Chapter 5. Neither, Both, and Becoming a Teacher: The Unseen Hard Work Behind ‘Having It Easy’
Sachiko Nakagome
Abstract
This chapter details Sachiko’s experiences attending American public schools, Japanese weekend schools, and full-time Japanese schools, and how each environment affected her language abilities; cultural identity; her view of the world; and relationships with friends, family and teachers. Detailed stories of feeling lost and confused, facing racism and violence, and feeling ostracized or taken advantage of hopefully offer useful insight into what attitudes or actions by teachers and parents were helpful or not. Some of her experiences are unique to being raised in the 1970s and 80s and show how society has changed (or not!). The first half culminates in how she ultimately accepted her cultural identity after a 20-year struggle. The latter half of the chapter describes her classroom activities and attitudes as a teacher based on lessons learned during her childhood.
About the author
Sachiko Nakagome 中込幸子 has been a translator and writer for more than 30 years. She has translated for the Asahi Shimbun, Nikkei Shimbun, and other companies, and written over 100 essays and articles for the Asahi Weekly. Since obtaining an MA in Education from Temple University Japan in 2013, she has been teaching Journalism, Translation skills, Interpreting skills, and general English classes at multiple universities in the Kanto region as an adjunct lecturer. For her work in the academic year 2024, she won the “Best Teaching Award Plus One” (voted by students) at Komazawa University. She also won the Gold Apple Award for excellence in volunteer services from the New York City Mayor’s Office in 2001.
Citation
Nakagome, S. (2026). Neither, both, and becoming a teacher: The unseen hard work behind ‘having it easy.’ In A. Minematsu, R. Ikeda, & M. Yazaki (Eds.), Beyond kikokushijo: Teaching English in Japan after growing up between languages and cultures (pp. 102–122). Candlin & Mynard. https://doi.org/10.47908/47/5
This chapter details Sachiko’s experiences attending American public schools, Japanese weekend schools, and full-time Japanese schools, and how each environment affected her language abilities; cultural identity; her view of the world; and relationships with friends, family and teachers. Detailed stories of feeling lost and confused, facing racism and violence, and feeling ostracized or taken advantage of hopefully offer useful insight into what attitudes or actions by teachers and parents were helpful or not. Some of her experiences are unique to being raised in the 1970s and 80s and show how society has changed (or not!). The first half culminates in how she ultimately accepted her cultural identity after a 20-year struggle. The latter half of the chapter describes her classroom activities and attitudes as a teacher based on lessons learned during her childhood.
About the author
Sachiko Nakagome 中込幸子 has been a translator and writer for more than 30 years. She has translated for the Asahi Shimbun, Nikkei Shimbun, and other companies, and written over 100 essays and articles for the Asahi Weekly. Since obtaining an MA in Education from Temple University Japan in 2013, she has been teaching Journalism, Translation skills, Interpreting skills, and general English classes at multiple universities in the Kanto region as an adjunct lecturer. For her work in the academic year 2024, she won the “Best Teaching Award Plus One” (voted by students) at Komazawa University. She also won the Gold Apple Award for excellence in volunteer services from the New York City Mayor’s Office in 2001.
Citation
Nakagome, S. (2026). Neither, both, and becoming a teacher: The unseen hard work behind ‘having it easy.’ In A. Minematsu, R. Ikeda, & M. Yazaki (Eds.), Beyond kikokushijo: Teaching English in Japan after growing up between languages and cultures (pp. 102–122). Candlin & Mynard. https://doi.org/10.47908/47/5
Information About the Book
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Title: Beyond Kikokushijo: Teaching English in Japan After Growing Up Between Languages and Cultures
Editors: Edited by Aiko Minematsu, Risa Ikeda, and Maki Yazaki Publication date: September 20th, 2026 Read more...Read more... |