Hello everyone, I just started being an ALT in early December 2021. I know I have come in really late to the school year and have been playing a desperate game of catch up at my JHS. How do I make connections with my students when I don’t get to have much time to talk to them? I have tried to between classes when I can but the want to talk to each other and there is only about 10 mins. I do go to random classrooms during cleaning time and just start helping and know one seems to mind but students are not allowed to talk. The other thing is I recently found out that I am allowed to go to recess and interact with students then but has been a little awkward so far being new and all. What are some tips that you can give me to be more part of their learning experience. Thank you.
8 comments
Limit your interaction with students and faculty, as much as possible depending on the level of infection in the prefecture in which you live and work.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/special/coronavirus/preve-spreading/detail/detail_137.html
The Kanto area private school I teach in has suspended some classes from attending so we deliver lessons online over our LMS.
What kinda connections? Students are students… TBH I actively avoided them during my downtime.
Imagine you are the student. Would you want your teacher bothering you outside of class? No.
Let it happen naturally. There will eventually be things that come up in class that students are curious about or the ones that are interested in a little extra practice and speaking time. Encourage the curious ones. Don’t pressure the others.
If you speak Japanese, it helps to use Japanese outside of lessons as students. Yes, I know, schools generally frown upon it (if they haven’t outright forbidden Native English teachers from using any Japanese) but as long as class itself is an English zone it shouldn’t create any issues.
Don’t worry—they will approach you. Many of them are curious, so if they’re not being proactive, it doesn’t mean they’re not interested in interacting. As a shy JHS kid, talking to a teacher would’ve given me anxiety.
Recess is the best time imo. I often played basketball or table tennis with the kids. I also volunteered with sports club activities a lot. My school requested only English even outside of class but we still had a fun time. JHS is a bit harder than elementary in that regard, but keep at it and don’t take it personally/try too hard if they don’t respond.
If you don’t already, you could ask if you could eat lunch with the students and rotate into a different class every day (although it does depend on covid and whether they’re allowed to talk).
Are you only at one school? If you rotate a lot, it will be tough getting to know the students. However, I make my lessons more fun and interesting using popular anime abd or events. You could start a pen pal service. Basically put a post box outside the teachers room, and say whoever wants to write to you, you will write then back