Teaching in Japan – Elementary School – Part 1
For more info on teaching at elementary school in Japan, check out this playlist:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=837F3698C649E0CF
**Sitting down outside at the local sports park, I discuss the challenges and rewards of teaching at shogakko (elementary school) in Japan.
I hope to film one more vlog touching on some other important aspects of teaching at elementary, so if you have any questions related directly to teaching younger kids, then please leave a comment and I’ll address them in the next vlog on this subject.
小学校 (shougakkou) is grades 1 (１年生) ichi nen sei – thru to grade 6 (６年生) roku nen sei. So usually we’re talking about kids age 6 to 12.
This term I’m teaching 5th graders and 6th graders exclusively, as my area is trying out the newly introduced English textbook, Eigo Noto 1 and Eigo Noto 2.
Every week I visit 5 different elementary schools, in addition to my regular teaching at one of my two Jr High Schools.
I plan on doing a separate vlog about the book being used and possibly I’ll go over some of the lessons I’ve been teaching this first term so you can get an idea of what level of English we’re talking about.
By way of example, yesterday I taught two classes of 6th graders the names of the months in English.
OK – hope you enjoy this vlog and more soon.
-Jason
Duration : 0:10:57
[youtube yNpYLzRXnlE]
I continuously …
I continuously teach my kids – so some were my students for a full 5 years.
Some do change toward me over time – usually if their attitude toward English takes a dive in JH, but often it’s a reverse, where they might have been shy at first but gradually open up as they see me not going anywhere and always being genki and approachable.
i was wondering …
i was wondering ever teach some young ones then a couple years later see them in middle school do they still act in a positive way to you or do they change completely to you?
scarlet – I would …
scarlet – I would post on a gaijin message board – somewhere like Japanchannel, Ithinkimlost, or even the official JET forums at jetprogramme(dot)org – and see if you can find someone that has ALT experience at the kindergarten level.
Thanks your info …
Thanks your info was very interesting, I think you have a very rewarding job. I am hoping that you can help me out; I am researching what goes on in the classroom the first day of Kindergarten in Japan but I am not finding any resources yet. Is there any way you can put me in touch with someone in Japan. I don’t speak or write Japanese so hopefully there is someone who knows english. I appreciate any help you can offer. Thanks so much.
Scarlet
thanks! I need to …
thanks! I need to make Part 2…
this is interesting …
this is interesting!! I am also a shogakko ALT…
Thanks for the Video…
oh look, something …
oh look, something useful on YouTube! y(*_*)y
cities I like …
cities I like include Kobe, Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Nara and of course, Taisha.
The weather is somewhat the same across most of Japan since it’s not a big country, but you certainly get way more snow in the north (Hokkaido) and much warmer summers in the south (Kyushu and Okinawa).
I see… thanks for …
I see… thanks for the info! I still have 2 years left of college before I can even think of applying for Jet though. So I guess I have a lot of studying time. : )
Also, could you maybe suggest a few cities I could look into? I’d like to be in a rural community, but in a place that doesn’t speak kansaiben! I’m not sure what parts of Japan do and don’t. Are there any places where it tends to rain a lot?
little kids are …
little kids are difficult to understand at times to begin with, since they don’t always speak “properly” etc, so it can be tough understanding your shogakusei at times. Plus they tend to ramble and speak quickly. Level 4 of the JLPT wouldn’t be sufficient to really converse with them naturally, but I wouldn’t worry too much. After all, they’re supposed to be learning English from you, and after a year or so you’ll start to get better at chatting with them.
How well off do you …
How well off do you think a person be teaching shougakou who’s Japanese level is only roughly around 4kyuu? Do you think I’d stand much of a chance understanding the shougakusei?
Thanks for the upload! I’m currently ransacking all of your Jet vids. : D
great – glad you …
great – glad you liked it.
Thank-you so much …
Thank-you so much for this vid! It was amazingly helpful, thank-you. : D
oh yeah and my high …
oh yeah and my high schools mascot is argonaut!
cool. I plan on …
cool. I plan on maybe being a teacher in japan or spain. I want to teach in japan though. I’m not a teacher yet but I want to be one when I get older.
cool – thanks for …
cool – thanks for watching!
you are really good …
you are really good at telling a story. good video!
thanks for the …
thanks for the infomation
Damn, I thought …
Damn, I thought preschool and kindergarten was the same thing…
Santa Claus!? You were born for that role!
It might just be that your laugh is a bit boyish and your beard a bit short.
Shôgakusei used to like me a lot, mistaking me for a playground scaffold of sorts… and that girl would laugh so hard it hurt her when I said that I had stubble on my face (”hige”) because it looked manly (”otokorashii”)… the kids were very weird but also very funny.
thanks for the nice …
thanks for the nice comment.
Jason, you’re a …
Jason, you’re a great storyteller. I seriously think you should write a book about your experiences in Japan.
Hope returning …
Hope returning works out for you. I’ve been reliving some past memories of living there through your vids.
Good info. …
Good info. Definitely keep up the teaching in japan videos. They give good tips to new teachers like me who have never taught before and don’t have any idea what there getting their self into. :/
I love little kids, …
I love little kids, but I’m sure glad I’ll be teaching at the SHS level. I like the idea of being able to have meaningful converstations with my students, in English.
Great video!
Great video!