Interacting with people is my passion. In professional settings and those not, I enjoy working with people, building relationships, and making deeper connections. I will forever remember the instructors that I had who I felt actually cared about my learning and progress, because those were the classes I strived to do well in. This is the foundation of the type of teacher I look to become. I believe that truly caring for the student’s learning and understanding is key to pushing them towards success. Language teaching professionalism is also what I strive to achieve as a language teacher. Being a professional is a daunting title, but I look to continue to build up my skills as a teacher indefinitely. This attitude towards lifelong learning is what I believe is the basis for professionalism.
For my students, the ultimate goal is instilling a passion towards further knowledge. My time with my students is short when looking in terms of generations, so fixing that desire to continue their learning is what I endeavor to achieve as a teacher. As a language teacher, I want to expose students to practical uses of language that will affect them for years to come. In terms of teaching English as a Second Language, I look to encourage students to think critically at the idea of English as a Global Language, and how it is used around the world. Of course, I encourage mastery and critical thinking, and feel that students should be properly assessed based on proficiency. One lesson that has always worked really well is to have the students bring and present an example of English being used in places around them. This example could be in their homes, outside, in stores, magazines, anything. I then try to challenge them to not only decipher what the English is saying, but also for them to dig deeper into it with discussion questions. An example would be, “How do you feel when you read it?” or “Why do you think this English is not in the Japanese form?” or “Would this be as effective if it was in Japanese?” These will promote deeper understanding of how and why English is used not only in Japan but around the world.
Time has always been a recurring theme in my life. The Japanese proverb, 一期一会 (ichi-go ichi-e), has always resonated with me. It translates to, "once in a lifetime" or "never again" and it alludes to the idea that every moment of every day is the first and the last, and that they are precious and should be treated so. Every encounter, every sight, and every conversation is a precious wrinkle in time and should be cherished as such. Working with students in secondary education means being a part of their high school career, a short time of their lives that only happens once, and will forever impact them as adults. I believe that realizing and understanding the value of these moments, ichi-go ichi-e, is an important key to development as a professional educator.
All assessment should be valid. While it is impossible to make a test that is entirely compatible with every student, I feel that all students should have the chance to succeed yet provide a challenge that will encourage, rather than discourage. Paper tests, presentations, and oral exams will be the basis of my assessment, along with informal assessment based on student-teacher relationships.
A end-of-year anonymous evaluation will be given to all of my students. This is to guide my continual learning as an instructor. All feedback, even throughout the year, will be taken into consideration, including the students reaction and participation to innovative lesson plans. I will use these tools to help improve myself and continue to push me on with my journey towards professionalism.
For my students, the ultimate goal is instilling a passion towards further knowledge. My time with my students is short when looking in terms of generations, so fixing that desire to continue their learning is what I endeavor to achieve as a teacher. As a language teacher, I want to expose students to practical uses of language that will affect them for years to come. In terms of teaching English as a Second Language, I look to encourage students to think critically at the idea of English as a Global Language, and how it is used around the world. Of course, I encourage mastery and critical thinking, and feel that students should be properly assessed based on proficiency. One lesson that has always worked really well is to have the students bring and present an example of English being used in places around them. This example could be in their homes, outside, in stores, magazines, anything. I then try to challenge them to not only decipher what the English is saying, but also for them to dig deeper into it with discussion questions. An example would be, “How do you feel when you read it?” or “Why do you think this English is not in the Japanese form?” or “Would this be as effective if it was in Japanese?” These will promote deeper understanding of how and why English is used not only in Japan but around the world.
Time has always been a recurring theme in my life. The Japanese proverb, 一期一会 (ichi-go ichi-e), has always resonated with me. It translates to, "once in a lifetime" or "never again" and it alludes to the idea that every moment of every day is the first and the last, and that they are precious and should be treated so. Every encounter, every sight, and every conversation is a precious wrinkle in time and should be cherished as such. Working with students in secondary education means being a part of their high school career, a short time of their lives that only happens once, and will forever impact them as adults. I believe that realizing and understanding the value of these moments, ichi-go ichi-e, is an important key to development as a professional educator.
All assessment should be valid. While it is impossible to make a test that is entirely compatible with every student, I feel that all students should have the chance to succeed yet provide a challenge that will encourage, rather than discourage. Paper tests, presentations, and oral exams will be the basis of my assessment, along with informal assessment based on student-teacher relationships.
A end-of-year anonymous evaluation will be given to all of my students. This is to guide my continual learning as an instructor. All feedback, even throughout the year, will be taken into consideration, including the students reaction and participation to innovative lesson plans. I will use these tools to help improve myself and continue to push me on with my journey towards professionalism.