Lost in Translation?

During the 90s, I lived in Tokyo for around six years in total. First for one year, then after a year back in Australia, back for another five.

It was a great experience, a wonderful time to be in Japan. I made a lot of friends, working with teachers from around the world. We worked all day, socialised after work, and mostly got on very well. There were a lot of transients, young people working to make money to fund the next leg of their adventure, but there were also those we considered "lifers".

Those were the days before the internet was a thing, and so sadly I never really managed to keep in contact with many of my friends.

The last school I worked at was the exception. It was a small Berlitz school in Shimo-Kitazawa, and the core staff there hardly changed for the four years I was there. For the most part, we're all still in touch, and some of us have even caught up occasionally.

Last night I was feeling nostalgic, trying to remember names and faces, and wondering what happened to them all. I'm sure I have photos, but unfortunately most of them are currently in storage.

My first teaching job was with Nova in Otsuka, a suburb of Tokyo near Ikebukuro. I worked with Susan, a Canadian, and Heidi and Tim - both Americans. I am still in touch with Heidi, but I do wonder what happened to Tim and Susan. (and yes, I recall their family names).

I don't remember many students there. There was one lady who I think was a reporter, and a trained opera singer. One night I convinced her to sing. She only let one, short note out, but it was intense and I remember the office staff all jumping and looking up. She also managed to get me tickets to the filming of Naruhodo The World, a TV show hosted by Beat Takeshi.

Another student was a huge fan of Mr Big, and gave me one of their CD singles when I left. Another gave me a cassette tape of the Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. I hope you're still enjoying your music. 

When I returned a year later, I started working at Nova in Ueno. That is where I met the Doctor, a good friend who remains in contact. We even manage to catch up every couple of years and hang out. But I lost touch with all the others there. (Canadians) Doug and Sean. (New Zealander) Mel. (Americans) Rick, Dan, Brett. (English) Sian, Ed, Elizabeth(?). (Australian) Harold. There was a Japanese-American guy whose name (I think) might have been John. And many others. All good people, all fun.

What became of you all?

I moved to another Nova school for a short time. I think it might have been Okachimachi - very close to Ueno. I only remember one teacher there. I think she was Australian, and her name may have been Lisa.

I hope you're well.

After that I moved to Berlitz at Shimo-Kitazawa. As I said, I am still in touch with many of the teachers there, and one student. But during training, and visiting other schools, I got to know many more. There was the lady who spent a year living in a tepee and dealing drugs in a previous life, Larry - a keen photographer, and John, whose sister was a famous comedienne in Australia. Paul from South Africa, Juliet from the US, Chris from Canada, Oliver who loved cycling, and a few others.

Wouldn't it be great to catch up and reminisce?

And then so many students. Many of these I remember. Kumiko, who was embarrassed when she gave me giri-chocolate. The TV director, who gave me ringside seats to the Sumo and went to America to study film-making. The husband and wife dentist team, the two lovely ladies who took me out for lunch when they heard I was leaving. So many whose first names I forget. Many of these I remember their family names, but I'm leaving those off this page.

Ah what a time it was. And if you remember me from Tokyo days, whether through language schools or elsewhere, please get in touch. It would be wonderful to hear from you.

What Big Words You Have, Grammar!

I spent six years teaching English in Japan. I didn't work within the education system, but for private conversation schools. Mostly solo or in small groups, my youngest students were around 3 years old, while my eldest was well into his 80s. It was fun and interesting, and very educational. Those students, who had been studying English since they were in primary school, had varying spoken abilities, but generally their grammar knowledge was far in advance of my own.

I recall the first time I was asked whether a particular word was the 'past participle' or not. I panicked, not even knowing what that meant.

But during that time I studied and learned and picked up a great deal of grammar.

By the time I went to university to study English teaching, at the ripe old age of 37, I knew much more grammar than my fellow students. This certainly served me well, and I can remember a couple of time I was asked by the tutor to explain a concept to the rest of the class. EFL experience helped a great deal.

Now that I write none of this knowledge and experience is wasted. I don't always get it right, and there are times when I've written something that's more obvious to me than my beta readers, but generally I'm told that my pieces, even the first draft, are very clean.

Personally I think a writer should be interested in language. As an English teacher I  encourage my students to develop more sophisticated writing styles and reading habits. I also try to engender a love, or at least an appreciation, of words and language.

Sometimes I even succeed.

Life In The Future.

I was teaching one of my junior classes last week, and once again it hit me exactly how much has changed since I was in their place.  And I mean that quite literally.  I was a student at the school in which I currently teach.

My students live in a digital world. They have different social behaviours, pressures, expectations, forms of relaxation, hobbies, attitudes, knowledge and values.  Not wrong, just different.

