Today was a great day at work. First, I taught a group of really good kids, which is a rare surprise for me. I taught two lessons with high level students, had voice class (which didn’t work very well), and then got to spend one lesson observing one of the new teachers.
As part of NOVA’s on the job training, lessons taught by new teachers are observed by experienced teachers. This is good for the new teacher because they get feedback and advice. This is also good for the experienced teacher because they don’t have to prepare a lesson.
Out of the current training class of new teachers, nobody owned a watch. A watch or other timepiece is fairly critical when you are trying to get through a lesson plan in exactly 40 minutes. Knowing the time is also pretty important for living in a society where punctuality is valued.
I mean, seriously, who doesn’t own a watch?
(2014 update) The original post was written at a time before the proliferation of smartphones. I am sure that many people do not own watches these days. However, I would still recommend them for teaching English. Occasionally glancing at a watch looks far more professional than checking the time on your phone in front of students.
Drinking in Japan 