Frustrated with Teaching in Japan

Here's the video of Ms Sethi's speech: http://www.ted.com/talks/kiran_bir_sethi_teaches_kids_to_take_charge.html
Her theory in practice:
http://www.schoolriverside.com/studentnode.aspx?vsiteId=4

The lecture comes with 22 different languages as subtitles.

I'm frustrated by my limitations as an ALT. If you're going to be a teacher, you should be a great teacher. But what can you do if the system itself limits you? What if the system tells your students, "You can't" when you know they can. Her school is very privileged, and she's taking a lifetime approach. But I don't have a life time. I don't even have an hour with them. I don't think the schools I teach at would allow me to let my students interact with their world.

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Tags:

• ALT
• teaching
• english
• japan
• HRT
• teacher

[ZetaCron]

I have 出る釘は打たれる on a t-shirt. Even as a westerner, it's a saying with which I have great empathy.

[jlifeofmiko]

@ZetaCron for me, this phrase is understandable for a society like Japan's. But I don't agree with it. If you think about it, if some people didn't stick out within our world history, we wouldn't have some of our greatest innovations that we have today. Nor some revolutionary leaders would not be known if everyone stood by this saying. Certainly figures like Joan de Arc, Ghandi, Nelson Mandela, and Martin Luther King would have not made it if they chose to abide by that phrase.

[jlifeofmiko]

@ZetaCron it should be 出る釘は気が付く

[zsuxckzs]

@ThePirateship2010

true i agree with pirateship but its not that stiff. i'm asian and i know a lot of asian women that go for white men are ugly but not all. its not that asians hate the white race or racist, its because the girl is ugly and the whites don't know who looks good and who deosn't. also if an asian man had a white women, that guy would look cool to other asian men, that is if your living in an asian country.

[needmanshini]

@needmanshini These are things your EFL teacher is probably thinking about along with dealing with complaints from helicopter moms. I would probably try to reach a consensus without trying to overstep your boundries. If is not possible to do additional work, try preparing an activity that involves learning English naturally such as singing or a game that focuses on interaction and language usage.

[needmanshini]

@needmanshini If you want to teach material outside of the class, you should prehaps prepare material that is related to the lesson, but introduces only one or two things that are new (since you have to worry about the ESL flow of the rest of your materials and textbooks). Remember that Japan does not want to overstress their kids due to bullying and tests. They also might be attending jukus and eikaiwas as well. You might be preparing them for a standardized test which they have to pass.

[needmanshini]

Ok the people saying that she is using "like, uh and other filler words," seriously grow up. She is making a Youtube video; not a speech contest.

I think because of your limited material in a public school, it also makes you limited on what you can actually teach. The Japanese people that actually have a good command of the language usually attend eikaiwas. Since the FLT has to deal with micromanaging his/her class, there is only so much grammar or vocab the students can retain in 45 minutes.

[ThePirateship2010]

@WORLD8NSH5KNIGHT1

Just like white people, Asians believe in one drop rule. Trust me dude, Asian girls that tend to go for white guys are undesirable by Asian men. That's why they end up being self-hating and want to have children that resemble whites more than anything. Just look at your Chinese gf, dude. She has been colonized by British in history, yet she is willing to marry you. She probably gets off on that, ya know. Americans think these Asian girls are whacked.

[WORLD8NSH5KNIGHT1]

@ThePirateship2010

looked down on? So you're saying Asian society is fundamentally bigotted towards non-Asians?

Because im British and my girlfriend is Chinese

[ThePirateship2010]

Are you a halfie? Halfies are looked down in Asia. It's because Asian women that marry white men are ostracized from the society for various reasons and have to marry white men. That's THE reason why these AF/WM families are looked down on. 

[Kawagi1]

@SenseiSenpaiSanChan Very true. She is annoying.

[107malay]

what ever any one say. but,i say that y'r speach is nice an thaught is kind. You are doing grate job. Good luck