Writing to Communicate in English: What's in an Essay?

Tonight I began my second term of teaching Writing to Communicate in English for Lingua Espresso. I really enjoyed my students in the first term, so I am really looking forward to the new group this summer. The course is made up of eight lessons where I teach foreign language speakers, usually Japanese speakers, to write an English essay. I use a wonderful book, Writing to Communicate, 3rd Edition, by Boardman and Frydenberg. We begin by dicussing the smallest unit of essay writing, the paragraph, and end up writing one complete essay over the course of the eight lessons: all the way from introduction paragraph to conclusion paragraph. And we "meet" via Skype: all the discussion is done and all the short homework assignments are delivered by computer!

I really enjoy teaching writing classes for several reasons. First, I like building interesting essays the way a carpenter likes building beautiful furniture. And I like being able to help students to do this as well. In the case of my Japanese students, English essays are often different from typical Japanese writing. English essays tend to move in a quick direct line, instead of a slow spiral. So sometimes my students are intimidated by writing in English. I'm able to show them that when you break it into small parts, it's really very easy to put a English essay together--and enjoy doing it.

I also love teaching writing because my students teach me as well. Because in their essays, they write about their lives, their countries, their opinions and interests, I learn a lot of new things. For example, until I began teaching Japanese students, I knew very little about Japan, especially modern Japan. In my writing class, one of my students decided to write about the importance of Tokyo Tower as a national monument. In the process, I learned much more about the hopes and dreams and sorrows of the post-war Japan that built the tower. I became interested in a movie, Always: Sunset on Third Street, that the author talked about which included the tower. And I could almost imagine the tower at night, lit in a different color at the changing of the seasons.

Finally, I love to teach writing because I love to meet the writers. All writers are fascinating people in various ways. Many teachers never learn much about their students outside of class. Math teachers, science teachers, and history teachers, for instance, may never know their students personal stories, their likes and dislikes. But English and writing teachers get to read the essays that reflect who the students are, what they think, and even what they did on their last summer vacation (the oldest topic in the essay book). As a result, we tend to get to know our students better and perhaps to even form stronger bonds. I am always happy when an old student pops up on email to ask a question or just say hello.

All my writers and former students are welcome to check out my current writing course at www.linguaespresso.com. We will be giving another presentation of the first lesson next Saturday, July 19th at 10:30 am, JST. After that will continue on a lesson a week for eight lessons total. Contact Yasuro Kawata at yasuro@linguaespresso.com to confirm a spot in the class!