To All Japanese Language Teachers Who Want to 'Be Close' to Their Learners: The Filter Called 'Flexibility'

When I had been a Japanese language teacher for only about two years, I met two distinctive learners.

One was a man named Mr. Tanaka.

He was one of the learners in a small group lesson of about five people.
Since multiple teachers were in charge, we would report back to each other about what happened in class.

“Honestly, Mr. Tanaka is so particular and difficult, isn't he?”

“When it’s Mr. Tanaka’s turn, everyone goes, ‘Oh, here we go again,’ and it just feels a bit awkward.”

Comments like these, painting Mr. Tanaka as a 'problem child,' would fly around.

I had also taught this class several times, and I understood the“facts”that the other teachers were talking about.

However, I decided to set aside all that information—in other words, to teach this Mr. Tanaka while“removing the filter”of those opinions.

When I did that, I could see from beginning to end a
“looking frustrated”a
“sense of alienation from not fitting in with others”and
“looking anxious”look.

I felt so uncomfortable that I decided to focus on observing Mr. Tanaka's behavior.

And if it looked like Mr. Tanaka wanted to say something, even a little bit, I would say,
“Mr. Tanaka, you have something you want to say now, don't you? Go ahead.”
to encourage him, or

“Mr. Tanaka, this is difficult, isn't it? It’s okay, take your time, take your time.”to remove his impatience, or

And I would also tell the other learners who seemed dissatisfied,
“Everyone, please wait a moment. Mr. Tanaka has something he wants to say, so please wait just a little bit.”
and I would adjust the atmosphere of the room.

And even though there were often times when his answers were laughed at by everyone, I would only say positive things.
“That’s a unique and wonderful answer!”

“You worked hard to come up with that. That effort is wonderful.”
I looked for a way to acknowledge him every time.

When I did that, the other learners seemed to realize,
“This teacher is desperate...”
and gradually, they became able to wait.

Of course, the other learners paid the same amount of money.

So, during the time I wasn't focusing on Mr. Tanaka, I would fully accommodate them. Even if Mr. Tanaka felt a little alienated, by looking back at the class as a whole in terms of“turn-taking”,“fairness”,I made sure that everyone had“time to learn happily”—that was the personal axis I created to face the class.

And as for this Mr. Tanaka, I learned later that he had strong autistic traits. Therefore, he had characteristics such as finding it difficult to 'write,' difficult to 'read,' having a distinctive way of 'speaking,' and finding it hard to prevent 'forgetting.'

Knowing that, I strove even more to apply to myself
“flexibility filter”

I faced him with the thought that I wanted to make it a comfortable time for him.

After that, no matter which school I worked at, or even after I went freelance, that Mr. Tanaka always came to wherever I was to study.

It has been over 10 years.

And every time they paid the lesson fee, they would always, without fail, use both hands and bow deeply,

"This is money worth paying. Thank you so much."
they would say.

To me, they were the best learner who taught me"what it means to be a Japanese language teacher."

Also, there was a student who had an even stronger tendency to"forget"than this student. That student,

had the characteristic of completely forgetting the single character 'a' after five minutes.

And this state was repeated every day for a week...

I will be holding a workshop seminar where I translate these experiences, true stories, and my approach into the positive filter called 'flexibility'.

"I want to be there for my learners"—this is an essential condition for all Japanese language teachers around the world who face learners with unique characteristics everywhere, and that is

"flexibility."

Fixed ideas are filters that narrow people's potential, destroy their confidence, and hurt them. Flexibility is a positive filter that removes those 'fixed idea filters,' expands the potential of people around the world, builds their confidence, and brings stability to their hearts.
is what it is.

Which filter would you like to have?!

Heart International
Chihomi