Chapter 3: The ‘Half-Visible’ Teacher: Experiences of a Hong Kong Canadian English Teacher in Japan by Jackson Koon Yat Lee
Abstract
In English education in Japan, there has been a historical tendency to view foreign teachers of a specific race and/or ethnicity favorably as representatives of the target language and culture, regardless of their individual ability to teach. These discriminatory biases have unfortunately hindered other groups of teachers from fully embracing their identity, sometimes resulting in self-perceptions synonymous with the phenomenon of impostor syndrome. In this chapter, the author adopts an autoethnographic approach to illustrate his professional experiences as a Hong Kong Canadian through different stages of his English teaching career in Japan which include team teaching, English conversation schools, and university teaching. It demonstrates how the clash between his identity as a non-Japanese Asian teacher and the idealized image of the native English-speaking teacher in Japan had haunted him during each stage of his career. The latter sections of the chapter focus on the conclusions reached by the author after almost a decade of struggling with these identity complexes, as well as suggestions for changes and actions to positively move forward from these complexes and contribute meaningfully to society.
About the Contributor
Jackson Koon Yat Lee is a Hong Kong Canadian who is currently a specially-appointed lecturer at Toyo University in Tokyo. He completed his MA in TESOL and applied linguistics at the University of Leicester. He also served as the Chair of the Diversity, Equity,Inclusion Committee of the Japan Association for Language Teaching (JALT). His research interests include intercultural communication, diversity in ELT, and the Japanese English education system.
Citation
Lee, J. K. Y. (2023). The ‘half-visible’ teacher: Experiences of a Hong Kong Canadian English teacher in Japan. In G. P. Glasgow (Ed.), Multiculturalism, language, and race in English education in Japan: Agency, pedagogy, and reckoning (pp. 97–113). Candlin & Mynard ePublishing. https://doi.org/10.47908/26/3
In English education in Japan, there has been a historical tendency to view foreign teachers of a specific race and/or ethnicity favorably as representatives of the target language and culture, regardless of their individual ability to teach. These discriminatory biases have unfortunately hindered other groups of teachers from fully embracing their identity, sometimes resulting in self-perceptions synonymous with the phenomenon of impostor syndrome. In this chapter, the author adopts an autoethnographic approach to illustrate his professional experiences as a Hong Kong Canadian through different stages of his English teaching career in Japan which include team teaching, English conversation schools, and university teaching. It demonstrates how the clash between his identity as a non-Japanese Asian teacher and the idealized image of the native English-speaking teacher in Japan had haunted him during each stage of his career. The latter sections of the chapter focus on the conclusions reached by the author after almost a decade of struggling with these identity complexes, as well as suggestions for changes and actions to positively move forward from these complexes and contribute meaningfully to society.
About the Contributor
Jackson Koon Yat Lee is a Hong Kong Canadian who is currently a specially-appointed lecturer at Toyo University in Tokyo. He completed his MA in TESOL and applied linguistics at the University of Leicester. He also served as the Chair of the Diversity, Equity,Inclusion Committee of the Japan Association for Language Teaching (JALT). His research interests include intercultural communication, diversity in ELT, and the Japanese English education system.
Citation
Lee, J. K. Y. (2023). The ‘half-visible’ teacher: Experiences of a Hong Kong Canadian English teacher in Japan. In G. P. Glasgow (Ed.), Multiculturalism, language, and race in English education in Japan: Agency, pedagogy, and reckoning (pp. 97–113). Candlin & Mynard ePublishing. https://doi.org/10.47908/26/3
Information About the Book
Title: Multiculturalism, Language, and Race in English Education in Japan: Agency, Pedagogy, and Reckoning
Editor: Gregory Paul Glasgow
Publication date: March 2023
Read more...
Title: Multiculturalism, Language, and Race in English Education in Japan: Agency, Pedagogy, and Reckoning
Editor: Gregory Paul Glasgow
Publication date: March 2023
Read more...