After taking a brief survey of the kids’ classes we continue the series on English with a look at the adult classes.
Outside of E-Space, all of the other classes I teach are adult-level classes. Typically there’s a class every evening from Monday to Saturday. Tuesday and Thursday are the exceptions, as I teach three classes after E-Space on Tuesday and none after E-Space on Thursday. Friday is also kind of an exception, as Friday’s adult class is in the morning at 10:00 instead of in the evening around 7:00.
The adult classes are divided into two major categories: private and group classes. The first time I was here we didn’t have any officially private classes, although there were some classes where only one student showed up regularly. Now we have several classes that fall under the private category (I teach four during the week). The cost per class is higher, but for some students the additional chances for speaking practice in a one-on-one situation are worth the extra yen.
As with the first time I came to Japan we have a wide variety of skill levels, from students who are just beginning basic conversation to those who have a wide vocabulary and can discuss advanced topics fluently. Most classes have a text to work through, although having a text is more common in the group classes than in the private classes. In situations where there’s not a text in a group class I have to do a bit more work to come up with a lesson plan, but so far everything has worked out.
The last ten minutes of every hour are typically reserved for a short Bible study. From one angle this might seem kind of underhanded, like teaching English is really a facade for getting converts to Christianity. But it’s really not like that at all—we use the Bible like an English textbook, asking students to read through a passage in English and Japanese and then discussing the meanings of various words and phrases. Students are free to comment on the passage, such as the believability of what’s written in the Bible. Naturally I share what I believe, but none of the students are required to respond in any way to the Bible time. So far I’ve seen the typical mix of reactions, from unwillingness to answer questions to discussions that go as long as 40 minutes past the scheduled end of the class.
Coming up in Part 3: a look into the future to see where the missionaries (and English classes) are headed.