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THE BASICS |
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WHO AM I? My name is Jamie Mackay and I am teaching English in Japan through the JET Program. I live in Aso town (pronounced disturbingly close to a*@ hole) which is located smack dab in the middle of the sourthernmost major Island of Japan known as Kyushu. The Aso area stakes a claim to the largest active volcanic caldera in the world (although there is some debate). This caldera is essentially a giant earthen wall that surrounds 5 towns and is split down the middle by mountains and an active volcano that constantly emits sulfuric smoke into the air. Here's a picture of the mountain range known as Aso san taken from my apartment window... |
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This town absolutely rocks! Its amazingly gorgeous throughout all four seasons and since it is in the middle of nowhere, it is very peaceful and relaxing. The people are extremely friendly here and know how to have a good time despite the lack of big city amenities. The people of Aso have taken me in and in a little over a year have made me feel like this is my home. |
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WHAT DO I DO? I teach English to Preschool, Elementary, and Junior High School kids at the public schools in my town. This amazing job was possible through the JET program. JET was organized by Japan's Ministry of Education and CLAIR |
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with the aim of bringing native English speakers to |
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Japan to assist with the English education of students and to bring Japan in line with other Asian nations' english proficiency level (as of 2004, Japan is still significantly lagging behind its asian neighbors). Every situation in JET is different and I believe that I am one of the more fortunate ones since my JTEs (Japanese Teachers of English) let me organize whole classes and listen to my input, whereas other JETs are simply used as living tape recorders. Many JETs are asked to speak English for pronunciation purposes only and have no real input on the way the classes are taught. Its a shame really. |
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WHERE DO I LIVE? I live in an area of Aso-town called Uchinomaki. My local Board of Education set me up in a great spacious (especially for Japan) apartment with an awesome view (see picture above). It is a typical Japanese apartment with... continued |
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