Yesterday I once again taught my monthly class to the new employees in the production group. These guys (and one girl) are hired right out of high school, have elected not to go to college, and will be factory workers building trains at our factory in Hyogo. They are being taught English by the HR department once a week, and then once a month I go in and teach a class. Each month someone gives me a topic, and then I give it a go and try to get them to learn it in class, using only English. Sometimes it is a hit, and sometimes it is a miss.
Yesterday was a miss. The students had trouble paying attention, even basic English phrases like “I don’t understand” were forgotten (probably since they have no opportunity to use them in the months between my classes), and overall I wasn’t satisfied with the results of the course. If it were up to me, I’d say that there are some major changes to the format of the class that should be made.
My last class with them is next month, so maybe after the beginning of next year I’ll take it up with the powers that be, and try to make some changes. Making changes to something like this, especially in a one hundred year old Japanese company, is like trying to change the change the course of a river – something best done gradually over a long time period.
