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| Saori Yamada |
STAFF INTERVIEW: Saori Yamada (Teacher - SILAC program)
This interview was done by Mun Jong-Gap a work study student from Korea who
has been working in the International Office translating the English homepage to
Korean for 9 months. Yamada Saori lives near Yamasa with her parents,
grandfather, and younger brother.
Saori Yamada: Is this interview your last work for the International
Office?
Mun Jong-Gap: Well, sort of. I'll be finishing next month. I
am sorry to take up your valuable time with this interview. Last year you
were my main teacher in the SILAC program and I was in your class for a month.
At that time I liked the lessons so much I didn't want to go up a class. Even
now I am missing my old classmates. Anyway, lets start the interview - what made
you decide to become a teacher?
Y: When I was a high school student,
I learned English. I think that however hard you learn a foreign language, it is
always difficult to understand it in detail. At that time, I asked myself how
much I knew about my mother tongue, Japanese, and thought that I didn't know
it as well as I should.
M: I see. Is the job you do here your first? When did you start
working at Yamasa?
Y: I started about 5 years ago, but stopped to go
to Germany for a year, so 4 years in total. Before starting teaching here, I
hadn't taught anywhere else, but had a number of part-time jobs. When I first
came to Yamasa, there was no SILAC program, and I begun teaching a class where
there were only Brazilians. I have been teaching in SILAC ever since it began.
M: Teaching someone is not easy, is it? I taught students English in a
private institute in Korea for 6 months and I sometimes had a hard time during
the classes. How about you? What's been the hardest time for you up until now?
Y: A good thing is that I have not had any trouble with students.
However one of the hardest things is when students don't understand something I
have just explained, even though I did my best to make it easy for them. That is
the hardest thing and it can be difficult to help them in that kind of situation.
M: So when are you most happy in class?
Y: In the class, I
am really happy when I know the students have taken in everything that I have
taught them and they give me positive feedback about my class. One moment that I
remember was on my birthday a couple of years ago. None of my students had come to class, they
were all late, and I was beginning to worry about them - I was thinking what
happened to them? Then my students came in carrying a birthday cake for me. I
was really touched and it has remained one of my best memories of teaching
here so far.
M: Who do you feel has been your best student so far? I am sure that
it's me, but apart for me.
Y: (laughing) Yes, you were 1 hour late for this interview so
I'm not sure that it's you! In fact, it is very difficult to name just one. All
the students have their plus points, but the students on the SILAC program
change too often to memorize all their names and faces. Although I don't become
good friends with many of them, it is sad when they go back to their country
without getting to know them better. As I have not had any trouble with them and
they have treated me very kindly I can't say who the best student has been.
M: All the teachers do their utmost to help the students and you also work until late every day. Isn't it tiring?
Y: Well, if I think that what I'm doing is benefitting the students, it isn't tiring at
all!
M: Enough about the job, let me ask you about your life outside of
school. What do you usually do after school? Do you have any hobbies?
Y: I practice archery. I started it in high school but stopped for 10
years because I was too busy. Then, about 2 years ago, I decided to start it
again and I'm now practicing at the Okazaki Archery Association. It's good
because teaching needs a lot of mental and physical energy so the archery
practice enables me to concentrate on something else and refresh my mind. I
think that archery reflects the condition of your brain. For example, if you are
thinking about others, you won't hit the target - it means that your feeling is
unstable, so archery is good for practicing to focus your mind. I have also
been making stained glass for the last 3 years - I make lamps, panels, and so on.
Sayumi Kuroda (a teacher in AIJP) introdcued it to me and Suzuki Saori (AIJP)
is doing it too. Students in SILAC don't have many chances to get to do these
kinds of things, so it would be nice if they came along some time.
M: I'm also interested in archery but I hardly have time for it. I
love sports too so I arrange soccer practice at the park behind the Yamasa II
building every Friday. Anyway, a philosophical question, do you have any code,
or rules, that you try to live you life by?
Y: Well.......I try to
make every single moment meaningful and try to always do my best. The
'moments' will pile up and help to make a more meaningful life for me I think. I can't express it
words, but it is always in my mind. Maybe this way of thinking started after
working at Yamasa. When I started here, most of the students were older than me
(I was young at that time!) and I learned many things from them.
M: You have studied German in Germany, haven't you? What was your
reason for doing that?
Y: German? I studied it for about 1 year and
took a trip around Europe as well. The main reason was to become a student
again and I also wanted to find out how to teach students better by being a
student myself and learning from my German teachers. By doing that, I was able to get a good
idea of what the students are feeling when they begin to study Japanese. I love travelling. My last holiday was to Bali, an Indonesian
island. I can speak German and I guess my German is better than my English,
though I can speak a few Korean words. GAMSAHAPNIDA! (thank you)?
M: You can read Korean, can't you? Are you interested in Korea?
Y: Some of the characters, the easy
one, I can read but I don't know the meaning of them. I sometimes know the meaning
of Korean words whose pronunciations are the same as Japanese words. The interesting
thing is that the Japanese and Korean grammar is very similar.
M: Finally, what are your future plans? Marriage, job, dream etc?
Y: I am still interested in learning foreign languages. So my next
language will be Spanish. I want to learn it in South America and I will think
about marriage later. As for my job, I want to keep working for Yamasa for the
time being. Going to South America will depend on my financial situation and
circumstances so I will make my decision when the time is right. If the
opportunity comes along I will take it. I might go there within the next few
years because the older I get, the harder it will be.
M: I wish you all the best. Anyway, Korea and Japan will jointly hold
2002 Soccer World Cup soon. I can't wait, less than one week to go!
Y: That's right. There is a lot of history between Korea and Japan so
co-hosting is a big thing for both countries. I will cheer for the Korean and
Japanese teams and I hope that they both do well.
M: Okay, thank you very much for the interview.
Y: Your welcome!
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