Teachers?

Today I learned...

Many junior high English teachers...
Don’t speak English?
Can’t speak English?
Refuse to speak English?

That’s...
Shocking.
Appalling.
Outrageous.

If they can’t speak English, they shouldn’t be teaching. There are plenty of people in this country, both Japanese and foreign who are fluent in English and can teach. Someone (with board of education connections, but no longer teaching) told me today that many teachers do not want to speak English in class. Don’t want to?!  And I asked him if the teachers ask questions to the students in English. He said “No. Never.” He laughed, as if they would never think to ask a question in English.
And I asked him if the teachers give explanations in English. Again, he said, “No.”

I was thoroughly disgusted. Thankfully my acquaintance is working to improve the situation.These teachers are educators. It is their responsibility to...
＊speak as much English as possible
＊not only teach grammar, but to converse and to question- in English
＊make class interesting and fun
＊insist that the text book they use is actually useful and contains correct, natural, up-to-date English

If they don’t do at least these things, then they are a disgrace to the profession.


hmph.