I was an Assistant English Teacher (AET) in Minoh from 1997 to 2007, and during that time, I worked at three different junior high schools, six elementary schools, and made regular visits to local kindergartens.
Together with the other AETs from New Zealand, I attended numerous cultural events, including Kiwi camps, Rotary Club evenings, Sunday English conversation classes, and more. Working in Minoh was more than just a job. It was full immersion into a wonderful culture and the experience of living in a vibrant city possessing many of the same qualities as my hometown of Lower Hutt.
When I arrived in Minoh all those years ago, the Hutt City- Minoh exchange programme was still finding its feet. However, due to the dedication of Mayor Takashi Hashimoto, the sister-city relationship flourished, and awareness built among local citizens of both Minoh and Lower Hutt. As AETs, we were proud to represent Lower Hutt and New Zealand, and we were fortunate to be there at a time when there was an incredibly pro-active local government led by a mayor who loved New Zealand. His wife, Setsuko Hashimoto promptly took us under her wing and made the transition very smooth for us. To this day, she has remained a dear friend, and we felt it deeply when she lost her beloved husband. Visiting the Takashi Hashimoto Memorial Walk in Lower Hutt, dedicated to this great man, further reinforces the fact that what he nurtured will never be forgotten.
Some of my best memories of Minoh include walking up to the breathtaking waterfalls (Minoh Taki) in autumn when the maple leaves blazed with their fiery colours. Being accosted by monkeys along the way added to the excitement. Overlooking the city from the vantage point of the Minoh Hotel was an additional reminder of the influence this small, but significant corner of the universe had on my life. To this day, I carry with me the beauty, culture, and warmth of the people in my heart.
A couple of years ago, I visited Minoh, and I was struck by how little seemed to have changed on the surface. I then met up with Kazunari Maeda, another person instrumental in the promotion of the Hutt-Minoh relationship. He accompanied me to the new MAFGA headquarters, and I was delighted and impressed at how the relationship and awareness had developed since my time there. Maeda san`s daughter, Miho, who I remember as a very cute and genki five year old when I was there, is currently doing great things in New Zealand and has become an honorary Kiwi in the process. This proves that the work that was done in the early days has been far-reaching and successful.
As for our students, I sincerely hope that what we, as AETs, contributed in the classroom has served them well in their lives. Team- teaching was a relatively new concept for the Japanese teachers of Minoh, but steps were being taken to establish a strong and confident teaching staff who were sufficiently equipped to implement an effective English curriculum. Students were not accustomed to the emphasis on oral English at first, but over the years we could see the progress the students made, especially when they began learning English at elementary school. Our goal was to “internationalise” the students and help them become comfortable using English while also learning about other cultures.
The diversity of the AETs was also an accurate reflection of the make-up of the New Zealand population. We were all from the same area, but within our small group, there were several different cultures, languages, lifestyles, and ways of thinking. This could only be a positive thing for our students to see, and this is the beauty of our country, New Zealand. We have all moved on in our lives, but I don`t think any of us will ever forget that very special time when we all came together with a common goal.
For myself, I have taken all I learned in Minoh and applied it in many other areas of my life. I now teach in Taiwan, and I am a better teacher as a result of what Minoh has taught me.
I have so many people to thank for the opportunity I was given, and I realise this was a unique chance that didn`t come around often. I encourage the current AETs and their successors to keep building on what has been established and to go into the position with open hearts and minds. Minoh is a special place, and I will always feel connected to it wherever I happen to be.