GREGG Email

Background: Rob and I both worked at GREGG and know the situation pretty well. The turnover of Japanese teachers is faster than that of the foreign teachers. The Japanese staff are pretty much thrown to the wolves without any training; zero support, zero training, zero material and zero psychiatric counseling at the end of the day. I remember meeting a poor soul who started the same time I did. She was older, trying to get some work, make a little pocket money. She had lived in the States for a while when her hubby got transferred there so she could speak English well enough. She must have been dying for help because she starts asking me how I teach. I said, "Teach? You mean how do I keep 40 people of varying nationalities and educational backgrounds happy? I can't. I just write 10 questions on the board and walk around and monitor. I help the serious ones and play with the goof-offs. It's all I can do."

She says, "But how do you implement the "Gregg teaching methodology?" You know: Read aloud a fair length of text,have the students repeat after you, then ask one of them to summarize in their own words."

"Are you kidding? First of all, no one is listening to me because there are 40 bodies in the room all talking among themselves. Secondly, only a few speak enough English to introduce themselves: name, age, hobby, hometown. Third, most of them come from China, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Brazil and they don't want to learn, they need student visas so they come here(and work). Finally, how can they summarize in their own words if they don't even have enough vocabulary to comprehend what the text is about! Even I can't comprehend what the text is about sometimes, it was published first in 1854 (true story by the way) and nobody speaks like that anymore!"

Well, I guess my little speech worked. She never came back. The next day I wanted to know how she was doing so I inquired at the office where she was. An uncomfortable silence fell over the staff as someone said she quit. Looking back on it now, they must have thought I was a real trouble maker for speaking my mind. It's kinda surreal if you think about it. We all know it's shit but we have to smile and pretend it's delicious. It would be so easy to fix. Just scrap those lousy books, buy some good ones, make a list of reading comprehension questions, and let the students do whatever they want. They get their visas, the serious ones get a reasonable text, the teachers get their sanity back.

Thus, the following e-mail comes from a Japanese teacher who saw the light and emailed Rob.

-----Original Message-----Good evening.Thank you for your e-mail.

Is Kawasaki God's City?What do you mean?I can' t understand...

Anyway, let me introduce myself.I studied how to teach Japanese for foreigner specially.After that I got English teacher's license with working atNihon Univ. of economics as a office clerk. The license have nothing to do with my English level.(^-^; I've just been in employ of Gregg 3 months ago as a office clerkand a teacher. I decided to quit this company 1 month ago. Because, I have many reasons.1. The company isn't organized. Every staff are bad at works . They don't have business ability, I guess. And my boss shift the responsibility.

2. I wasn't gave teacher's work. Sometimes I was gave but everytime I don't have time to prepalate for lesson. My boss think every native speaker can teach theirlanguage without prepalating. Why do I need prepalation time? I inexperienced as a Japanese teacher. She knows that thing. How do you think?

3.My work was finding job and house for students.Everyday I did. It is important for us to support our students, I know.But They are too dependent on our kindness, especially we haveChinese staff.

and so on...

Frankly speaking, I was surprised at your subject.I thougt you are a bagpacker and working at this company toearn money to live on.(sorry) So, your studying and mine are almost same.When I have some troubles in teaching, I would like you to advise me onmy study. Please...

You are the first people to say "congratulations! "about my resignation. I feel so good. (Almost of Japanese people think a job change is bad thing.)

I know you got caught in the cross-fire, but I hope you don'tcome hate my county.

watasi no eigo ha tekitou desu.wakaranai tokoroga attara gomennasai ne.

See ya..

Kazuko Ogizawa