Teaching English in Japan: A Reflection Of My First Three Weeks

Working as an ALT in rural Japan.

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After my first day of teaching, I drove back to my apartment and cried in my room for an hour.

Walking into a school where only a couple of staff spoke very broken English, and having to find my feet almost entirely on my own, was definitely more than I could handle that day.

It’s been three weeks since that meltdown, and I’m glad to say that things have gotten a lot, lot better.

Now that I know the ins and outs of how the school runs and what’s expected of me inside and outside the classroom, I feel like now is the right time to properly reflect on my experience so far.

For starters, no comparison can be made between Japanese and British elementary/primary schools - Japanese schools are on a whole other plane of existence.

1. Indoor and outdoor shoes

   
   

The very first thing that we do when entering the school is change into our indoor shoes.

Indoor shoes range from anything resembling slippers to sneakers, and absolutely everyone is expected to adhere to this rule.

They actually have a row of pigeon holes filled with red slippers that are used by any guests entering the school. They may not be the most glamorous, but boy, are they comfy.

Each student and staff member has a pigeon hole or locker to keep both pairs of shoes in, and these are usually at the entrance of the school building.

I felt a bit funny on my first few days wearing a full-on suit and pairing it with a pair of comfy, black trainers, but after my first few weeks of teaching, it makes a whole lot of sense. Since everyone’s up and around on their feet all day, having to wear tight-fitting dress shoes would be a very bad idea.

Plus, changing our shoes means that the school always feels clean inside, and I don’t have the embarrassing squeak announcing my presence when I walk down the corridor.

It's a win-win, really.

2. Morning greetings

   
   

The school doors open at exactly 7:45 a.m., not a minute sooner or later.

Nothing says "Welcome to your first day on the job" better than a horde of eager elementary school students pressing their faces up against the glass doors. It felt a bit like the start of the apocalypse.

However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the majority of the students felt happy enough to come up to me and give me a high five as they passed, and some of them even managed a "Good Morning", albeit a little half-heartedly.

Now that they're able to recognise me as they walk into the school each morning, I'm greeted by a flurry of cheerful faces and a choir of students parroting "Good Morning" back to me in my British accent.

The energy in the mornings is so uplifting, and greeting my students at the beginning of the day is one of my favourite things to do.

3. Lesson planning

   
   

I had anticipated that teaching was going to be difficult, not only because the students know very limited English, but also because I had never taught before.

My first day of teaching consisted mainly of introducing myself to the students and trying to communicate with the home room teachers through a series of frantic arm gestures, which is even harder than it sounds.

What I hadn’t really anticipated was the amount of lesson planning that the job entails.

Yes, I realise how silly that sounds, but I had no idea where to start planning lessons for six different grades and ability levels, and I didn't feel ready to lead most of those classes as ‘teacher one’.

Further still, these grades are separated into twelve classes, each led by a different homeroom teacher with varying levels of English. Some of my homeroom teachers don’t understand a word I’m saying, but I feel like we’re working out our own ways of communicating with each other.

I’m still finding my feet, and some of my classes are still a combination of trial and error (and singing the ‘ABC Song’ to a silent classroom), but teaching has already become so much easier.

There's nothing more rewarding than leaving the end of a lesson with a trail of students hanging onto my arms, eagerly using the new English words or phrases I just taught them.

I always have a laugh and leave each class with a big, cheesy grin on my face.

4. Kyushoku (school lunch)

   
   

I am a fussy eater; fish scares me, I’m incredibly sensitive to different food textures, and the very thought of being presented with something unfamiliar to me sends a shiver down my spine.

I think we can agree that the idea of me eating Japanese school lunches sounds like a recipe for disaster.

But, I wanted to push myself to try new things and jump headfirst into this new, Japanese lifestyle, and I’m really glad that I have.

A typical Kyushoku: rice, boiled vegetables, tofu, omelette, and a glass of milk.

Whilst I can still say that I’m not a fan of fish, I’ve really enjoyed all of the school lunches which usually consist of rice, a meat, fish, or tofu dish, boiled vegetables or salad, and a glass of milk.

My favourite Kyushoku so far has been the curry and rice or the pork gyozas.

Ramen, pork gyozas, glass noodle salad, and a glass of milk.

It would definitely be a lot harder to enjoy Japanese school lunches if you have any dietary requirements, as almost all the meals include dairy, meat, soy, or nut products, but I’m lucky enough not to have to worry about that.

Tomato stew with potato, vegetables and pork, Italian salad with seaweed, cinnamon toast, and a glass of milk.

 It's also pretty fun to send daily updates of my school lunches to my fellow ALT friends in the area to see what everyone else is getting.

5. Cleaning Time

   
   

My Japanese elementary school doesn’t have ‘cleaners’.

Every day, after lunch, we have a dedicated ‘cleaning time’. All the students and staff bring out the brooms, dustpans and brushes, and mops, and get stuck into cleaning.

I felt quite unhelpful on my first day, following around a bunch of fourth graders as they swept the entrance hall and dusted their shoe cubbies.

We all looked at each other with the same unsure expression, and since we were unable to communicate in English, I just tried my best to look busy with a broom as I swept a nice pile of invisible dirt (which was embarrassing when another teacher came up behind me with a dustpan and brush).

I now feel like I’ve worked out a good dynamic with the kids, and I quite enjoy the cleaning period as it gives me a breather in the middle of the school day, where I’m not furiously typing on a keyboard or wearing myself out with the “Hello Song” in the classroom.

Plus, it gives me the chance to get to know my students outside of the classroom, even if that just means having a giggle with them when I trip over or when there's a big gust of wind that blows our nicely swept piles all over the place.

6. Navigating the language barrier

   
   

I’ve already touched on the challenges of communicating with my fellow teachers at school, but I don’t think anything that I’ve said really encapsulates just how hard it has been to work out.

After the initial shock of my first day of teaching, I’ve tried my best to learn a few basic Japanese greetings, questions, and responses so I can better connect with the staff.

Thank goodness for Google Translate and its on-hand speech translation tool; it has saved me during countless awkward silences in the break room where a teacher has asked me the same question four times and I blink blankly back at them.

I’m particularly fond of a lovely lady who works on the school grounds and inside the kitchens.

Most days, we sit down together with a mug of coffee and a little biscuit. I’ve been teaching her a few English words, and she has been encouraging me to learn Japanese.

There are times when I know we haven’t understood each other, but the language of kindness is universal, and I’m so grateful for her willingness to get to know me, not just as a teacher, but as a friend.

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It’s crazy to think that it was just a few weeks ago that I started my journey as an ALT.

I think that the term ‘Assistant Language Teacher’ is a bit misleading, since I teach 9/10 of my classes alone and am expected to prepare the lesson content and materials myself, but I’m really glad for it.

There’s enough freedom to work outside of the textbook content and create lessons specifically with each class in mind.

As the year goes on, I’m looking forward to growing as a teacher and getting to know my students better. For now, I’m going to continue working on my Japanese.

Wish me luck!