By Kanon Harui
Here at VGC we have helped thousands of students to reach their English language goals. Our students come from a variety of different countries and have diverse backgrounds. We are excited to share some of their stories on the VGC Blog.
Kanon is a 22 years old student from Japan. She studied at VGC for 11 months in 2016 and 2017 and always dreamed of being an English teacher. She joined VGC’s TESL Diploma Program last year and is now working as an English teacher in Japan. On the VGC blog she’d like to share her experience and story about her time in VGC’s TESL program.
Kanon’s Experience
My experience at TESL was very helpful and incredibly valuable. I have wanted to be an English teacher since junior high school and I am now learning about English education at my university. I have always wondered why Japanese schools don’t teach English in English. However, when I thought about it, I found that the teachers don’t know how to do that and they don’t have enough experience to do so. I first thought about TESL course at VGC when I was already there for 8 months. I was supposed to go back to Japan at the beginning of July. The course was for a month or five weeks if you wanted to do the practicum portion, so I knew that I couldn’t take it. But I also knew that it was going to be a precious experience for my study and could be an answer to my question. Therefore I extended my stay in Vancouver and took the course to learn and experience the practicum side of it as well.
The class was so much fun and our teacher always showed us how to teach properly. My classmates had so many interesting unique ideas. We inspired and sometimes cheered up each other by making classes together and sharing those moments. The teacher was amazing at entertaining and motivating us. He taught us with his attitude as a teacher and I know he is the best teacher I have ever met. In the practicum, everything was new to me and I had the hardest week in my life. My practicum teacher who was so supportive also challenged me, and I had written and made so many class plans. I struggled with it, but he made himself always available to answer my calls or messages to give me some advice. He helped me plan the classes every day after school. I am as grateful as I can’t explain with words.
Now, I am teaching English to many different generations and doing my research in the university. The experience in TESL course affects my life here so much, and mostly I feel confident when I write my resume for job hunting. Many people are not so familiar with this certification, they get interested and ask me what it is and what I learned. I am very proud that I can speak about this and tell people what I did with my intentions. By taking TESL course, I have learned not only teaching but to be brave even if things seem to be challenging. There is always someone who helps you. It could be your classmate, your teacher or your host family. I promise it will be worth it and it will give you many special things to your life.
Kanon Harui
Are you interested in teaching English abroad or in Canada?
VGC offers TESL programs in Vancouver on selected start dates throughout the year.
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