Keith Hoy
(1987-89)
Perhaps you heard of the phrase: "You can take the boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy." Replacing the word "country" with the acronym "LIOJ" would best describe my attachment to this institution. It's been a while since I last set foot at LIOJ, but every time I remember this place, it brings back fond memories. Although most of my memories are about work, I would also like to focus on a couple of the lighter moments that many teachers can relate to. Lastly, I want to talk about my life after LIOJ in terms of its significance to my career.
I came to LIOJ from Canada in the summer of 1987. I remember my first day in Japan because of that long journey from Narita airport to Odawara. It was a very muggy day but I made it up that hill to Asia Center. At Asia Center, I met a couple instructors who were in the teachers' lounge partaking in an LIOJ tradition, which was watching videos and munching on cheese toast. As I would later find out, these two activities definitely filled the void between teaching classes and writing up student evaluations. In fact, my knowledge of movies and my love for cheese toast reached its peak during the late 1980's. Another interesting part of my LIOJ life were all the Asia Center umbrellas that seemed to have piled up in my apartment. As one instructor said, "If it's raining in Odawara and you need an umbrella, go to Keith's place." For the record, I have returned every single Asia Center umbrella. If any of you were wondering what they looked like, they were bright yellow with black lettering which said in Japanese: "Property of Asia Center"!
Since I came to LIOJ with little teaching, or even working experience, I greatly benefited from the professional opportunities that this institution offered me. I taught in both the Community and the intensive Business English Programs. The range of students was certainly challenging as I taught children, high school students, housewives, businessmen, and adults (including those in the Matsushita Program). My fondest memory at LIOJ was working with Don Maybin and Sherri and Eric Arbogast in the Community Program. Specifically I remember the good times we had putting together the team teaching project at Kamonomiya Junior High School, as well as the production of a children's educational video called "Captain Keith." Another rewarding aspect of working at LIOJ was the international contacts I made. As an editorial board member for Cross Currents, as well as a participant in the annual Summer Workshops, I managed to meet fellow ESL/EFL professionals from all over the world.
The experience I gained during my two-year stint at LIOJ has served me well in my graduate studies (MATESL from SIT) as well as my subsequent teaching posts in Tokyo, Vancouver, and Hiroshima. Another pleasant fact is that no matter where I have gone throughout my career, I've always run into former LIOJ teachers and workshop presenters. I am currently an associate professor in the Department of Language and Culture at Suzugamine Women's College in Hiroshima. Many of the lessons that I teach at this college incorporate elements that I learned at LIOJ, such as, Rapid Fire Questions, Control Strategies and Rod City. I owe a lot to LIOJ, and I wish it continued success in the years to come.
April 2002
Top |
Copyright (c) Language Institute of Japan (LIOJ) / 日本外語教育研究所 |  Back |