When writing alum Leah Skay was about to graduate, she didn’t imagine she’d be heading to Japan. She discovered the application for the Japanese Exchange and Teaching Program (JET) and figured it couldn’t hurt to apply. To her disbelief, she got the job and moved to Japan as a new assistant language teacher for middle schoolers in the northern city of Kurihara. During the school day, Leah helps model speech, corrects students’ written English, and works with them on written exercises.
Leah is immensely grateful for the opportunity to experience teaching firsthand. “Watching the students get excited when they succeed is the best part,” she says. While at IC, Leah apprenticed for writing professor Katie Marks, assisting with a class where she learned how to be patient with students, a skill that aids her when dealing with children who can get frustrated or nervous during their studies. Although the language barrier makes it difficult to communicate at times, Leah doesn’t give up. She received a Christmas card from one of her students thanking her for understanding them. Even if the students’ English is less than perfect, their discipline and authenticity make her job rewarding.
Leah plans to teach for another year. Meanwhile she’ll continue writing and building a portfolio of published pieces. Her long story “Social Creatures” was a finalist for a contest at Iron Horse Literary Review. Leah’s goal is to publish while working as a fiction or nonfiction editor.