Useful Qualities Of An ELCA Teacher-Missionary In Japan
The Japan Program (J-3)
Here are some reflections by John Haines, a ELCA teacher-missionary, on qualities that will be beneficial in Japan.
Flexibility. Japanese students officially go to school 230 days a year but the actual class time is closer to what we have in America. Classes are sometimes canceled for tests, festivals, and speeches. If you try to run on a strict schedule, you will only get frustrated. Be prepared to be expect changes.
Patient Persistence. If you want to do something new, you need to build consensus first. You don’t go in with a presentation and expect an answer the next day.
Organizational skills. At times it can be difficult to keep your schedule straight and efficient. You also need to be able to juggle classes that may be at the high school, junior high and kindergarten, all in one day. There are a lot of demands on time from the school, church, and private life. Managing your time and commitments is important.
Willingness to Learn and Grow. If a new ELCA mission teacher does not have prior teaching experience, they must learn how to teach. Even if they are a trained teacher, it is a very different ball game here. The American and Japanese educational and value systems are very different. The decisions we make and the way we teach leaves a very powerful impression on the students and the teachers we work with. We need to learn from our mistakes, have fun teaching and be good classroom leaders.
Team player. We do a lot of team teaching with both ELCA and Japanese teachers. This can be a great experience as long as you communicate compromise and work cooperatively. Having separate agendas, priorities and unstated expectations is detrimental to the team process.
Willingness to stay late at times. Keep in mind that one day you may need to stay at school until 6:30 p.m. and the next day you might be able to go home at 4:00 p.m.