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Earlier this week I mentioned an article I’d been asked to write for CLAIR a while ago to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the JET Programme.  Well I’ve hunted around the archives on my hard drives and found it in a dusty corner.  The virtual cobwebs have been swept off it and I present it here for your amusement.  This was actually written over 3 years ago, when I was a young an naive teacher with only three years of teaching experience (including two years in Okinawa).  I have made no edits to the article and this is the exact same copy that you can read on the JET Programme’s official website.  Whether I’d change things that I’ve written in retrospect… well, that’s probably a topic for another post!  Enjoy, and let me know your thoughts.

Memories of JET

My Experiences on JET

When asked to write an article on my experiences on JET, my mind filled with memories of the past 20 months.  Good memories have been made every day and during each lesson, and I am happy to be able to share some of them.  Some experiences have created a lasting memory.  My proudest moment was accompanying eight of my students as they took part in the 2005 Kansai Model United Nations Conference in Kyoto.  It was a huge honour for our school to be invited and the students who were selected spent weeks researching the agenda.  The high level of English made for a daunting first day for my students – some of the best English speakers in the Kansai region were present and the quality of discussion was excellent.  But my students resolved to take an active part in the conference and surprised many people there, including myself.  It was touching to hear some of the comments made by other teachers and journalists who were present at the conference.  Since that conference I have seen those students grow in stature in their classes, and aspire to increase their English ability further.  The determination and enthusiasm to succeed shown by the students has epitomised my time here in Japan.

My JET experience started in August, 2004.  The previous year I lived and worked as an English teacher at an elementary and junior high school in the Maldives.  Despite the teaching being extremely difficult in the Maldives, I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and returned to England wanting to continue teaching English around the world.  I applied to JET, and was lucky enough to be accepted and be placed in my first choice of prefecture, Okinawa.  Knowing the potential differences in culture that would be experienced, I made an effort to learn a little of the language and customs, in order to prepare for life in Japan.

Koyo Senior High School in Okinawa is my place of work, and as one of the top 3 high schools in the prefecture, has some of the cream of Okinawan teachers.  We are also the only Super English Language High School (SELHi) in Okinawa, a huge honour for a school in the countryside.  Consequently we have 2 full-time English-speaking ALTs, and one Chinese-speaking ALT.  Being a SELHi school also means that all of our English-based lessons for the international course students are taught completely in English.  The teachers speak only English and the students are expected to converse likewise.  This is a baptism of fire for students fresh from junior high school, but it raises the standard of English significantly in the first term.  I am in the rather enviable position of only teaching English grammar to 3rd year students; I teach PCLL (a course centred around debate and skit) to 1st year students, and Model United Nations (MUN) to 2nd years.  Prior to coming to Japan I had never heard of MUN, but have come to realise its significance in our school’s curriculum.  Japanese students are very insular, and rarely see beyond their country’s borders, and sometimes beyond their own prefecture.  This subject increases their awareness of the world and its problems; over the past 18 months the students have had MUN conferences discussing such topics as AIDS in Africa, child labour, and global warming.  Most students had never heard of countries like Somalia and the Ivory Coast, or about the devastation HIV can cause to a region before this course started.  Now they are watching TV programmes about the world and want to know what they can do to deal with problems.

One of the reasons JET is so enjoyable for me is because of the other teachers around me.  From the moment I arrived in Okinawa the JTEs did everything possible to make me feel welcome and at ease in my new environment.  In addition to being co-workers, I have become good friends with a number of teachers at my school, and I will keep in contact with them when I leave Japan.  We have some very gifted teachers at our school and especially in the English department.  The average age of teachers in the English department is relatively low, meaning the teachers still have much energy and enthusiasm for the course.  And this is the key – if the JTE or ALT is not passionate about what they are doing then how can they expect the students to have that desire?  At my school all the teachers are pulling in the same direction and so the department is very successful.

But the main reason I have enjoyed my time in Japan so much is because of the students.  In my classes I have never had any discipline problems, and am sure you would hear similar things from the other teachers in my department.  The students are an absolute delight to teach, and I look forward to every lesson with them.  I teach the international course students at my school, and they want to learn English, which makes my job so much easier and rewarding.  The majority of my students are eager to speak English to me.  They ask me to have lunch with them, ask me questions about my life and the places I have visited, and tell me about what is happening in their own lives.  Sometimes they speak in broken English, but it is usually understandable and so outside the class I do not correct them.  The classroom is the place to correct mistakes, but stronger efforts are always made to praise their work and the things they do right.  A number of my students have a high level of English, but just don’t have the confidence to practise it.  And that is where extra-curricular activities have come in.

