Amen to Willie Taylor's Jan. 26 letter, "Can't defend a broken system." What of stressed out teachers who dread entering a classroom? It's sort of like the First World War soldier in the British trenches going "over the top" to face the enemy! A modern teacher has to be something of a lion tamer, a drill instructor and a counselor all at once, and a censor.
At Waseda's Honjo high school, I spent a few minutes of each class period collecting manga from students who could not resist reading their weekly comic while ignoring the classroom lesson. I also provided a wakeup service for students who fell asleep during an ESL video so that they wouldn't miss their next class.
And rarely was I referred to as Mr. McKinney. More often the kids just shouted, "There's goes the gaijin".
I blame the parents, not the kids. Much of the same classroom collapse can be seen in America today.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.
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