The Accidental Teacher?

Teaching is what I do. Teaching is what I do to earn a living for myself and my family. I am a teacher at a school five days a week and a teacher at home the other two. I suppose I am a teacher at home everyday. Everyday I'm attempting to teach my son how to speak, how to have fun, how to walk and how to not throw and break everything he can get his hands on.

As I look back on my adult life, a younger Kevin could have never imagined himself becoming a teacher. I remember, while in my early twenties, my older brother graduating from an Education program and getting his first job as a teacher. I remember his tales of the classroom and I thought to myself, "I could never do what he does." Fast forward many years and here I am. A professional teacher with a teaching degree and a license. I never would have thought it.

What happened?

How did I become something I thought I could never do?

I suppose I knew fairly quickly that I liked teaching. My first class of young learners was in a city called Ilsan in South Korea. I was their language teacher and it was early 2002. After the initial few months of shock wore off (having a room full of six year olds run me ragged), I felt like this was a fun job. After all, I had been a performer (singer, actor, general clown) in years past and in a way, I was taking a stage everyday when I walked into that classroom. Everyday I was standing in front of a small audience and having to captivate and excite them. I had to hold their attention and entertain them. More importantly, I had to teach them something of value.

After some years of that I knew that teaching was the profession for me. I saved my money, applied to Education programs in Canada and eventually received my teaching credentials.

Now I am here in Japan doing what I think I do best. I'm teaching a group of intelligent and funny little people (I don't mean dwarves) everyday. There are of course ups and downs. Sometimes the downs can be really low and often the ups are very high.

As look at the future, I sometimes get more than a little down though. I am a Canadian who misses home. I want to take my skills and use them in classrooms in Canada. Sadly though, there seem to be too many people deciding to become teachers every year. I know that I will be able to find a classroom somewhere, but it probably won't be the place I want to go. Then again, maybe it will be! I think the next few years will lead me and my family down some very interesting and exciting paths for sure.

For the time being though, I am here, in Japan doing the think I know I am meant to do. I'm teaching.




Here are a couple of pictures from 2005 when I was teaching adult students at a school in downtown Seoul South Korea. I only taught adult learners for one year, but it was an enjoyable experience.




In the theme of teaching, the other day, while commuting home from school I thought about making a video tutorial. What could I make one about? The answer was clear. I make lots of videos on You Tube about Asian food. Why not make one about how to eat the stuff? Here is my first ever video tutorial, "How to use chopsticks."


You can find me on TWITTER: @jlandkev

You deserve to be angry when...

It recently dawned on me that it has been more than nine years since I left my life as a 3D modeler in the games industry, moved to Asia and became a teacher. There was of course, time for teacher’s college back in Canada thrown in there as well, but I have been in Asia for a long time.

The entire time I have been here I’ve worked in education. I’ve worked in both South Korea and Japan and as a teacher in private language schools and private international schools. I have dealt with many types of employers, students, parents and colleagues. I have had wonderful experiences and some that have been anything but wonderful!

While out for a walk this evening (a beautiful spring going on summer evening here in Kobe, Japan) I was thinking of my own experiences, those of former coworkers and stories I have heard from the hundreds of teachers I have met over the years.

Often I have met “angry” teachers in Asia. At times I have been an “angry” teacher. Sometimes I think you have every right to be angry. Others times, not so much!


As a teacher in Asia…

You DESERVE to be angry if:

1. Your school doesn’t pay you on payday! I have met too many people (including my wife) who have worked for a school that only paid them part of their salary or none at all come payday. There are many fly-by-night organizations in both Korea and Japan.

2. Your school hires you to work a certain schedule or teach certain grades and when you arrive in the country, they change everything at the last minute!

3. The company that hired you seems to be (or just is) completely disorganized.

4. Your coworkers are more concerned with partying than teaching (therefore coming into work every morning, hung over or possibly, still drunk!).

5. Your boss (often in Korea) pressures you to drink on a regular basis and when you explain to him that you don’t like drinking very much, you are mocked!

6. You have to deal with pushy mothers (of students) who have no background as educators, but think they know everything and want to dictate your teaching style.

7. Your school doesn’t support you when pushy mothers are pressuring you.

8. You’re told not to teach too much because the students might become bored. Just play with them and make them happy.

9. Your school has no curriculum.

10. Your school has no training mechanism in place for teachers (it sucks to learn under fire!).

11. Your school tries to convince you that it is perfectly ok for you to work there on a tourist visa (very illegal).

12. Your school fires you in the 11th month of your contract so they don’t have to pay your severance pay or give you a return airplane ticket. This happens from time to time in Korea. Often the school gives some bogus reason to fire you like, “The children were scared of you.” Or “ You weren’t kind.”




You DON’T deserve to be angry if…

1. Your school expects you to actually work! Your school is a business and they have spent a lot of money for you to come to Korea/Japan to work for them and help them earn money. They didn’t hire you so you could “have an amazing adventure and travel experience”!

2. Your school expects you to show up 10 minutes before work! Welcome to a job. Teachers in Canada/America/Australia or wherever definitely show up long before classes begin in the morning and leave long after those classes are over.

3. You don’t get paid for prep (preparation) time. Welcome to reality! The entire time you were in school as a students, your teachers didn’t get paid for prep time either. Teaching is a salaried gig.

4. You come to work hung over on a regular basis and your manager/head teacher gets angry with you. You are being paid a salary to teach. That means you are now a professional teacher. Act professional.

