Ben: It helps in that I have insight to how somebody learning a foreign language needs things explained because I've learned 4 myself. However in some ways it doesn't help because the Japanese learner, the Japanese sort of mind, and how they learn languages is so very different from anywhere in Europe or South America so activities that would work really well with a European western, South American audience, or South American class, don't seem to work at all due to some of the differences in Japanese and Western culture.

 

Eli: Do you think the whole sort of Japanese schooling system is very different?

 

Ben: It's extremely different.

 

Eli: How is that?

 

Ben: I haven't got a great insight into it but I think the kids have to work a lot harder here. All, I teach a lot of high school children and they're often coming to my lesson, in between their breaks between cram school, on a national holiday, in the summer holiday. When I was a kid I'd be playing in the park and beating up girls up the street with a wooden stick or something.

 

Eli: And do you reckon that is kind of passed on with the ****** of work society here, like sort of similar sort working, or?

 

Ben: Yeah, I suppose so. I think a lot is expected of them all throughout there lives. Two of my neighbors are both salarymen, and they often are arriving at home very very late, and a lot more is expected of the Japanese staff at the school than is of the western staff. They'll often ask them to do jobs that take twice as long as what they ask us. I don't know whether that is because they expect the Japanese staff can do more, or they just think we're stupid, which some of us are!