第521期:Teachers

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Todd: So, you know, you have a very small school. Have you ever worked for a large school before?

Conrad: Yes, I've worked basically every different type of school possible to work here in Japan, starting with the kindergarten, junior high, senmongakko. I was at a university for four years and I also did a little bit of intensive English camps just a couple of years ago.

Todd: So you said senmongakko. What's that?

Conrad: That's a kind of technical or vocational college. It's a two year school.

Todd: OK.

Conrad: Yeah, I forgot to mention that I also taught at business company classes and of course, ei-kaiwa or language school here, too.

Todd: OK, do you think that you know, when you have your own... from a teaching point of view when you have your own school, is the instruction different for a small language school compared to a big language school?

Conrad: Well, the instruction is just depending on the teacher I think, and right now I'm the only full-time teacher and, you know, the guest teachers who do come, I know them personally so I know that the students always have a very qualified teacher and maybe that may be different because you know, sometimes at a big school it's hard to really monitor the teachers that you hire and even monitor what they are doing in the classroom.

Todd: Right. Now, when you talk about a good quality teacher, for you what makes a good quality teacher?

Conrad: Well, I think personality is very important for one thing, but also I think students need and want a teacher who has experience teaching English. Some of my friends back home tend to think it's easy to just be a native English speaker and teach English, which is really not the case, so I value an experienced teacher and someone who's also studied a little about it and has a TEFL certificate or something like that.

Todd: Well, good luck with your school, Conrad. I hope it's a big success.

Conrad: Thanks, Todd. Thank very much.