A lot of my time at school is spent designing extra-curricular activities, and I have done a variety of things over the past couple of years.  A weekly poster showing news and sport from the UK, English-language film showings for the students, and a CD library at the school where students can borrow a CD for an evening and listen to English music, have all helped in getting different groups of students interested in learning English.  My current project is a countdown to the 2006 World Cup, in which I’m making posters about all of the nations involved.  This has got the attention of the football players at school – a group which usually turns away from anything in English, but has a strong interest in anything to do with sport.  When the new academic year starts I intend to run a competition for each year of students, in which they have to design an English poster to celebrate the World Cup.  While these activities are useful it is vital to vary them in order to keep the students attention.

This article started with my most vivid memory, but there are so many more that I would like to share.  Seeing the delight on the students faces when they were visited in late December by “Santa san”, juxtaposed with their horror when they discovered their ALT was taking a short holiday in North Korea are other memorable occasions!  My post-North Korea presentation resulted in the question “Does Kim Jong Il wear Japanese underwear?” (in perfect English, I should add) from one of my excited 1st year students!  Not all memories were full of joy though; trying to console 11 tearful students after losing in the semi-final of a debate competition was a gut-wrenching moment, but one that shows the pride and effort that these students put into their work.

Being part of the JET Programme has influenced my life, and my plans for the future.  I have realised that teaching is my calling, and when I eventually leave Okinawa I intend to combine my two main passions of teaching and diving, and work as a diving instructor.  Ideally, I would like to be able to teach both diving and English in the future, and feel that JET has provided me with many of the skills I can use to accomplish those goals.  As well as passing on knowledge and information, teachers are continually learning throughout their careers.  You learn how different activities affect different groups of students, and how to manage the classroom effectively.  This will be vital for me as I continue to teach in the future.  Living in Japan has been a life-changing experience and I know the stories of my time in Okinawa will stay with me forever.  Through teaching at my school I have learnt the power of positive encouragement and how it invariably brings out the best in people.  As someone who is usually their own biggest critic, this has been invaluable.  But probably the most important thing I have learned, above the language, customs and culture, is that being a teacher and passing on your knowledge are two of the most important things that anyone can do.

My Hopes for the Future of JET

The education system in Japan is reforming, especially with regards to English education.  JET must do likewise if it is to continue having a positive effect in Japan.  The first area of reform has to be in the people who are hired as ALTs.  There are many excellent ALTs, who work hard each day and who have a passion to enlighten their students.  Unfortunately though, there are still a number of people who treat JET as a gap year project; a working holiday that they can take after university before they apply for a “proper job”.  Everyone needs to realise that being a teacher is not the same as working in an office; we are affecting people’s futures every day here and should act accordingly.  This problem is compounded by the fact that many schools do not use their ALTs well at all.  ALTs are either used as tape-recorders, or rarely used in lessons.  One ALT I know teaches 3 classes per week, and is only required to be at school during those three hours.  If this system continues then JET could run the risk of losing credibility and the students’ English level will never improve.

JET should start to look only at ALT candidates who have an educational background or experience.  This could mean hiring incumbent teachers from their home countries, graduates with a degree in education, or newly certified teachers.  Many of these people would jump at the chance to travel to Japan and hone their skills teaching English here.  JET would be assured that the ALTs have a desire to teach and have the ability to do so.  It may result in a smaller number of candidates for JET, but would ensure the future success of the programme and of English education in Japan.  Another consideration could be Japanese English teachers (maybe just at a senior high school level, considering budget restraints) having an exchange with teachers from English speaking countries.  This would improve their level of English and undoubtedly make them better teachers.  In addition, the travelling of JTEs would heighten their students’ motivation to travel and learn about the world, and would consequently raise the level of English further.  Plans have been made, but strong reforms must be carried out by both MEXT and JET if the standard of English is to improve in Japan.  As the JET Programme’s 20th anniversary approaches, its success is showing all across the country.  JET has changed the lives of many people in Japan and all over the world, and I am proud to be a part of it

“We only fail when we give up trying” – Wayne Bennett
David Webb
2nd year ALT
Koyo Senior High School, Okinawa