When I was younger, much of the SF predicted a future with rockets, jetpacks and hovercars. Most of that stuff has yet to come true, but I suddenly realised this week that stuff is the superficial stuff. It was the stuff those earlier writers extrapolated from their current technology. But what was more important was how humans lived, interacted and behaved - not their methods of transport.

Over the past few years there has been an increase in the amount of fantasy read by my students against the amount of science fiction. And I have a theory for this. When I was a kid, worlds with robots and rockets were the unreal - an escape from my everyday life. Now, in a world where we have robots, vast quantities of information at our fingertips and craft on other planets, none of the science fiction I read as a kid is an escape for my students - it's their world.  Fantasy, on the other hand, is an escape for them.

Of course the big difference between me and them, now and then, is that we had a better soundtrack.

Convergence.

I've been back at school for more than a week now and it's been insanely busy.

Usually I feel as though I ease my way into first term, but for some reason there hasn't been the opportunity to do that. The classes I have are fabulous. I'm truly looking forward to spending this year with these kids. I'm already seeing students responding to these classes.

It's the other stuff, the things and events on the periphery that's using up any free time I have. And all of it seems to be converging at the moment. Not just at work, but out in the 'real' world too.

Don't get me wrong, none of this is bad stuff - just busy stuff that all demands my attention now.

And some of it is excellent.  I'd just prefer it if life could sometimes pace these things for me.

Hopes And Dreams And Goals And Aspirations.

In my 'other' life, I'm a High School English teacher. In addition to this I've recently qualified and taken on the role of Careers' Counsellor as well.

And so I've just spent the past few months counselling hundreds of teenagers regarding their future careers and course selections for next year.

Interesting, to say the least.

I love working with students about their hopes, dreams and ambitions. And I'm constantly amazed at some of the futures these students aspire to. Some, of course, are obvious. Some are complete surprises. And then there are those that I suspect are probably unattainable.

How do you gently suggest to a student that reaching their goal is impossible without crushing their spirit and aspirations? Simple. You don't.

You encourage them to reach that goal, while pointing out the practicalities and difficulties, and advise them to have back-up plans. As you do with every student. You never know, they might make it.

I've been heartened by the number of students who want to go into creative areas: photography, sculpture, painting film-making and, happily, writing. And of course these are some of the career paths where success can be quite limited. A back-up plan is vital.

A couple of these kids have been aware that I write and asked me about my experiences. It's been kind of humbling that a few have even read one of my stories.

Who knows? Among this group of teenagers with dreams and hopes and wishes and aspirations, there might be another Stephen King. I look forward to that.

Reports.

Tuesday afternoon around 3pm I suddenly encountered Con-lag. It was like a sudden wave of weary hit me - a lot like jetlag, but I hadn't been near an airport. I made sure I had a good night's sleep, and by Wednesday morning I was ready to go.

But then I had a whole lot of marking to do as we reach the end of the term, and all those reports to write. Ask just about any teacher, and you'll find reports are the bane of their existence. These days, in a world of information overload, reports have too much information, too many numbers and letters, too much superfluous comment. Most parents want to know:

1. Is my kid working?
2. Have they submitted all assignments?
3. Is my kid behaving?
4. What is their grade?

Instead we have pages of commentaries and recommendations and little charts and numbers. The parents I've spoken to would like it clearer, and the ones who choose to come along to parent/teacher interviews get a nice simple breakdown of where their child is placed in terms of the course, and where they are heading.

But we play by the rules mandated by the Department, and it's all over for another term.

Now, back to my writing - when I find some free time.

When I Grew Up And Went To School...

Motivation is a curious thing.  We say we want to do things, but make all the excuses as to why we can't. Of course I'm as guilty of this as the next person, but there are some who take it to new levels.

I see it often in my students - young adults who tell me of their hopes and dreams and plans for the future.  They tell me of how much they want to do these things.  Usually these plans require some kind of goal, a particular score on final exams in order to enter an establishment of further study and I always advise these students of how they can reach those goals.

But what I don't see anywhere near as often is the corresponding effort.

As with most things it's easier to talk about it than to actually do the work.

Once again I'd like to point out that this is something I'm guilty of also, although I'm definitely improving and writing more and more often. But unlike these guys I don't have an exam at the end of the year that gives me a result that sees whether I get into university or not. I don't have the sorts of goals that require a pass in English. And I already have a job.

It's easy to see things differently with experience and age, and we can never put old heads on young shoulders.  They are, after all, teenagers.  Also there's only so much I can do. I can't force them to learn and to work if they don't have the motivation.

But I do my job to the best of my ability, teach the course content well and pass on my sage advice and wisdom - along with the occasional kick up the backside when they need it.

And now and again students turn themselves around and actually surprises me.

Now those are the moments.