Course Narrative:
Taken in Nagoya, this course was actually a compilation of several courses spread throughout the week. There were reading, writing, grammar and kanji classes spread throughout the week, and between them I learned Japanese at an advanced pace. In contrast to my studies in America where I had been taking one Japanese class each semester, here I was taking 18 units of difficult classes 4 hours a day, 5 days a week. I hated going to these classes, and I hated the endless mountain of homework they demanded of me. However, when all was said and done, I emerged with two lifelong benefits: First, my Japanese knowledge doubled in three months, helping me achieve MLO 1. Second, I learned the true meaning of hard work. On many occasions I had to work through the night just to pass the next day's test. Neither before, nor since, have I ever had to work so hard in a semester of school, and I am thankful for the experience and character this short ordeal built in me.
During this semester, my favorite and most hated teacher, Kaori Murakami, taught me something. Modern teaching theory encourages teachers of foreign languages to teach entirely in the target language, and because of this, teachers are not required to be good in the language of their students. The negative side of this convention is that for lower level students, language teachers can seem frustrating and obtuse. Murakami Sensei had wonderful English, and even though she demanded a lot from me, I was never confused about what to do and what I was learning. I was never confused about grammar points, and we never became frustrated with each other. As somebody who intends to become an English teacher, I know now the importance of constantly improving my Japanese, even if my employer does not require me to.
Taken in Nagoya, this course was actually a compilation of several courses spread throughout the week. There were reading, writing, grammar and kanji classes spread throughout the week, and between them I learned Japanese at an advanced pace. In contrast to my studies in America where I had been taking one Japanese class each semester, here I was taking 18 units of difficult classes 4 hours a day, 5 days a week. I hated going to these classes, and I hated the endless mountain of homework they demanded of me. However, when all was said and done, I emerged with two lifelong benefits: First, my Japanese knowledge doubled in three months, helping me achieve MLO 1. Second, I learned the true meaning of hard work. On many occasions I had to work through the night just to pass the next day's test. Neither before, nor since, have I ever had to work so hard in a semester of school, and I am thankful for the experience and character this short ordeal built in me.
During this semester, my favorite and most hated teacher, Kaori Murakami, taught me something. Modern teaching theory encourages teachers of foreign languages to teach entirely in the target language, and because of this, teachers are not required to be good in the language of their students. The negative side of this convention is that for lower level students, language teachers can seem frustrating and obtuse. Murakami Sensei had wonderful English, and even though she demanded a lot from me, I was never confused about what to do and what I was learning. I was never confused about grammar points, and we never became frustrated with each other. As somebody who intends to become an English teacher, I know now the importance of constantly improving my Japanese, even if my employer does not require me to.
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