At a crossroads in my life, I went to Japan to to take a job as the Head (only) Instructor in a small school outside of Osaka. I had classes all day with different ages, from 3 year olds who I mostly just played and danced with, to grandmothers who taught me about Ikebana and Japanese cooking and so much more.
They were “conversation” classes so only a fairly informal lesson plan structure was required. There is so much pressure on the Japanese kids to excel, I found I was just as interested in finding out who they were and giving them a chance to learn to speak freely without worrying about passing or failing. This was quite unusual for them.
My favourite class was the six to eight year old class. In the beginning, they were hesitant to speak up and always looking around at each other for approval. By the end of my time there, they had learned to be modestly silly at times and have some fun with learning.
Although I thought at the time that I was making a difference in their lives by teaching them, the truth is when I look back I learned so much from my students too. Being a teacher is an awesome responsibility. There is so much more to it than a lesson plan.
“[Kids] don’t remember what you try to teach them. They remember what you are.” ― Jim Henson, It’s Not Easy Being Green: And Other Things to Consider
Perspectively Yours 