A: Why did you become a Japanese teacher?　When I just arrived in Taiwan, I had never thought about becoming a Japanese teacher or even just teaching Japanese. But I didn’t want to come back to Japan right after studying Chinese at a language school. I really liked Taiwanese people and I thought about what I could do there, and I figured that I could become a Japanese teacher. Though it was for a simple reason did I start teaching Japanese, it turned out as one of the best experiences in my life!

A: What makes the job as a Japanese teacher worth doing?
In a way, you get a great degree of freedom as a Japanese teacher and thus there are thousands of ways in how people teach. Therefore, a lesson can be good or bad and can affect the students drastically depending on the teacher. Students often told me that I was “an unlikely-looking teacher”. This was because I wasn’t a typical teacher who stands on the platform and talks all the time. Instead, students were always leading my classes with my assistance and I incorporated games into my lessons as well. I always wanted to get Taiwanese people interested in the Japanese language because it is the foundation for student’s progress and as well as Japanese teacher’s progress. It’s the same as people saying that parents learn as kids grow.

A: What’s your dream for the future?
My dream is to become the bridge for the exchanges between Taiwanese and Japanese. I hope to create a comprehensive system where Taiwanese and Japanese people can introduce their own culture to each other out of their own interests and thus reduce the distance between them.

A: Could you say a few words to future Japanese teachers?
Frankly speaking, teaching Japanese is not as hard as you might think. But there are still excellent teachers who truly enjoy communicating with others and who are considerate of others. Of course, having the knowledge of Japanese language is important, but it is something that you can learn right away. What I found really hard was creating the atmosphere and the classes. Many Japanese teachers I know, including myself, found this really hard. I don’t have an answer to this, but try your best to find a teaching style that reflects your personality!

The reason why she became a Japanese teacher

I was very interested in English since I was a student. Before I started working as a Japanese teacher I was working for this enterprise that produced an instructional book on technology, which was exported overseas. That was when I became really aware of the fact that I was Asian, and that I was Japanese. I was also interested in other Asian languages and thought that I wanted to get a job that gives me an opportunity to associate with Asian people. I started teaching Japanese as a volunteer at a hall near my work place and since then, I have become very fond of it.



The challenges of being a Japanese teacher


It is very challenging to get involved in people’s learning process. Most of the exchange students range from teenagers to people in their twenties so as well as getting better at Japanese they are spending their youth in Japan which has a big effect on their character formation. It is a very precious experience to share these moments with them. Japanese teachers can also learn so much from them.

Dreams for the future

It is more like what kind of a teacher do I want to become in the future rather than in my dreams. I was too caught up in the thought of how I can teach them. Basically, my teaching style was more teacher-based which first gains knowledge and then passes this knowledge onto the students. I tried to make my lessons exciting and interesting but I was still the only performer in the class. Now I am more interested in being active and getting the students more involved in lessons by being a mediator of knowledge, rather than me just teaching in front of the class.

A message for future Japanese teachers


Every teacher has their own teaching style and I think it’s good that each teaching style is unique. However, the good teachers that I have met in my life were all inquisitive, sociable, caring and willing to learn. Being a Japanese teacher is still not a 100% stable job but if you decide to become one, you have to have a professional awareness and always be conscious about human communication.