Age: 25
Location: Dunedin
Japanese Study: Degree in Japanese (language and culture) and Politics through Otago University.
Many people who graduated with Anna have gone on to tourism jobs, mainly in Queenstown, in which they use their Japanese language ability to converse with and help tourists. After completing her study, Anna traveled to Hokkaido in Japan for a year (2003-2004) with the JET Programme. There she taught English at seven different High Schools, some Primary Schools and also did some private English tutoring to the City Hall employees.
Learning Japanese at college and university levels opened a pathway for Anna allowing her to see more of the world and to meet new people. Having insight into a culture different to her own has helped her to better understand her own culture and people.
This experience led Anna to want to teach Japanese to more New Zealanders and to help open their eyes to a fascinating culture very different to our own. She is currently studying at Dunedin College of Education with the aim of teaching in Primary and/or Intermediate Schools in New Zealand.
During her teaching practicum's, Anna has taught Japanese alongside Primary School teachers using the Learning Languages Series Japanese course Hai! An introduction to Japanese. This course is designed for years 7 and 8 students, and supports the Japanese in the New Zealand Curriculum achievement objectives for level 1 and level 2. Anna found her Japanese language knowledge very valuable in helping New Zealand teachers of Japanese with correct pronunciation and to provide the children with quality learning.
Through learning another language, Anna also has improved her knowledge of her own language. She feels she will now also be a better English teacher as she has more of an insight into the irregularities of the English language and of the complicated nature of our grammar rules. She feels that now she will be able to understand what ESOL students go through, to be more welcoming to people new to New Zealand and to show more compassion to people learning to speak English.
(Profiled by Amelia Whiting, 2006)