Carmita Bartel On Teaching in a Junior High School

My first couple of lessons were duds! I was expecting the students to chat in class like they had been doing with me during breaks and lunch time. But, no one spoke! They just stared straight ahead as if in a daze, stone-faced and silent. I stared back in disbelief. What was going on?

It's been said that this is how it is here in Japanese schools, and that may be so but, it doesn't have to be this way. What can you do?

• Collect resource materials. Anything and everything - flashy magazine pictures of pop idols and sports stars, travel, movie, music and food ads - to liven up your lesson presentations and work sheets.
  
  
• Find out what your students are interested in - Doraemon, Hello Kitty, DiCaprio (Titanic), Johnnys Junior, Dango - and work this information into your lessons to spice up the textbook material.
  
  
• Get involved! One of the best ways to get to your students is to relate to them on a more personal level. Play with them during breaks or after school, eat lunch with them, join a club, or cheer at their sporting events.

Remember - Your students' participation in class and their motivation, attitude, and interest in English will most certainly be a reflection of yours!”

Carmita

Carmita Bartel (email: carm26@hotmail.com)