Teacher Seminar in Aomori

I'm writing this in a room of the JAL City Hotel in Aomori City. Aomori City is the capital of Aomori Prefecture which is the north-most prefecture of the main island of Japan. It's before 8:00 a.m. In about a couple of hours I will be talking to 85 public high school English teachers. In 2003 the ministry of education, science, and technology stipulated English proficiency standards for them. Fifteen years have passed since then. Some have not reached any of these standards yet. The purpose of my seminar today is to motivate them to take action to reach one of the standards.

I genuinely believe that all teachers are capable of achieving the goal. The only reason, I presume, that they haven't done so yet is because they have had other priorities, whatever they may be. That the administrative body organizes an event like this to invite the teachers to remind them of the importance of proving their proficiency in terms of some kind of standardized test is enough to let them know that it's a priority.

My approach is three-fold. One, I am going to tell them a story to illustrate that I was once in their shoes. I will do this to connect with the audience.

Two, I am going to make them believe that achieving the goal is doable.

Three, I am going to show them how to do it and make them want to try it by doing a series of activities together which take them from "can't do" to "can do".

My closing message to the audience today is that a teacher making life-long endeavor to improve her English skills is the best role model for her students.

I believe the message will reach their heart.