As I have mentioned before in my blogs, I love the Japanese culture and the language. Stephenson Sensei is no exception! I took her class during the whole year of 2021 and loved every bit of it!
Stephenson Sensei taught me so much of the language in a short amount of time. It was a lot of work. Learning a new language is not easy. But with the help of Stephenson Sensei, it was fun and enjoyable. Still a lot of work, but fun nonetheless! I spent countless weeks and emails to my Sensei, and she always took time to help. That's what Stephenson Sensei does best: She gives, and she helps as much as possible. I originally took her class on-line for one semester and then in person the next semester. The first day I saw her in person, I just wanted to hug her. She is there when I need her. She is there to help anyone in need. She is one of my favorite teachers.
I got to sit down with Stephenson Sensei at the College of Southern Nevada (CSN). We had a great time, as always, drinking coffee and enjoying the interview. We spoke about teaching during the pandemic, the importance of learning a foreign language, and Japan. Any chance I get to see Sensei, I know it'll be a good time. She works her students hard but it's for the best because I know she believes in every one of us. I studied hours and hours perfecting my craft in Japanese, and because of her, it was worth it.
Please, read below!
Tell us who you are and what do you teach?
I’m Kaori Stephenson. I teach Japanese at the College of Southern Nevada (CSN).
What made you go into teaching?
That goes back to my time in middle school. My first English teacher was young, just out of college, so I felt she was so easy to talk to. She was just like a big sister that I didn't have (I have only younger sister). She was smart, beautiful, and caring, so she made me feel like I wanted to be a teacher just like her. There were other wonderful teachers I had throughout my school days, so I feel so fortunate! Years later, I became an English teacher at middle school just like her, and I truly enjoyed the whole experience.
What does education mean to you?
I think it’s going to make who you are. You need to have all those intellectual backgrounds to do whatever you like to do. Not only for a job, but it helps to make your life richer.
What is something you love about teaching and what is something you hate about it?
I like to be with people. I’m not a technology person. So, I definitely didn’t want to do anything with the computer. I would rather be with actual human beings. It’s more spontaneous and full of surprises. (I laugh) But at the same time, it can be hard if the students and I don’t communicate well, or we don’t understand each other. If something happens or goes wrong, it can be difficult.
What was it like teaching during the pandemic?
That was a difficult time for everyone… The one thing we had to make sure is that something positive came out of those times. Being as a schoolteacher, I was there to help them and guide them in the right direction.
What I liked about your class was that I got to do it online and in-person, there was no difference in how you interacted with every one of us. You gave us a moment to speak so that way we understood it. I think the only thing different was, of course, the testing.
When we had to switch to being online, the Japanese faculty got together, and we were just trying to create a program that was going to work remotely. The one thing we wanted to make sure of was we wanted to do as much as we did in class. Even if it’s online. That’s something we wanted to make sure of. It was a little bit harder online, but that’s what we wanted.
We’re seeing more and more faculty members come forward that there’s a budgeting issue. Students are behaving worse and worse. Parents are even getting involved with their children’s education—I think because it was online. Do you think the pandemic had anything to do with that or was it bound to happen? What do you think needs to happen to find a solution?
That’s difficult… I think the pandemic had something to do with it. The problems were probably there, even before the pandemic. But during the pandemic, the focus was on the home. We stayed home longer than ever! We’re never going to be out of the pandemic. It’s a good question… We need to figure out a solution…
Have you experienced any of these problems firsthand?
Yeah, there was one student who didn’t have a web camera. She had the microphone. I would ask her, again and again, “You have to read the syllabus. You have to leave the camera on during class hours”. She then explained to me that her mom banned her from the use of a camera. Mom believed that all of the cameras would do bad things. So, she said it wasn’t her decision.
That’s a lot of pressure for you!
Yeah! She had to drop out of the class because she needed the camera. And then I had students with financial situations. They had old laptops, or their internet was so bad. CSN did provide a service where you could call in and they provide a laptop. But I don’t know how much they did. When we had to switch over mid-semester, from in-person to online, I lost a lot of students…
I know you taught in Japan. I remember you telling us in class about teaching in middle school. What’s the biggest difference between teaching in Japan versus teaching in America?
Well, first of all, I was teaching middle school there. So, I’m sure middle school is a lot different here! (We laugh) I hear stories from my students, here, that there is drinking and smoking in the class!
I’m going to guess they don’t do that in Japan!
I hope not! (We laugh) I think I had a different kind of problem when teaching in middle school. I had some students not following my instructions. They were so childish and move around. They would be like, “Can I go to the Nurse Room?”, and instead of going to the nurse, they would wander the halls! (I laugh) And then later, at the end of the day, we would have a teacher’s meeting. They would be like, “I saw (whatever the student’s name) walking around in period five, whose class was that?”, and I would reply, “It’s my class.” (I can’t stop laughing) I was a brand-new teacher. I was fresh out of college. A lot of students, especially the boys, didn’t listen to me. But when there’s a guy teacher, the students totally behaved differently. So funny thing was in my class, those teachers would stand in front of my class to make sure nobody did anything funny.
