Random teach
Kouhai
- 24 Feb 2016
- 27
- 3
- 18
Hello!
I'm very glad I stumbled across such a constructive and useful site and I'd like to ask about some specific advice on how to deal with female Japanese students. I work in an online eikaiwa and I mostly teach business English or advanced English, or at least it was so when I first started working. My students were mostly middle-aged businessmen or older, there were very few women. As of lately, I got a lot of good comments and now I no longer have a niche, students of all ages and genders want to take my classes. It was quite easy for me to communicate with businessmen since they were assertive and direct most of the time and we focused on negotiation-type dialogues and enhancing business vocabulary. When women started taking my classes, I adapted to a different type of conversation (usually about everyday life, having children, domestic life etc). I don't mean to generalize, but some Japanese women tend to be very shy to the point where I can hardly hear their voices when they speak. I am also expected to correct them during the conversation, and I find that when I do that, they can barely murmur. In one such situation, I decided to no longer correct the girl and after the class she complained that I didn't correct her enough. Needless to say, my company doesn't take it lightly if the students are offended or discouraged in any way and I can only get a small number of such complaints before I am terminated. So how do I make a shy female Japanese student feel more relaxed and open?
The polar opposite of them are the domineering and capricious female students with a big and fragile ego. Again, there's a problem with correcting. I usually let them take the lead of the class since they like monologues and dislike being interrupted. Again, after the class, they tell me that I should've corrected them more.
Do you have any advice on how to work with these two types? I do understand that every person is different, but there are a lot of students who display the same traits.
I am well aware that the Japanese pay a lot of attention to "reading the air" and gestures and I make sure to follow their etiquette as much as possible without seeming unctuous. I am also aware that I come from a culture that values bluntness and directness (Serbia) and I am very controlled during the class.
So, anyone who has worked in an eikaiwa, who has lived in Japan, worked in a Japanese company or has a Japanese wife/girlfriend, please share your advice.
Thanks in advance
PS. Sorry for the long post
I'm very glad I stumbled across such a constructive and useful site and I'd like to ask about some specific advice on how to deal with female Japanese students. I work in an online eikaiwa and I mostly teach business English or advanced English, or at least it was so when I first started working. My students were mostly middle-aged businessmen or older, there were very few women. As of lately, I got a lot of good comments and now I no longer have a niche, students of all ages and genders want to take my classes. It was quite easy for me to communicate with businessmen since they were assertive and direct most of the time and we focused on negotiation-type dialogues and enhancing business vocabulary. When women started taking my classes, I adapted to a different type of conversation (usually about everyday life, having children, domestic life etc). I don't mean to generalize, but some Japanese women tend to be very shy to the point where I can hardly hear their voices when they speak. I am also expected to correct them during the conversation, and I find that when I do that, they can barely murmur. In one such situation, I decided to no longer correct the girl and after the class she complained that I didn't correct her enough. Needless to say, my company doesn't take it lightly if the students are offended or discouraged in any way and I can only get a small number of such complaints before I am terminated. So how do I make a shy female Japanese student feel more relaxed and open?
The polar opposite of them are the domineering and capricious female students with a big and fragile ego. Again, there's a problem with correcting. I usually let them take the lead of the class since they like monologues and dislike being interrupted. Again, after the class, they tell me that I should've corrected them more.
Do you have any advice on how to work with these two types? I do understand that every person is different, but there are a lot of students who display the same traits.
I am well aware that the Japanese pay a lot of attention to "reading the air" and gestures and I make sure to follow their etiquette as much as possible without seeming unctuous. I am also aware that I come from a culture that values bluntness and directness (Serbia) and I am very controlled during the class.
So, anyone who has worked in an eikaiwa, who has lived in Japan, worked in a Japanese company or has a Japanese wife/girlfriend, please share your advice.
Thanks in advance
PS. Sorry for the long post