Sayumi Kuroda

STAFF INTERVIEW: Sayumi Kuroda - Teacher, AIJP

The following interview, conducted by Patty Lo, was translated from the Japanese original.

Patty: I was wondering if I can interview you for this week's staff interview?
Sayumi: Uh.....I guess so. Why me?
P: I thought you'd make a good interview!
S: I see. Can we postpone the interview until Wednesday because I have an appointment with a student now?
P: Okay sure.

Wednesday

P: Thanks for agreeing to the interview. Let's get started....

S: So the interview is in Japanese but are you going to write it up in English or Japanese?
P: Well, probably in English and then Tatsuya Kato will translate it to Japanese.
S: Come on, you can do both versions!?
P: If I write it up in Japanese as well, you'll probably end up editing out the good bits....

S: ....So where shall we start?
P: Let's talk about your job. Why did you become a Japanese language teacher?
S: Wow, that's a difficult question......... Let's see, I guess it's because I met a great teacher during one of my years at college who was teaching Japanese. Actually, before I entered college I had read about the Japanese teacher training course through which I met the teacher I really admired. Although I was in the English department I got both English and Japanese teaching credentials at the same time. I was always busy with volunteer teaching twice a week at a local company working as an assistant to a Japanese teacher who taught the language to Brazilians immigrants.
P: So, you got some teaching experience at an early stage.
S: Yes, it was good practice (laughs); I mean experience.

P: What did you do after you graduated from college?
S: I began work straight away at a language school.
P: Yamasa?
S: No, another school. I was there for about 3 years after which I went to Australia.
P: Why Australia?
S: During that time, learning Japanese was quite popular and I wanted to look at elementary to high school Japanese language level, so there I was in Adelaide. I stayed with an Australian family for a few months and I did some volunteer teaching as well. Teaching alone was prohibited, so I was an assistant to an Australian teacher in a high school. I also taught an adult class at Adelaide University. Through this class I really began to notice the difference between teaching adults and children. For adults, they really want to learn which is why they come to class, but for kids it's different. This experience made me want to teach those who really want to learn Japanese.
P: I can understand that feeling.
S: After I came back from Australia, I started to work for Yamasa where I've been ever since.

P: Have you always been a teacher in AIJP?
S: No, I was a private lesson teacher at first, I taught a class on Saturday to Brazilians, and also went to China.
P: China?! You mean a business trip?
S: Well, you could say that. I went to Tianchin for about 6 months to teach the employees of Toyota Motor Company. It was the first Japanese language classes that Toyota provided and I was the first person sent by Yamasa.
P: I seem to remember Kondoh sensei went to Tianchin too.
S: That's right, she was the 6th person who went to teach there.

P: What was it like teaching in China?
S: It was difficult. I once had to set up a placement test for 120 people.
P: Like the one at Yamasa?
S: Yes, but I had to do it by myself, including the interviews, one by one.
P: One by one! 120 people. Taihen!
S: I lost 7kg when I was in China. I gained 5kg when I was in Australia though......

P: (laughing) So how was life in China generally?
S: I didn't know any Chinese apart from hello, goodbye and thank you so when I went shopping I would be flipping through the pages of my dictionary so I could understand what I was buying. It was kind of like a survival game, living in China.

P: I remember you mentioning to me that you lived in a huge apartment by yourself when you were there.
S: That's right. I stayed at the University's overseas students apartment which had 3 bedrooms and a kitchen.
P: So it was supposed to have 3 people staying in it, but it was only you?
S: I think so. Because I was staff I got to keep it all to myself. But it was a bit big for one person.

P: You didn't leave home until your trips to Australia and China then?
S: No, I was also away from home during my time at college and language school.
P: Where did you go?
S: Both the college and the language school were in Gifu.

P: Let's talk about your colleagues.....
S: Eh?
P: What's the working environment like?
S: It's a comfortable place to work with a good atmosphere.
P: Really!?
S: Yeah! Everyone is very nice and easy to work with. There's maybe only one scary teacher.....
P: Who's that?

Sayumi makes a gun with her fingers, points it at Patty and says "Bang"

P: How about the students, what's your impression of them?
S: Impression. I think it changes.
P: In what way?
S: Well, let's put it this way. When I first started as a teacher, my students were about my age or maybe slightly older than me and I didn't have that much experience. However, as I 'matured' and gained experience I began to look at them as students, rather than just people I teach.

P: Getting back to what you did after you finished teaching in China; you came back to Yamasa and taught in AIJP?
S: Yes. I had a brief period in Acceleration but it's been AIJP ever since.

P: Have you ever thought about teaching in SILAC over in Aoi Hall?
S: If I have the chance, I would absolutely love to teach in SILAC. Maybe I'll get the chance to teach in Extension after the next faculty rotation.

P: Since you've been an AIJP teacher for quite a long time you must have taught in a variety of classes?
S: Every class from absolute beginner to the "super upper class" levels AJSP).

P: Which level do you find is the hardest to teach?
S: Um, I think that's difficult to say as all the classes can be difficult in their own way.
P: If you had to choose one level to teach, which would it be?
S: If I really had to choose, which I wouldn't like to do as I enjoy teaching all levels, it would probably be the beginner level classes.
P: Why?
S: It think it's because you can really see an improvement and progress in the students learning from no Japanese, or just hiragana and katakana, to being able to keep up a conversation after just 3 months.

P: Getting away from teaching now, can you tell me a bit about what you do when you're not working?
S: I go to the movies if I have time, sometimes by myself.
P: What kind of movies do you go and see?
S: Human drama. My favorite actor is Robin Williams and I love 'Dead Poets Society'. I like comedy as well, for example, Mr. Bean. I watch the videos all the time.
P: So you don't watch many Japanese movies?
S: Personally, no, but for teaching material for some of the higher classes I do now and again.

P: How about music. What kind of music do you listen to?
S: I'm into relaxation music at the moment, and a while ago I listened to a lot of Soft Jazz.
P: Why relaxation music? Do you have a lot of stress?
S: My stress is in 'all you can accumulate' stage right now.........
P: ........?
S: .....so I basically listen to music and enjoy a nice aroma fragrance to relax.

P: Are you still making stained glass?
S: I've been taking a stained glass class for about 3 years along with Saori Yamada and Saori Suzuki. Most of my creations are displayed in my house. Right now I'm making a lamp, but it's taking forever to finish it.

P: What are your future plans?
S: There are different things I would like to try but for the time being I'm happy meeting new people and teaching them Japanese.

P: Thanks a lot for your time. I won't keep you any longer.....
S: Thank you.

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