Which would you prefer now that you’ve had the chance to teach here and in Japan? Would you go back?
Um… I don’t think I want to teach middle school or high school here. But the college is fine. I like teaching here. But not sure of the middle school and high school here. (We laugh)
What advice would you give to anyone trying to be a teacher?
Of course, a teacher is someone who is so profound in the subject. You don’t have to be good but try. You get better and then you know how to learn and how to study. And then you can share those experiences with the students. Just being smart doesn’t make a good teacher because if you didn’t struggle—you’re probably not going to understand the students. Be a good human before you’re a teacher. Be willing to help and share with others. Like being around other people. Also, you can learn a lot of things too while teaching. I’m teaching my students, but I’m learning a lot of things from the students.
What do you think the hardest thing about learning Japanese is?
I think Japanese is a hard language. A foreign language is just not easy, especially for American people. I think because they have been so spoiled in speaking the ‘official language’ English. You can do a lot with English, and so many think they don’t need a second language. But Las Vegas is a unique place. How many people are actually native here? (We laugh) Most of us are from somewhere else. I think that makes this city so interesting. I found this college interesting because we have every language.
Yeah! You guys have Arabic! (I laugh)
A transcript is going to set apart the other languages. None of the other languages have three different transcripts (like Japanese)!
(Remembering) Oh, yes! Yes, I know! Technically four with romaji! I definitely agree. So, how many languages do you know?
ごめんなさい (Gomennasai "I’m sorry")! I just know Japanese and English. (I laugh) It’s something I feel bad about and it’s something I think about even more. In college, I had to take another foreign language besides English. I wanted to take Spanish because I thought it would be the easiest. But the class filled up so quickly! That was my first choice… Then my second choice was French because French sounds so nice and I thought maybe I could go to France! (I laugh) But that was another popular so it was full, too! So, I got the third choice… German… (I laugh) It was difficult that I only did one year. I passed but now I don’t remember anything. (We laugh)
I really enjoyed it when you spoke about this in class, so I wanted to talk about this… Do you think it’s important to learn a new language, and why is that?
To me, language is not all about language. If you want to better a language, you have to better understand the country and the culture, and the people. You have to understand all of their behaviors and their way of thinking… It’s all reflective in the language. So, I think learning the language is really understanding the difference between the country and the people. And I think it’ll ultimately take it to world peace. (She smiles) When you think of what’s happening right now in Europe… It’s so bad. I don’t understand why we can’t understand the people.
Yeah… I really love in class when you said, “If you learn a new language, you’ll gain newfound respect and love for your original language. And then you’ll grow.”, I just found that inspiring.
Yeah, because it’s not only about you. Especially when you compare the two different languages, you can find a lot of things we actually share in common! After you go out to see other countries and people, you can come back and appreciate more of what you have. You won’t take anything for granted.
So inspiring! If you can give any advice to someone going into a language program, what advice would you give them?
It is not easy. (We laugh) I’m sorry! I get a lot of students that are World Language Majors, or they want to be an interpreter. It’s going to take a long time. It won’t be one or two semesters. It’s not all about taking classes. I think if you want to be an interpreter or translator, you have to understand everything. Be patient. If you like the language, I think you can do it. It’s not going to happen so fast.
You’re constantly learning a language, even as you get older. I mean even with your own language! (She laughs) New words and slang are coming out, and you’re constantly learning!
If you love the language, you’ll get it. Some of my students won’t get it. You can get it, but you have to try hard! And if you try hard, you’ll be surprised at how much you’re getting. If you never try, you won’t get anything. That’s not just my class, it is every class! Give it 100%!
Let’s talk about Japan! We’re seeing a lot more changes come out of Japan, more and more recently! There are more conversations of love and inclusiveness than how it was back in the day. We’re seeing more slang coming out of Japan. There are different styles of music and movies- What do you think of all of them? Do you think that is good for Japan to go in that direction and change the way it’s been?
I think because of all the improvements in technology, I think you can be anywhere, and you can get everything. I think a lot of the slang and the changes are because of the digital world. A lot of things are changing, in a way. But remember, some things will never change. So, if you think they’re so open and that they’re so westernized—When you look at them, they’re still eating 納豆 (Natto "fermented soybeans"), not a hamburger or pizza. (I laugh) It’s a very mystic country! They’re able to take something from outside and make it better for the people. Some things don’t change. They’re still traditional Japanese people. There are a lot of new things, but we also like the old things. Now you don’t have to go anywhere, and you can be everywhere.
