a tennis coach helps a tennis player get better at tennis, I help them get better at English conversation. That is coaching English. However coaching includes teaching new things too. So I guess you could say I am both an English coach and an English teacher. As a student’s level goes up, I do less and less teaching and more and more coaching. I enjoy my job!
Want to Read More on Coaching Communicative Confidence?
You can read more on what it means to be a Smith’s Coach of Communicative Confidence by clicking here. Enjoy!
Derek
Smith’s School of English Tsukaguchi
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