Starting my "Making a Difference" project, I realized that getting students to come up with themes that addresses problems was going to be difficult.

This isn't a Japanese Language issue. I had one student come to me saying that he chose "Garbage Disposal" as his theme and said that he was going to make posters telling people not to litter. I then asked about his theme:

"I think Tokyo has a garbage disposal problem ", he said.
"What do you think the problem is? not enough recycling? ", I asked.
"Uh, I don't know", he replied.
"Is there a garbage disposal problem around where you live? "
"No. "
"Did you see something about it on the news? "
"No. I don't really know what the problem is. "

What was I going to do. At this rate we weren't going to make any progress.

I told him that he first has to start with defining what is Tokyo's garbage disposal problem.

"Okay, I'll go look it up on Tokyo's web page", he said.

The first step is to have them compile their facts. Before finding the small lettered English word translations here and there, I want them to notice the Japanese, and learn from there.

"Sensei, there are just too many kanji. I can't read them! ", students complain. To those who are about to give up, I try to encourage them, "There are also a lot of kanji that we studied in there. "

It's opportunities like this that I have them try to guess the meanings. Of course, there are vocabulary that are essential to the overall meaning of the text, and in these cases I have them prepare vocabulary lists, but outside of this, I have them guess the meaning from the context. I encouragingly guide the students while they cautiously make their way through. Their expression changes as they gradually understand the contents. In the end, they get the information they need.

"See, you didn't need to read all the kanji to get the important points", I say.

Each day, I don't know what type of problems I will face. It's a bit scary, but enjoyable at the same time. There isn't a fail safe set of tracks that I can just roll out my lesson plan on, rather, I am riding upon the students' tracks. It's fulfilling to see how I can help them on their journey. They also make me think about many different problems. Next time, when a student asks me why I became a teacher, I will answer, "Because it's fun to think together with you! "