California is located on the west coast of North America.

The influence of the ocean generally moderates temperature extremes,

creating warmer winters and substantially cooler summers in coastal areas.

The people who live in California are generous, cheerful, and kind.

Figure1  Answering their questions while making eye contact

I went to Shibushi junior high school for teaching practicum from May 15th to June 2nd.

First week : observe my supervisor's classes and join some class activities (pronunciation and reading the textbook)

Second week : make my English class plans, teach classes every day, and improve my class during an evaluation meeting with my supervisor and other teachers

final week : 5/31 evaluation class (English), 6/2 evaluation class (moral education)

During these three weeks, I had a special time. I experienced difficulties, setbacks and happiness.

Before going to my junior high school...

I felt my practicum would be successful.

I've taught English as a cram school for about three years, and I thought I understood the actual conditions of students' English level. In my classes at the cram school, there are a few students who cannot understand English at all, even writing alphabets or spellings. However, other students who have some competency in English language help them through pair works or group works, and they can learn some English grammar while having fun. Also, a lot of students help me, too. When I give the class some questions about English they already known, almost all of students, even those who cannot understand English, answer their thought without being afraid of making mistakes. So, it was easy to conduct lessons　in my cram school. Through this experience, I went my junior high school on the first day with mixed feelings of anxious and a little confidence.

What is the difference between junior high school and cram school?

For the first time of teaching my class in the junior high school, I found teaching English was too difficult. It was not until I couldn't give a class as planned that I noticed there are some differences between junior high and cram school. 

In cram school...

① Students who want to study, improve their score, or pass the entrance exam for a public high school, go to a cram school. They have some own goals. In the class, they participate actively, concentrate and follow the instructions of the teachers.

② Most of cram schools adopt small-class education. There are 5~20 students per class. Also, the students are divided by their levels, so they can learn lessons suitable for them levels. 

③ In the class, the students study mainly grammar due to pass their tests or the entrance exam for a public high school. 

In junior high...

 ① Junior high schools in Japan are compulsory education, also the students' motivation in a class is quite difference.

② There are about 40 students and a teacher in a class, so the teacher cannot pay attention to all of them. The teacher is too busy in a class. So, some students give up asking their teacher.

③ In the class, most of teachers adopt pair works or group works. If almost all of students join their class actively, it livens up and students can enjoy learning.

Based on this actual situation…

I noticed there were some important things to teach English. In the period of my practicum, I especially became conscious of the following.

① I tried to make a relationship of mutual trust with the students. If I achieve this goal, the students become to participate in the class. For example, I give some questions, they think spontaneously and answer their ideas. Also, they give their real voice. If they don’t understand something or got boring in the class, they told me that, sometimes gave me some advice, without hesitating. These voices helped me to improve my lessons.

② I tried to make the students interested in a class by using some famous characters or introducing pair works and group works. If I do so, I can give a lesson without students’ obstruction; doing other things, napping and chatting with other friends.

③ I tried to know the students’ English level. As I said, there is a big difference in the students’ English level. At first, I didn’t know their level, so I made a little difficult handout; to make some sentences to use new grammar, or to fill some words in the blanks from the story in the textbook. As soon as they looked the handout and tried to answer the questions, some said “I don’t know what I should write on.”, and others lost their motivation and began to do another thing. Through this class, I fully realized to understood the students’ level was the most important in not only English education but all education. So, I tried to devise how to teach English grammar by using handouts. It was so difficult to make handouts which both students (high and low level) can concentrate without getting tired. Also, I realized it was important that students felt a sense of achievement through classes. Activities by using handouts is one of opportunities which the students can get a sense of achievement.

Through this experience…

When I couldn’t the students’ English level, the actions of a few students, chatting, napping and doing other things, made me confused and sad. However, every time my heart was broken, most of students and all of teachers encouraged me; gave me some advice and letters. Thanks to these kindness, I could overcome this problem. I tried to understand their level, make a lesson how the students enjoy learning English in a class, and praise a lot.

As a result, the students who had bothered me came to join my lessons. The moment they enjoyed my lesson, I’ve become very happy. Through my practicum for three weeks, I could learn a lot of useful and important things; making a relationship of mutual trust with the students, making the students interested in classes, and understanding the students’ English level well.