Megumi Watanabe
“Without the ALLEX program, I would not be teaching at Princeton!”
- Megumi Watanabe, Lecturer in Japanese, Princeton University
Host University:Elmira College, New York
Program:Two-year degree-seeking Teaching Associate Program
Degree:Masters of General Education
Language:Japanese
Motivation for Joining ALLEX
Before participating in ALLEX, I first worked in admissions for Gakushin University. Then I worked at the Japan Foundation as an exchange program coordinator. During my time at the Japan Foundation, I worked with a bunch of language teachers, who had previously worked in the States. One of those teachers was an ALLEX alumni. She told me her story about teaching at a university in the U.S. She felt it was an interesting and meaningful job. Listening to her, I got interested. I actually had a Japanese language teacher certificate from college. So, I had at least some interest in teaching Japanese in a foreign country. After hearing her story, I applied to the ALLEX program and got in.
My own exchange experience also motivated my participation in ALLEX. In high school, I was an exchange student through the Rotary International Club. I lived in Green Bay, Wisconsin for one year. During that time, lots of people – my host family, friends, and teachers – really supported me. I wanted to help people who were learning Japanese in Japan, or anywhere else around the world, because I knew from my own experience that learning a language is so difficult and stressful. I also knew that it takes a long time. Since I had that experience, I thought that I could handle teaching well.
Summer Teacher Training
The summer teaching program was a great opportunity for me because I had never taught in an academic classroom. At first, standing in front of the classroom was very challenging. I felt nervous and weird because everyone was starting at me. They had to listen to me very carefully and were reading my lips. I felt like I could not make any mistakes. Also, ALLEX has a very unique teaching method, which I had never heard of. Learning that teaching method during the summer training program was an eye-opening experience for me.
The training program really helped me be ready to teach to Elmira College. I was actually the only Japanese teacher at Elmira College. So, I wondered how I would manage. Fortunately, the training program helped me. I had the chance to teach American students. That gave me an idea about how American students behave and how I can teach in America. I also gained a network of other teachers. I am still connected to people, who I met through the ALLEX summer program, both Japanese and Chinese teachers. We still exchange teaching ideas, or talk about our experiences at school.
Rewards of Teaching
Looking back, I remember one of my students, who I taught during my first year in the United States. At the time, he was taking Japanese and Chinese classes. But he was more interested in Chinese culture and society. After he started learning Japanese – in my class – he became more interested in Japanese culture and society. After he graduated, he actually moved to Japan to teach English. That was so rewarding for me because I did not expect that I could get involved like that in someone else’s life, or that my teaching could change someone’s life. I just finished my fourth-year teaching Japanese in the United States. I am still nervous. I am still learning, like about grammar. I mean, I can speak Japanese because I am a native speaker. But speaking and teaching is so different. At first, I thought, “I can speak Japanese, so I should be able to teach Japanese.” But I actually I realized that is not true. I still cannot answer some of my students’ questions. But I really enjoy teaching because I can meet many different students and teachers. They always teach me something.
Benefits of Participating in ALLEX
After ALLEX, I taught at Franklin and Marshall. Then I moved to Princeton University. I just finished my first year as a Japanese Language Lecturer. I would definitely recommend that others participate in ALLEX. It is very hard to find a teaching job in the United States. I used to work for the Japan Foundation, which has a program to send people to the United States to work as Japanese language teachers. Those teachers are usually sent to middle schools or high schools. To work in public schools though, you need a state certificate. If you want to teach Japanese in college, I think that ALLEX is the fastest way to do that. Actually, I do not know of any other program like ALLEX, which has a training program and then sends teachers directly to universities and college. Otherwise, if you want to teach college-level Japanese, I think that people have to graduate from college or university in the United States first and then find a job.
Without the ALLEX program, I do not think that I would be in New Jersey now. I would not be teaching at Princeton. It was a life-changing experience for me.