Hello everyone! I'm Meg, living in Taiwan.

It's been so hot lately! What kind of food do you crave when it's hot outside? For me, it's definitely "Umeboshi" (Japanese pickled plums)! That sour taste is just irresistible. Let me know your favorite summer foods too!

Now, back to where we left off. Why on earth did I end up facing a "storm of complaints" at my very first language school job...?

The simple answer is... "The Chinese Language Trap" (sob).

When I was first hired, the staff at the school told me: "To help students improve their Japanese, please conduct the entire class in Japanese only. Try not to use Chinese!"

Thinking, "Ah, okay! Direct method teaching!", I foolishly believed them and prepared my entire lesson plan strictly in Japanese.

...Little did I know. There was a trap hidden within the language school's "placement system."

Even though I was told it was an "N3 level class," the students' actual proficiency... was nowhere near N3 yet (sob)! (Well, to be fair, this kind of misplacement happens all the time in language schools... haha)

In other words, an all-Japanese lesson was way too difficult for them—it was absolute torture. What they desperately needed was clear explanations in Chinese.

...I was doomed.

At the time, my Chinese was nowhere near good enough to explain complex grammar points.

I somehow managed to sweat through and finish the lesson, but the result was, predictably... a total storm of complaints!

What shocked me even more was what the school staff told me afterwards:

"Well, if you explain everything in Japanese, there's no way the students can understand! Please think a bit more when you teach, okay?"

...Wait.

...WHAT??? (angry)

I was ready to snap: "THAT'S NOT WHAT YOU TOLD ME AT FIRST!!!" (haha). But realizing that my own lack of experience was also part of the problem, complaining wouldn't solve anything.

From that day on, I started seriously brainstorming a brand-new teaching method incorporating Chinese.

How did I overcome this "storm of complaints" and crazy situation...? I'll reveal my solution in the next column, so stay tuned!

☕️ A Little Note from Meg "Classic overseas moment—when reality contradicts what you were told! haha" "I totally get the pickled plum thing! Sour food is the best in summer!" I'd love to hear your thoughts and reactions! Because I personally experienced the struggles of language barriers and teaching failures, I truly understand what learners go through. Let's enjoy a fun chat in my Free Talk lesson!