About me
Does anyone remember my claims of a separate section telling you who I am and what this blog it about? Well, it is here at last! You may also remember me suggesting that I would write something especially, and that the quick prose I knocked out when this blog first began would eventually be replaced by something a little better written. Well, that time hasn't come quite yet. A copy and paste of my comments from before is available below - enjoy.
My name is Craig Vanaman, and I have been born and raised in Dartford, Kent, in England. Apart from a 3 year stint in Exeter to study Computer Science, I had, until this year, been unable to escape from Dartford, and from England. Even working in London didn't seem to present as many easy options as I first thought.
Now I am living in Nagano prefecture, Japan, and working as an Assistant Language Teacher in Iizuna Junior High School. I teach about 15 to 17 classes a week, and at the moment the job is very challenging. I have no previous teaching experience, but you don't need it to apply for the JET scheme (the organisation that helped to send me out here), all you need is a degree and and the motivation to make the most of your time here. I don't want to spend ages talking about JET and the web site is very good, so if you have any questions please check there first.
My school is located in a town called Samizu, soon to be renamed Iizuna after the local mountain, and there are 409 pupils aged between 12 and 15. I love my kids already, from the first year Hoshi, who took me aside as i was leaving school on friday, ushered his friends away and then told me in broken english "I am... Hoshi.... ummm.... very... plea-sed to meet you", then ran off, to Mariko and Manami, who teach me Kanji and screamed very very loudly in the staff room yesterday when I remembered their names.
I want this site to be a way that my friends and family can keep in touch with what I am doing, and something for potential JETs to look at and get an idea of what it is like for me to live and work in Japan. Everyone's JET experience is different and subjective, but I hope this might be helpful.
My name is Craig Vanaman, and I have been born and raised in Dartford, Kent, in England. Apart from a 3 year stint in Exeter to study Computer Science, I had, until this year, been unable to escape from Dartford, and from England. Even working in London didn't seem to present as many easy options as I first thought.
Now I am living in Nagano prefecture, Japan, and working as an Assistant Language Teacher in Iizuna Junior High School. I teach about 15 to 17 classes a week, and at the moment the job is very challenging. I have no previous teaching experience, but you don't need it to apply for the JET scheme (the organisation that helped to send me out here), all you need is a degree and and the motivation to make the most of your time here. I don't want to spend ages talking about JET and the web site is very good, so if you have any questions please check there first.
My school is located in a town called Samizu, soon to be renamed Iizuna after the local mountain, and there are 409 pupils aged between 12 and 15. I love my kids already, from the first year Hoshi, who took me aside as i was leaving school on friday, ushered his friends away and then told me in broken english "I am... Hoshi.... ummm.... very... plea-sed to meet you", then ran off, to Mariko and Manami, who teach me Kanji and screamed very very loudly in the staff room yesterday when I remembered their names.
I want this site to be a way that my friends and family can keep in touch with what I am doing, and something for potential JETs to look at and get an idea of what it is like for me to live and work in Japan. Everyone's JET experience is different and subjective, but I hope this might be helpful.