My Story: Teacher Alonzo

What is your background?

I was born and raised in the area of San Francisco in the United States. I graduated from Sacramento State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Kinesiology. As a kid, I always enjoyed playing many kinds of sports such as basketball, baseball, soccer, and golf. Being able to move and be physically active are some of the things that I consider to be very important for my health to this very day. Fortunately enough, my love for athletics has afforded me the opportunity to organize several basketball, badminton, volleyball, and futsal games in the Tokyo area as well. As an organizer, I have been able to foster so many friendships and connections with so many people from all around the world which has truly been life changing for me. Along with athletics, I also enjoy creating Hip Hop music in my spare time as well. From my days of high school, I have created songs with family members and friends that I have met throughout my life. The process of being able to craft and create something that comes to life from a blank state is something that I hold dear to my heart, and I will forever treasure in my life. To be able to express yourself in a way that you can only think of is quite special to me. Some of the efforts and strides that I have made in music has also allowed me to perform several concerts around Tokyo featuring not only just myself, but also other live bands as well.

Why did you become a professional English teacher?

I decided to become a professional English teacher because I wanted to be in the position of being able to leave an impression on the next generation of people so that they will be well-equipped with the necessary skills and tools required to be leaders in the world of tomorrow. I feel that the Education industry is heavily responsible for shaping and molding the youth of tomorrow. As a member of this industry, I would like to be involved in the effort to polish the skills of the next generation and beyond.
In this new age that we live in, the world is rapidly changing at a level which has never been witnessed throughout human history. As a professional English teacher, I feel that it is my duty to do my very best to prepare the youth for a future in which they will have a better chance of achieving success, prosperity, and happiness when they come of age.

How did you get to know Everest?

I found out about Everest when I was searching for this position on the internet. At the time, I was in search of working at a place that held English teachers to a high standard and a comfortable, healthy, and safe working environment. After the interview, I remember coming to the school for the first time and being greeted by an assistant who was there to guide me through the next steps of the application process. The steps required to become a professional English teacher at Everest was quite rigorous but worthwhile at the same time. From the very first day, I was able to see up close how lessons were conducted by some of the more experienced teachers that were already there. I was quite amazed to see the process both teachers and students went through during the lesson. It was something that I have never seen done before in a classroom setting. I was so shocked, yet quite intrigued by the process. From that day on, I wanted to learn as much as could about the way of teaching at Everest. So, I studied as much as I could about the different methods of teaching Everest was alluding to in their manuals. As a current Professional English teacher at Everest English School, I’m still learning so many things about being a teacher here. But the amount of experience that I have received from teaching here up until this point has been quite eye-opening to say the least.

Why do you work at Everest?

I decided to work at Everest English School because I took such a liking to their philosophy as a school. In the United States where I am from, I realized that the educational system determined your value as a student based on how well you were able to perform on tests and quizzes. Although I was able to perform well in these areas, I would somehow have the feeling that I wasn’t able to fully retain what I learned from most of the subjects that I was learning throughout that period. One example subject that I can attest to was the Spanish class that I was enrolled in for three years during my time in high school. From an academic standpoint, I performed exceptionally well in the class by achieving high scores on a variety of quizzes, tests, and exams. So, if I was able to attain academic success in a course like Spanish, then I should be able to speak Spanish very well, right? As you could imagine, this was not the case. By focusing on a solely textbook, writing, and reading method of education, I could do well on written Spanish examinations. However, when it came to using the language on an everyday basis which included speaking, listening, and having conversations; I was completely unable to perform any of these from a competent level. Now as a resident of Japan, I began to realize that the same thing is true of the educational system in Japan as well. Once I realized that the issue of language learning was not only an issue in the United States, but also in Japan, I wanted to be part of the solution for language learners and not the problem that has been plaguing the English teaching industry in Japan for so long. As a professional English Teacher, language learning must be presented applicably and practically to the learner so that they can use the language in their daily lives. At Everest English School, I feel that young learners can gain this valuable experience.

How do you work?

