NNEST
Today we are going to interview Hami Suzuki. She is an
ESL instructor at the University of Hawaii English Language Program (HELP). She
holds an MA degree in Second Language Studies from the University of Hawaii
at Manoa. She has taught English in Japan,
Thailand, and Hawaii to different age
groups and proficiency levels. Her research interests include Second Language
Learning/Teaching, Extensive Reading and topics relating to identity and
language. Hami will be an instructor at INTO Oregon
State University
(Oregon State’s academic preparation program)
starting in September 2014.
Thank you, Hami, for being here today.
1 When did you start learning English?
Well, I began learning English at the age of six, when
I moved to Hawaii because of my
father’s job. I only knew a couple of words in English back
then, so I was put into an ESL class when I entered a public school.
I studied English with a teacher one-on-one, and I gradually
started to take the content-based courses with the mainstream
group.
2 So it was not such an easy task for you, was it? Did
you adopt any strategy to improve your English?
One of the biggest reasons why I improved English pretty quickly
might have been the extensive reading assignment I had for one of my
classes. In the beginning, I was motivated to read because I could
get fancy smiley face stickers for every book I read.
However, after
several books, I deeply fell in love with “reading”. It was to the
point where my mother had to take the book away from me because I would
keep on reading in the dark at night!
3 When did you realise you wanted to become an English
teacher?
When I attended Sophia
University in Tokyo. After Hawaii,
we moved to Finland and then
we moved to Tokyo
when I was 15 years old. In those days I felt like “I-don’t-know-where-I-belong”.
When I went to university, I met friends and professors who had similar backgrounds,
took applied linguistics classes, and discovered my passion to teach English. One of my friends
introduced me to a part-time job as an English tutor at an English language
school geared towards pre-school to high school students.
4 So, there began your experience as a teacher…
Yes. Although I was not confident about
teaching at first, I was lucky to have supportive mentors and
staff who guided me through my four years of teaching. My foundation for
teaching was established through these years. I discovered my
love for teaching , saw a glimpse of light of where I should be
heading, and learned to understand and accept myself as a bilingual.
I genuinely felt the joy to teach, as well as appreciating my
own abilities to help the learners find or pave their paths towards
their goals.
5 You are now an ESL Instructor at the Hawaii English
Language Program (HELP)
at the University
of Hawaii at Manoa. Could
you tell us some of the challenges you have faced?
I feel that some of the challenges I have had in this program may not have necessarily been “because I am
an NNEST (Non-Native English Speaker Teacher)”, but more so attributing to the fact that I was a novice
teacher. I think many novice and experienced teachers have had a
point in their teaching career when they
have struggled to create lesson plans and materials, felt anxious and excited about teaching
the class, or gained/lost confidence because of student
comments. I have experienced all of this, which is what makes me today a
passionate ESL instructor.
However, I do remember an unforgettable incident that happened on the first day of my first class at HELP.
I was assigned to teach a listening and speaking class for
beginners. I was excited about meeting my “first” students, and I
took hours thinking about icebreakers and activities to do in
class. On the first day of class, I walked into the classroom as
confidently as I could with a big smile on my face. The very first question
I received after I greeted them was, “Are you Japanese? Not
American?” with a suspicious look on the student’s face. As a novice teacher
back then, I felt self-conscious, anxious, and insecure in an instant.
Given my Asian appearance, I guess I did not fit into the
stereotypical “American” image. That one simple question made me feel as
though I had to prove to the students that I was as good as a native
speaker.
6 Did anyone help you with it? How?
Yes, fortunately, I have worked with many supportive administrators and colleagues,
who have helped me to understand that it is not what you
look like or what you sound like. Rather, it is what you can do with
the language and what you can bring into the classroom. That goes for
the students who come into the classroom too.
7 Some authors say that for example, in Japan, English learners should try to learn “Japanese English.”. Do
you think it is appropriate to integrate language awareness
activities in classes like those you teach at UH’s HELP? What variety of
English is appropriate for your students to set as their goal?
As an instructor, I think it is appropriate to integrate language awareness activities into IEP
classes if they are relevant to the course learning outcomes. Sometimes,
students at HELP bring up the topic of Hawaiian Creole English, or
locally known as “Pidgin”, without knowing it. I think their
realisation demonstrates the appropriateness of introducing this
topic to them. The mix and fluidity of languages in Hawaii is amazingly
beautiful, and it creates a localised knowledge that some
“community” members may only know (Canagarajah, 2005). For students
who are studying in Hawaii,
I believe it is appropriate that they
become aware of this local knowledge, as well as the varieties
of Englishes around the world. In reality, students are more likely to
engage in conversations with locals in Hawaii or people from different countries on
a daily basis. However, it is also true that these
students are expected to perform in class/university using “academic
English”, or “American English” as you mentioned in your question.
