I’ve been teaching English in Japan for almost 2 years, and one thing has remained a constant. I’m the teacher and the students are the students. That being said, I’ve been quite impressed with the students I have had the pleasure of teaching, their study habits, genuine hard work and most of all tenacity. I’ve often wondered if I myself would ever be able to study week after week for many years. Well, as of January 6th, I stared taking Japanese lessons for the first time. The first thing I can tell you is that I quickly realized that now, “The shoe was on the other foot” for sure, and during the lesson I felt myself go through so many feelings and emotions ranging from being, literally sad, unhappy, frustrated, unsure of myself, and flat out lost. None of these feelings or emotions had anything to do with the ability of my Japanese teacher in any way. I can assure you that she is a very good teacher. All that I was feeling was all me. The struggle to find my footing in learning this foreign language had begun, and after my first lesson was over I walked away feeling mentally exhausted. I truly had a new appreciation for what my students go through every week in my class at Smith’s Hirakata School (スミス英会話) , and I hope that by having the experience as a “student” I will be able to grow to be a better teacher.
So, to the students, my hat is off to you.
Jerry
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