My teaching philosophy is deeply rooted in participation and making the young learner feel involved and engaged during the lesson. My goal for every lesson that I teach is for the lesson to not feel like a lesson. But rather a moment of time in which the learner is able to have fun and enjoy their learning experience. If it is necessary, I will sometimes exhibit elements of unpredictability in the lesson if they seem to be disengaged by perhaps asking them a strange question or maybe starting an impromptu activity.
As it relates to the origins of my teaching philosophy, I will never forget the one teacher that has shaped the way that I teach my students to this very day. My Elementary school teacher truly instilled in me the belief that I could become anything that I wanted to be. His classes were always engaging, fun, and quite enlightening as well. I can honestly say that I had some of the best times of my life in his classes. To add on, I had some of the happiest moments of my life thanks to this teacher. The way I felt about this teacher is the exact feeling I would like my students to have when they take my lessons.
But above all else, I am very patient with students if they are unable to grasp or comprehend a concept. In this situation, I am willing to do whatever it takes to explain and to show the young learner the meaning of the concept they are trying to find an understanding for. If there is ever any answer to a question I am not aware of, I will do everything in my power to find the answer. As a teacher, I will not rest and be satisfied with lackluster effort from my students as well. I will expect my students to give me an exceptional amount of effort since I feel that I am doing the same. If you ask me to choose between a student who is a gifted genius that lacks effort and a student that is not a genius but gives great effort; I will take the student that exudes the best effort every single time. The expression “Hard work beats talent” cannot be stated enough. This is a quote that I live by, and it is something that I have witnessed to be true time and time again.

Preparing an online lesson.

Why do you keep working with Everest?

Throughout my time at Everest English school, I have come to realize that Everest is a progressive and ever-changing work environment that takes on a non-traditional approach to learning. For me, working in this type of environment has been nothing but exciting, interesting, and a breath of fresh air from the typical work environment. One of the most surprising things that I experienced at Everest is how much the teachers rely so much upon I.T. in and out of the workplace. I feel that Everest English school is a model workplace for the future and beyond. With the utilization of technological devices and telecommunication, Everest makes itself stand out from other workplaces. In addition to the progressive work environment here at Everest, the coworkers are also quite a joy to be around as well. Everyone is kind, understanding, and thoughtful to each other in the workplace which makes working at Everest even more enjoyable. The kindness and thoughtfulness that is exuded by the coworkers at Everest is also rivaled by their strong willingness to help each other out in various situations simply because it is the right thing to do. Last but not least, the students at Everest must also be mentioned as well. The level of excitement and energy they bring to the lessons makes the lesson fun already in itself. One of my favorite parts of teaching at Everest is the very beginning of the lesson. At the beginning of the lesson, we can connect to students by having a short conversation or participating in some kind of activity. After having several lessons and getting to know the student, you would be surprised to learn about what activities and interests that your students have. For myself, I was blown away by one of my students that told me about how their hobby was collecting pencils, which is something I never heard of anyone doing before.
When it comes down to it, I feel that the combination of the progressive work environment along with an amazing support staff, coworkers, and students makes working here at Everest truly worthwhile.

What is the happiest moment here?

The happiest moment I had here at Everest was when I came across a student that was struggling with the language learning process. From the very first lesson, the student was struggling to formulate complete sentences when they were prompted to respond to several questions that I was asking them. However, after getting to know the student and repeatedly guiding the student to respond more appropriately in our lessons, the student managed to speak in complete sentences from the time he started his studies at the school. To be able to see the amount of progress that this student made from his time in Everest up until now made me so happy to see how far this student has come in their journey. But above all else, I was more excited to see how much more this student would be able to progress in their journey of learning the English language.

What is your dream?

As I stated before, I decided to become a Professional English teacher at Everest English school so I could play a hand in giving the tools to the next generation and beyond. To put everything into perspective, it is my dream to be able to inspire and cultivate the youth so that they can be instilled with the belief that they can be the leaders of the world of tomorrow. That they can truly do whatever they want or become whatever they wish to be in life if they just simply possess the belief in self. If we are not the ones that are able to find an answer to end the many issues that plague this world, then perhaps that one person exists amongst the next generation of learners. If this is the case, I believe we as educators must be able to well-equip our young learners with the wisdom, self-confidence, skills, and compassion they need to take on these challenges that we will ultimately face as a species.