Chanced upon this idea of a blog post today while sitting at my desk trying to think of a good lesson for the next period (it did turn out to be a good lesson, whew). Since I'll probably not be an ALT this time next year, I figured I ought to put down my thoughts for all you aspiring JET ALTs out there.
Disclaimer: Many of the suggestions here came from conversations with friends in a beautiful cafe up in the mountains near the city I live in.
I guess I started thinking about what makes a good ALT when some new JETs I met told me about how their schools seem to want them to be like their predecessors. "Oh ~~ did this, you know. The students loved it." or "Why don't you do this? ~~ did this and it turned out SO GOOD."
Yes, I know. The comparison sucks, especially when you're trying to figure out where you stand in this new country, new school, new culture and new system. In all your (quite understandable and totally acceptable) indignation or anger, try to see that they MIGHT be suggesting a better way to do things, and instead of totally rejecting their suggestion, take it and make it your own.
I have been so blessed because there was minimum comparison between my predecessor and me. Of course, my school has the dubious honour of having different ALTs every year - I'm the first to stay a second year for a LLLOOOOOONNNNGGGG time, so perhaps, my teachers are so used to seeing how different ALTs work. Or they don't really care. Or both. Haha.
Alright, enough background, here goes, not in any order...
1. Plan good lessons.
Obvious, cos that's what you were given the job for - TEACH, people, TEACH. And I don't mean try to make lessons fun by playing games all the time. Make sure you know why you're playing the game and teach ENGLISH using the game. Otherwise, really, what are you here for? Don't try to re-invent the wheel. There are many ESL and EFL websites that have tried and tested games (ok, and many more that don't really help. Remember to sift though the games carefully!) that actually help reinforce learning of the target language etc. Take them, make them your own. Adapt, be flexible, don't try to create any paradigm shifts, at least not till the school is ready for you.
If your lessons are fun, the students will like you. If your lessons are fun AND they help students learn, the students AND the JTEs will love you. If you keep just doing fun lessons without substance, the students quickly come to realise you are there for fun, and you aren't worth very much, and soon, when the novelty wears off, you get disgruntled students who might actually resent you for wasting precious learning time. And JTEs who treat you little more than a time filler. That is not a feeling you want to have, trust me.
Japanese schools are cautious with ALTs. They may not look like it, but they are watching to see what you can do, what you actually do and how well you do it. And if you do it well, BAM! In your second year, if you stay, you are given more responsibilities, in a good way.
2. Work with your JTE.
I've been blessed with great JTEs 90% of the time. The other 10% of the time, I work hard trying to work with my JTE. There're ups and downs, but it's getting better, I think. You will get JTEs who just don't click with you. Decide on what is wrong, and work it out. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT give up and just write it off as one of those things you can never change and say that not everyone can be pleased and so bad lessons 10% of the time is fine - nothing is ever 100% good anyway. DO NOT fall into that trap.
The JTE knows the students better than you do. Even if you are an experienced teacher like me, it is the JTE who knows what makes the students tick. The students might tell you the JTE is a stick-in-the-mud, and they like you better, but hello, these are teenagers who can't really make up their mind most of the time, and who are still figuring out what they want in life. And during important times, you think they'll come to you for help, but no, they will always go to the JTE. Not because they don't like you. The JTE is familiar, after all, and you, you are the foreigner. Unless you've been working at the school for 3 years or more (and even then) it's dangerous to assume you know more about what the students want or need than the JTE.
If something goes wrong with the JTE, sit down with him/her and ask questions like - how can we improve the lesson? Do you think the students understood the lesson? Why or why not? You can tell when the lesson's good or not. Trust your gut feeling. But always check with the JTE. And if the JTE says, "Oh, it was ok," DON'T be duped. A lesson can always be improved.
3. Don't try to change the system.
It's bigger than you. The best you can do is show your JTEs a better way to do things. Show, not tell. You are there as a guest in the Land of the ever-Rising Sun, respect that, don't try to outshine them, even if their English teaching principles and methods are outdated (which they are). It will be the JTEs who can do something about the system (maybe) so SHOW them. Fighting the system will only leave you tired and depressed and you won't get to enjoy the other wonderful aspects of Japanese culture and the lovely students.
4. Be involved in school activities.
Go to the baseball games. Clean the school. Don't take no for an answer about Souji or 掃除 (Cleaning time). They will tell you they don't want you to be overworked, or that you are a guest, but don't let them box you out of that. FIGHT TO CLEAN. Make jokes about how you love cleaning or that you don't know how to clean so you must learn. Once they see you are serious about cleaning, and by extension, serious about being a part of the school, they warm up to you pretty quick.
Ask about anything the school does. Cultural festival, the soccer game over the weekend, the upcoming Band concert and contest. Make it a point to know what is happening and show interest in what the school and students do. If you know, you have the added bonus of being able to talk to the students about what they did and how they feel etc. You get to know who scored in the soccer match, and praise that student when you next see him and give him high-fives etc. When you care, they care.
5. Smile. A lot.
I used to think I smiled too much. That was my one downfall in Singapore. I smiled too much and the students thought they could climb all over my head. Well, here, I got compliments from students. "You have a nice smile.", "You're always smiling." "You look friendly." "I want to see you smile."That last one sounds strange in English, but apparently, it's a nice thing to say in Japan. If you look approachable, the students (and even non-JTE teachers) will find it easier to talk to you. Japanese people read facial expressions a lot. A LOT.
Alright. Need to sleep. Will post more soon!
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