Having said that, in an IEP class/program that is situated in America, I feel it is difficult to determine
or set a certain variety of English to be a goal for the
students. As an instructor for students who are aiming to be matriculated
into an American university, I cannot ignore the expectation (i.e.
knowledge of “American English”) that the students will most likely
face. Nevertheless, as I mentioned earlier, language awareness
activities are appropriate and important in students’ lives beyond the
classroom.
8 What do you think of the Native/Non-native speaker dichotomy?
At one point in my career, I thought labelling myself as an NNEST was
saying that I was “inferior”, which is absolutely not true. After educating myself about this “dichotomy”, and
personally struggling to find an “answer”, I see it very differently. Labels
can blind people and cross out an individual’s characters, traits, and
qualifications. I have to admit that I was blinding myself at one
point in my career.
In the globalising world, the dimension of complexity within individuals is increasing. As
Higgins (2011) mentions, traditional assumptions of what it means to
belong to a particular race, nationality, or ethnicity are
constantly challenged. I feel that many individuals form their identities
among many cultural worlds, which have created hybridity and
diversity. Therefore, it is difficult, or maybe irrational, to claim that an
individual should be tightly linked with clear-cut national borders or
language. There are varieties of Englishes being spoken around the
world by many multilingual/multicultural
individuals. Ultimately, I hope that the dichotomy between NNES and NES will
not be an issue. Rather, the discussion should go beyond the
issue of the dichotomy. Seeing that
the topics of World Englishes and
EIL are becoming more prevalent, the dichotomy of NES and NNES seems to
oversimplify the richness that individuals bring into teaching.
9 Do you realise that NES teachers enjoy more privileges than NNES teachers in Japan
and in the States?
That is an interesting question to ask. As a “new” MA graduate, I have recently experienced and witnessed
the differences of how NES and NNES are treated in the job hiring
process. Truth be told, I have been eliminated from a list of job
applicants because I am an NNES. It is true that the native speaker fallacy
still thrives in Japan.
Some job applications list “must be a native
speaker” as one of the qualifications. As a passionate and
committed language instructor hoping to teach and collaborate with
other language teaching professionals, it is quite
disappointing to see and experience this prevalent discriminatory situation.
On the other hand, I personally feel that there is less dichotomy between NEST and NNESTs in the
States, especially in Hawaii
where it is very multicultural/multinational.
I have been lucky to work with the administrators at HELP, who
understand the strengths of having NNESTs as ESL instructors in this program.
Nevertheless, more professionals do need to be informed
and educated that being NES or NNES should not be a criterion for
judgment. In addition, students need to see through textbooks or
realise through their teachers that, in the real world, they will most
likely be using English to communicate with other NNES people.
Being multilingual is an asset.
10 You have presented in several conferences in and outside the United States. What were the conferences about? Have you ever faced any
problem?
I have presented at conferences in the States and Korea so far. I generally present on research and/or
pedagogical approaches to extensive reading, since that was my
focus while pursuing my MA degree. Unfortunately, I have not had the chance to present on
NNEST issues yet. I am writing proposals related to NNEST issues for future
conferences, so I hope to share that with you in the future.
One of the reasons why I have never presented on NNEST issues was because I had trouble positioning
myself while “researching”. A lot of the research that I do takes a
qualitative approach, which also means that it usually requires close
collaboration with the participants. I was worried that I would have biased
views and would take certain things personally.
11 But you have just said that you are writing proposals related to NNEST
issues for future conferences… What changed your mind?
Yes [laughs]. My perspective greatly changed after attending the 2014 TESOL Convention
in Portland. I
met many NNEST presenters presenting on NNEST
issues. Their presentations were sending out powerful messages, which
sparked my interest and motivation to become a part of this
discussion and research, too. It proved to me how empowering it can
be to have our voices heard. I also “stumbled” into the NNEST IS
meeting, and discovered how actively the members were contributing to the
issues related to NNESTs. Now, one of my goals is to be able to contribute
to this discussion very soon.
12 So, to conclude this interview we could say that
mates and experienced teachers have helped and inspired you along your career…
Absolutely yes.
Thank you very much, Hami, for your attention and your
answers.
