Yumi Kondo

STAFF INTERVIEW: Yumi Kondo - Teacher, AIJP

The following interview, conducted by Roger Fung, was translated from the Japanese original.

For this issue's interview, I have the pleasure to have a brief chat with Yumi Kondo, currently a teacher in one of Yamasa's long-term courses, the AIJP. Miss Kondo, with her lively and skillfully taught lessons, has struck the innocent hearts of many, many students; including me when I was one.

Roger: Miss. Kondo, you are amazing. Would you like to comment on this?

(Overcame by the introduction, Miss. Kondo collapses to the desk, cringing)

Yumi: I never knew such a student existed! Are you sure that YOU were not the only one?

R: Of course not. I'm pretty sure that there are plenty of such students around here. Anyway, let us start the interview. Have you only taught Japanese and Japanese only?
Y: Oh certainly not. I studied Computer Engineering in university and didn't have any interest in linguistics back then.

R: Now that is a surprise. So if you weren't a Japanese teacher all along, what kind of work did you do?
Y: I have worked in some financial institution before, doing things related to computer systems and so on. But working with computers and dealing with programming meant that I had to have a good command of English, which I wasn't unfortunately, so it turned out to be quite a tough job. Eventually, I thought that I must do something about this so I went and studied English in the United States.

R: What do you mean by that?
Y: People kept asking me things about the differences between two words, all sorts of grammar questions and so on. The frustrating thing was, despite being a native Japanese speaker, I was completely stuck for explanations, let alone satisfactory answers. However, this frustration sparked an interest inside me and from that point on I was determined to become a Japanese teacher.

R: It's been a long, winding road I see.
Y: Yes it certainly has been one. Anyway, when I came back to Japan I went to specialist Japanese teacher training courses, took the test, passed it and got the license for teaching. When I got the license I wanted to study Japanese so badly I went back to university, and then all the way to graduate school.

R: So teaching and studying Japanese had so much influence on you that your perception of the world changed. Very impressive.

R: Allow me to move on to the next question. What kind of things are you teaching now in AIJP?
Y: I have classes in all beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. In the elective classes, I mainly teach advanced conversation and communication skills. We study and analyze real Japanese conversations and try to 'read between the lines' of what is said.

R: Ah yes, I still find what I learnt from these classes very useful. Normally you would have to pick up these skills through trial and error and you certainly can't learn them in textbooks I don't think.
Y: That's correct. Feedback is very positive too so I hope we can continue these lessons long into the future.

R: Switching topics, did you find any differences between Yamasa and, say, previous Japanese language schools you taught in?
Y: Yes I found a lot of differences. The first thing I noticed was the fact that there were so many people from Europe and the US in the advanced level classes. I was very surprised by this. Westerners in advanced level classes are either very rare or non-existent in most of the other schools I went to.

R: I've heard a lot about this as well actually.
Y: Also, I think that Yamasa really do take students' suggestions seriously. For example, while the majority of Japanese language schools have curriculums that are firmly set and can't be easily modified or changed; Yamasa constantly attempts to tailor the curriculum or course content to suit students' needs.

R: Absolutely. A school can't exist without students. When I was a student here, I was also glad that the school tried hard to reflect our needs.

R: Finally, would you mind if I asked you about your hobbies, current crazes, how you spend your holidays so on and so on?
Y: No of course not! Let's see... I started playing badminton every week as well as doing lots of other sports. I came to realize that teaching Japanese requires a huge amount of stamina and energy so I thought it would be a good idea build up on that a little. Apart from sports I prepare for lessons and do little bits of research now and then...

R: Research?
Y: Put simply I am analyzing conversations between Japanese people and non-Japanese people.

R: So even during holidays and breaks you are studying Japanese. Am I right to assume that your ambitions and dreams are also related to Japanese language education?
Y: Of course! One of my ambitions is to greatly improve the standards of advanced level Japanese language education overseas. You see, there are plenty of materials and resources for beginner and intermediate level, but I think there aren't enough for advanced learners of the language. I think this is a real shame and I would really like to contribute something to improve the current situation.

R: My assumption was correct! Finally, to close this interview, in a few words Miss Kondo, what is Japanese language education to you?
Y: That's a hard one... hmm.... Japanese language education is my spiritual support!... Is that good enough?

R: It certainly is. Thank you very very much for your time.
Y: You think you can write all this up?

R: You taught me half of my writing abilities! This interview will be in good hands, no worries.

Return to top of page