5. Your manager/head teacher is angry cause you came to work drunk. If you did that in a Canadian/American/British school you’d be fired faster than you can imagine. Your license would be revoked as well!

6. Your school expects you to work hard and teach.

7. You have singed your contract, come to Korea/Japan and then realize other teachers you meet earn more than you. Hey, you should have done more research! If your school offered you a certain salary and you accepted, you don’t really have the right to complain about it. Finish your contract and then move on to something else.

8. Your school doesn’t ant you to speak Korean or Japanese in the classroom. They did hire you after all to teach English. They are not paying your salary to practice the language of the country you are in!


Sometimes, teachers in Korea and Japan can have a reputation of being complainers. Sometimes those complaints are completely justified. Other times, not at all.


You can follow me on Twitter: @jlandkev

How Do You Battle Stress?

It's been a long school year and one that certainly brought its fair share of stress. As the year comes to an end (one week left in my school year) and vacation quickly approaches, I've been reflecting a lot.

I've been thinking about how I was able to cope with the hard times I had and also how I wasn't able to cope so effectively. I suppose I also began to think, not just about the past school year, but other periods of stress in life.

Stress is something we all must face from time to time. It can come from any direction and at times, when you least expect it. I suppose that what's important is how you deal with it.


Ways I've coped with stress over the years:

1. Avoidance: this is if course probably on of the least effective ways of dealing with things. Simply put your head in the sand and pretend everything is all right. While you avoid your problems though, they tend to grow. I've used this method many times, especially in my 20's. Nothing good ever came from it!

2. Vacations: In the past, getting away from things for a few days or weeks has often don the trick! It still does work.

3. Drinking: Often seems like a good idea, but normally ends up being the opposite. Having one or two drinks to unwind is one thing, but anything more than that can just lead to a headache, a lighter wallet, a nasty taste in your mouth and nothing solved (and often made worse) in the morning.

4. Running: An amazing way to release stress. Of course you release so many endorphins and lots of other fun physical benefits, but you have a lot of time to think. It’s also not just a regular way of thinking. Thinking while running a long distance can be so clear and concise that you actually can very easily work your way through problems.

5. Talking with friends and loved ones: This is of course a no brainer! There’s nothing better than unloading on friends and close family for advice and support.

6. Drastic life-altering change: My former life as a tech guy caused me a great deal of stress. What did I do to solve it? I quit my job as a 3D modeler in Canada and moved to South Korea to work as an English teacher! Many years later, I am now a professional teacher with my license and a passion for what I do!

7. Research: Getting online and trying to Google the way you feel and a way to make it better (probably not the most ideal way of dealing with stress).

8. Family Time: Now that I have a family, time with them, maybe a picnic or walk, makes almost anything better!

Stressed Much?

There are of course many other ways one can deal with stress. These are just a few things off the top of my head. Of course, just so all of you wonderful readers know, at the moment, I have very little stress in my life. Things are very good and I'm a pretty happy guy!

How do you deal with the stress you have to deal with? Leave a comment ☺

Follow me on Twitter: @jlandkev

Working Life in Japan and Elsewhere

Whether you work in Canada, the United States, Japan or any other country, it can be easy to find yourself falling into the trap of over work! I have been living in this world for more than a year now. Due to my job, a promotion last year, unforeseen recent circumstances and the fact that I teach on Saturdays as well, I am someone who simply works too much.

I put in what seems like a regular 9-5 day at work on paper, but in reality, it is quite different. I arrive at work in the morning and go flat out (no break whatsoever) until it is time to leave. The “office-time” work ends there, but the work at home and on the train doesn’t.

I suppose the five days a week is hard enough, but the additional Saturday workday makes for a week a 6-day workweek. That is really tough. One day off is not enough to recharge your burning out batteries. My six-day workweek has also put a damper on many things I had hoped to do this spring. One dream of mine was to run my first ultra marathon this spring. Two things threw me off the rails. I had a somewhat annoying knee injury and upon scanning several training routines, realized I need to do two long runs on weekends. Due to working Saturdays and having a family I want to spend time with, a Saturday long run would never be a reality!

So, where does this leave me? It leaves me tired and realizing that in the upcoming year I need to change things a little and make sure I have more time to be with my family (the most important thing there is) and for me to relax, unwind and make sure that I am a better teacher. I plan to work less and play more so to speak!

I have also been thinking a great deal about post-Japan work in Canada or abroad. Thoughts of the future of my teaching career are also mixed with daydreams of an independent working life.

Of course, you all know that I am quite a prolific new media content creator. I have a blog and two You Tube channels. I have thousands of subscribers/readers and have now turned my little hobby into a part time job. I do make some income through my blogging and vlogging now and am really excited about that. I love vlogging/blogging and building my social media network. It’s just plain fun. The fact that something so fun has become somewhat profitable for me makes me think about what it might be like to be a professional blogger!

I love the idea of being my own boss. I love the idea of being the captain of my own ship. I love the idea of not having to be folly to the bad decisions and planning of others. I know that am a hard-working and talented guy and I also know I have the ability to push myself towards a goal.

Now, that being said, I have never owned a business. I also can’t imagine how stressful it might be to “have” to write or vlog to pay the bills, but I think it would be cool! Again, I say this now, but first of all, I don’t have the audience size to make any of these dreams a reality and of course, I used to the stability of a steady monthly salary.

Nonetheless, the entrepreneurial spirit is alive in me. I know it is! We will have to see where things lead me in the future. I love writing, I love being in front of a camera and I love being in control of what I do!

Here is an amazing TED Talk video I recently saw about balancing your work life and REAL life!