Erin Hutchinson

October 23, 2015

Teaching: In the Classroom and Beyond

Whoever said teaching isn't rocket science is right: it's much harder. How do you navigate a classroom when the students' first language and culture are different than your own? How do you cater to the students' varying levels of English proficiency while creating interactive and engaging lessons? How do you connect lessons on persuasive writing and grammar to real world issues, such as gender equality and race?

This past summer, Erin worked as the English Department Intern at Tokyo Woman's Christian University. Every day posed different challenges and opportunities to engage with students. Her goal was to help students improve their English speaking and writing skills and to engage them in cross-cultural communications. She tutored students individually and conducted writing and presentation workshops. In addition, she co-taught English classes and facilitated dialogues on gender identity, women's rights and LGBTQ rights. Their learning continued beyond the classroom as those conversations carried over late into the night, during field trips on weekends and continue today, despite the fact that they’re an ocean away.

Teaching isn't easy, but Erin wouldn't consider any other career.