Finally back home and getting back to normal. I am no longer jetlagged, but already missing certain things from Japan (cheap food, not tipping, heated toilet seats, etc.)
What’s the biggest impact this experience has had on you?
The biggest thing I gained from this experience in my opinion is the new sense of confidence. I had to push myself so much to go out and do new things and I never regretted it. I also felt like I constantly stuck out everywhere I went, so I got used to it. Don’t get me wrong, I am more than happy being anonymous again, but I got through it best by joking about being a “celebrity” and honestly, that mindset was great for me to just remember how much the little things, like even grocery shopping are wins. Doing so many things alone forced me to be more independent, which also gave me a confidence boost. I just feel proud of myself for doing something so big and staying in a country across the world where I don’t even know the language. I really feel like I can take on more and I feel less shy to ask a stranger for help or ask for what I want/need from others.
What about as an educator?
Honestly, I think seeing English taught as a second language helped me realize how complicated English is as a language. I gained some insight on how to teach it that I want to keep in mind for my future ELL students. I also experienced what it’s like to be someone who doesn’t speak or understand the language of the country they’re in and it can be very isolating. My biggest takeaway when it comes to teaching a second language is that I think it could be really fun and I want to try teaching Spanish as a second language at some point.
In terms of science, I saw some really cool science teaching that reminded me that I know some of the best ways to teach science, I just need to get there. Watching students create their own independent research projects, learning through experiments and designing experiments to test theories, and go on field trips to learn directly from nature have all been awesome inspiration in my future career.
I know there were many other groups that stayed at a specific school for a month or more, but being able to visit different schools every week, or even every day really gave me such a wider view of all the types of students, schools, teachers, and classrooms. I am very grateful to have seen so much variety.
Any final thoughts?
Taking a chance on this is something I absolutely do not regret. Read over the rest of my posts for my little bits of advice, but my final bit of advice is if you’re thinking of taking a chance to do something like this, do it! What do you really have to lose?