What are the biggest changes you’ve seen from Japan now versus when you were a kid in Japan?
I think it’s the way of thinking… When I was in Japan, it was like once you get out of college, you need to get a job and when you do, you work for the same company until you retire. That was the traditional thing for us. Nowadays, I don’t think anyone is trying to do that. And another was the man was supposed to work and bring the money. The wife was to raise the family and do the household work. Now, it’s getting so difficult for the husband to work and make the living! The wife now works as well. They’re sharing the responsibility. Back then, women could have kids and take maternity leave. Now the men can take maternity leave, too! A lot of the traditional standards I believed in in Japan are changing. It’s changing in a good way.
I think it’s a good way of change too. It could be worse. (I laugh) When you’re in Japan, what do you like to do there?
I just like to spend time with my family. That’s the only reason I go back to Japan. It’s not for the sightseeing—I’m from there, so I don’t have to sightsee! (I laugh) I really like to help my mother. My mom is getting older, so she can’t do a lot of things by herself. She can but it’s hard. My sister lives three minutes away. So, she takes care of her but she has her family too, and a job. So, I’m going to go to Japan this summer and live with my mom. But I do ordinary things there. Eat meals together, do the groceries, and watch TV. I do love the food there! (I laugh) And then go shopping! Hopefully, I’ll get a chance to go to the hot springs! It would be nice. But mainly, be with my mom and sister. My sister is my best friend.
Are there any advice/recommendations for anyone that wants to visit or live in Japan that you could give?
I think right now is not a good time to visit. But generally, just walk around the city! I think that’s a huge difference. See all the signs. Go to the restaurants and walk into the shops, see if you can communicate, not fully in Japanese, but something you have learned—That will make you feel so good. Just see the difference! It’s a totally new experience. I think you’ll appreciate what you have here, or you may want to live in Japan, who knows.
There is a big phenomenon happening today where animes and music are more and more popular! Did you ever expect it to be this big, all of this coming out of Japan?
Anime has always been very popular because of its quality of those, it’s so good! But the music? I ask my classes do they know Japanese music. Sometimes they know from like the 90s and 80s! I’m like where do you get this because I’m from the old times. (We laugh) But that was before they were born! But they tell me it’s from YouTube and all the other things! It’s amazing! I think even though we don’t speak the same language, we share the same body. I understand the anime but the music… Wow.
What do you like to do for fun?
Right now, I like to do Zumba! It wasn’t one for me but one of my friends was so into it. I think she was Latina in a previous life. (We laugh) She’s studying Spanish and just loves Zumba! She is fluent in Spanish. She found an instructor on YouTube, and she’ll text him, in Spanish! She talks about Zumba is so good to release yourself. I was already doing Yoga. Yoga is all about stretching, but you need some cardio! I thought I should give Zumba a try and once I did, I mean I had no clue what to do, I love it. After doing it a while you’re sweating, and it feels so good! When I do Zumba, I can’t think of anything else. Yoga, because I have practiced for a long time, it becomes so quiet. So, when you’re supposed to be meditating, you start thinking about what you’re supposed to be doing tonight… But Zumba, you don’t have time because the music and the instructors are constantly going. Zumba is one way I release my tension. I don’t think I can learn Spanish, though. (We laugh)
Luckily, dance is dance! You don’t have to do any speaking!
One lady comes and she just sings. She doesn’t pay much attention to the choreography or anything! One day, I was like “Where is this voice coming from?” Because one day I was moving and listening to the music, and there was this voice behind me.
So, she just comes to a class to sing?!
Yeah! (We laugh) So, I think everyone has a different way to enjoy themselves! Another thing I love to do is people watching. Now I don’t have time to look at other people but it’s so interesting to look at other people. I used to people watch with my friends. We go to the mall and get coffee, and then we sit in the lounge. We see the people walking around and we make the stories up! (I laugh) We go like, “Probably she bought something but she is not happy about it. Look at her face!” (I laugh even more) We like to make those stories. There are a lot of different people.
People-watching is one of my favorite things! I have to do it because otherwise, I can’t write about other people.
Now I’m not trying to make fun of the people. I’m not trying to look for errors. But people are just so interesting…
I spent the whole interview smiling, from cheek to cheek. I am always fascinating with Stephenson Sensei. I love hearing her stories and knowledge of the world we live in. I love getting together over coffee and just laughing. We come from two different backgrounds, but we're able to have the same dialogue together. I will never stop saying nice things about Stephenson Sensei. One thing she said during the interview resonated with me:
"I think learning the language is really understanding the difference between the country and the people. And I think it’ll ultimately take it to world peace."
Thank you, Kaori Stephenson. I'm honored to have you as my Sensei forever.
どうもありがとうございました!!
If you or someone you know have a story that you would like to share, please contact me. This is all experience for me. I would love to share any and all stories I can!
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