[Student PR staff] Interviewing students who will support learning environments as teachers after graduation

We, the student PR staff, are in charge of disseminating information about JIU from a student perspective both inside and outside the university. We mainly interview students and cover events.

Student PR staff: Otsuharu Kawashima (3rd year, Faculty of International Humanities)
Student PR staff: Hikaru Miyata (3rd year, Faculty of Management and Information Sciences)

This time, we interviewed two students who completed the teacher training course and passed the teacher recruitment exam. We asked them about their student life and their future goals as they will be working as junior high school teachers from April.

 

Kei Hirose, 4th year student, Department Department of Management Sciences Faculty of Management and Information Sciences
(Hokkaido Public School Teacher, Junior High School Social Studies)

What made you decide to become a teacher?

 

I devoted myself to soccer during my junior and senior high school years. I was especially influenced by the guidance of my soccer club advisor in high school. His guidance emphasized not only soccer skills, but also etiquette and manners. In particular, the advisor placed great importance on the words "duty and humanity," and at the time I was sometimes confused by his strictness. However, after I became a university student, I came to understand the meaning of his guidance more deeply, and I began to think that I too would like to become a teacher who could face students head on.

New challenges and the path to becoming a teacher

After graduating from high school, I was wondering whether to get a job or continue to college, but I became interested in Josai Josai International University University's soccer team and decided to continue to college in search of new encounters and experiences outside of my prefecture. There were some challenges in becoming a teacher, as I had to take more classes than other students. I took the teacher training course at university and joined Professor Metoki's seminar, studying systematically for the teacher recruitment exam. I continued to study for an average of five hours a day, and used the reference book that was ranked number one on a certain e-commerce site. In particular, I had the opportunity to solve past exam questions and hear about the experiences of actual teachers in the seminar, which helped me deepen my practical knowledge.

Ideal teacher and ideal classes

I aim to teach in a way that respects each student's thoughts while valuing a relationship of trust with them. Ideally, I would like to create an environment where students can think freely and deepen their learning voluntarily. I also place importance on the growth of students' personalities, and I would like to teach with consideration. Of course, being a teacher is difficult, but I want to work with pride in being involved with students at such an important time in their growth.

Advice for university students

I think that by listening to the stories of teachers who have worked with me in the past, I can learn the real side of the field. Also, I sometimes feel anxious about my studies, but by talking to my university professors or friends, I can find a solution, so it's important to rely on those around me and not try to deal with it alone.

国際人文学部国際交流学科４年 平山 泰我さん
（千葉県公立学校教員　中学校英語）

 

What made you decide to become a teacher?

When I first thought about what kind of job would suit me, the first thing that came to mind was teaching, so I started researching teaching in detail. When I thought about the teachers I had received education from, I strongly felt that teaching was the kind of job that would give me a sense of fulfillment in my work and allow me to remain young at heart even after I became an adult, so I decided to pursue a career in teaching.
Another reason is that I was inspired by teachers who were passionate about education and wanted to be a club advisor myself. English was not my forte in middle and high school, so the choice to become an English teacher was a challenge for me. However, I felt that even if I wanted to pursue a career other than teaching, I could contribute to society in a different way, so I decided to enter Department of International Exchange Studies, where I could learn English and where there is a teacher training course.
I have played basketball since I was little, and in high school I was serious about it, winning the prefectural tournament and participating in the national tournament. From my first year of university, I was involved in the club activities of my alma mater as an external coach for four years. I decided that becoming a junior high school teacher was my first choice, as I thought I would be able to make use of what I had learned over the past four years if I were to be hired by a junior high school.

TOEIC score increased from 240 to 925

先生からのアドバイスを受け、大学2年生の夏から４カ月アイルランドに留学し、大学3年生の冬に１ヵ月のアメリカ研修に参加しました。イギリス英語のアイルランドとアメリカ英語のアメリカでは、ディスカッションやグループワークなどアクティブな教育方法が中心で、日本とは大きく異なる方法の授業でした。この２つの留学経験のおかげで、発信できる話題が増え、教育実習の際に自分に興味を持ってくれる生徒が多くいました。
留学に行く前に受けた TOEICは 240 点と留学に行ける条件の 400 点には程遠い状態からスタートしました。まずは 400点以上を目指し、勉強に取り組んでいきました。留学から帰ってきてTOEIC を受け、スコアは一気に上がっていき、最終的に 925 点まで点数が伸びました。

Teacher Exam Preparation

The first exam had two parts: an English test and a teacher training test. The English part was said to be at the pre-1st grade level of the Eiken test, and since I had been studying for the Eiken test for a long time, I had done practically no preparation. For the teacher training part, I wrote, read, and memorized about 7 books of about 200 pages each and 3 handouts of about 100 pages each. I studied intensively for 2-3 hours a day and used my free time to review.

My goal as an educator who values trust

目指しているのは、生徒一人ひとりをしっかりと観察し、信頼関係を築ける教員です。自身の留学経験から、英語を「学ばせる」のではなく、「自然に使える」環境を作ることが重要だと考えています。また、大学時代のゼミ長や留学の経験から、積極的に周囲と関わりながら、相手の個性を尊重する姿勢を大切にしています。これまでの経験を活かして、生徒たちのコミュニケーション力を伸ばし、将来の可能性を広げる手助けをしていきたいと考えています。

Advice for students aiming to become teachers

First of all, I think communication skills are necessary. Furthermore, by broadening my perspective in daily life, I think I will be able to see the realities of various students when I am in the field of education. I think that observing and discovering the personalities and thoughts of each student while interacting with friends and seminar members will be useful when interacting with students in the field of education.