Making an Impact Abroad
Written by Olivia Throssell
“The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery.” - Mark Vandor
University of Hawaii at Hilo alumni Randall Yamaoka graduated this past spring with a Japanese Studies baccalaureate and Linguistics baccalaureate. An English minor, along with an Educational Studies, a Global Engagement, and a TESOL or Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages certificate were also awarded to Yamaoka at graduation.
The alumni presently teaches English in Japan under the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program, generally known as the JET program. He took the occasion to teach and live in Japan for many reasons, two being to continue practicing English language teaching and to become as fluent as possible in Japanese.
“I got this position by first going to the JET program information meeting[,] ... where I first learned about the program," Yamaoka explained. "I then applied for the 2015-2016 program and a few months later[,] received an email saying I had passed stage 1. “I have learned so much in the two months I have been here."
University of Hawaii at Hilo alumni, Randall Yamaoka poses beside a JET Program banner. Photo courtesy of Randall Yamaoka.
He continued, "The classrooms are very disciplined[;] the students and teachers bow to each other, which is custom.”
The alumni further noted how difficult speaking English consistently can be for a second language teacher who knows his students' first language. As the children he teaches will often admit they do not understand in Japanese, Yamaoka, in turn, will often discuss the English language in Japanese. Sometimes, he pretends not to know Japanese to push his students to try English.
Thankfully, English 422: Teaching Practicum, a TESOL-required course, and Linguistics 331: Phonology and Phonetics provided the graduate with knowledge and experience he now leans on to effectively teach. For instance, his experience helped him stay collected when he first started out, unlike his less experienced fellow teachers. Phonology assisted him with understanding how the Japanese pronunciation of particular words and letters could impede English language learning.
Yamaoka explained, “Japanese people sometimes have a hard time pronouncing English words as their language doesn’t have those certain sounds. An example is tree. They say it like “Tsuri”. Also they have a hard time distinguishing between /l/ and /r/ sounds. Glass and grass sound the same.”
The alumni lives in the town of Sera-Cho, Hiroshima Prefecture, population 18,000. Yamaoka’s experiences with the JET program so far have been amazing and exciting. He recommends applying to any student who has an interest in teaching abroad. For more information, please visit the JET program website.
