Teachers:
The Professional Journey
This is a page for ESL teachers who already
have a job in Japan or those who want to have a glimpse of
the future. There are steps along the road to a job in ESL.
Some people get training first, then a job. Others, probably
the majority, do it the other way around. There are several
books on teaching English in Japan and a surprising number
of them are called just that: "Teaching English in Japan."
They tend to focus on getting a job. My own book of the same
title, has the subtitle: "A
professional journey." It talks about the bigger picture
of ESL in Japan and some of the long-term issues. It's one
thing to get a job, another thing altogether to keep it, like
it and grow in it.
Teachers work alone in the sense that they are in their classrooms
or conversation circles with their students but without other
teachers. Even so-called "team teaching" is at best "parallel
teaching." Teaching can be both isolating and lonely. I think
it is important for teachers to learn about teaching. There
are lots of books on teaching, some quite general, others
specific to Japan. Books will give lots of insight into many
aspects of teaching and learning. They are important. But
more important perhaps is having professional peers, colleagues,
to discuss what went on in the classroom and how the book
you're reading relates or fails to relate to the "real world."
This is where professional seminars, conferences and even
occasional nights out with fellow teachers can be invaluable.
The Association of Canadian Teachers in Japan (ACTJ) and the
Japan Association for Language Teaching (JALT) are good places
to meet people. There are others. Find
your niche!
We invite you to share your experience with others at our
Discussion
Forum.
