One of the best thing about seeing your own students improve is that once they reach a certain level they can actually use their English to help me understand more about Japan, the language and the culture. Today during the conversation with one of my higher level students we started talking about the differences in thinking between East and West and she gave me some insight into an issue that I had to deal with last week. So while most students come to learn English some of them go even further and use their English to discuss some very serious topics and go home with something more than just language. So while I “give” each of my students a lesson we are all able to “take” something home from the lesson. “Give and take” – gotta love it.
Adrian
Adrian-
I couldn’t agree with you more. I feel I GIVE my students a warm, friendly, comfortable place to develop their English skills, and they GIVE me a lifeline into the lives of Japanese people. I learn so much from them about Japan and we can share so much of our cultural similarities and differences. We GIVE and TAKE our cultures and our lives and it makes our jobs and thus lives in Japan so wonderful. A truly remarkable experience!
Edward, SSE Ohtsu