From Language Learner to Teacher: What I Wish I Knew from Day One
From Language Learner to Teacher: What I Wish I Knew from Day One
What being on both sides of the classroom taught me — and how you can benefit from my mistakes.
I didn’t start learning languages because I loved textbooks —or even because I wanted to talk to people— I started because of Toonami and Telemundo! But it wasn’t enough to keep me going. So how did I keep that spark alive long enough to turn it into a career?
Almost two months ago, I started writing online through a course called Ship 30 for 30. Having to write and publish something every day pushed me to reflect on what I’ve learned both as a learner and as a language teacher. How can I make these lessons helpful to others? How has what I’ve learned helped me overcome common challenges? I want to share some practical advice and insights to make your language journey smoother. Ready to dive in?
The Spark: How to Stay Motivated in Language Learning
Sure, we all dream of fluency, but let’s be real: daydreaming about chatting in perfect Japanese over ramen is way easier than slogging through grammar drills. How do you turn that dream into daily motivation?
Anime like Dragon Ball Z and Yu Yu Hakusho sparked my interest in Japanese (shout out to late ’90s Toonami). But I learned the language because I discovered other aspects of Japanese culture that kept me going. I’m not just a linguistics nerd but a history and sociology nerd too!
Think about what drew you to the language you’re learning — music, movies, travel, history, culture? How can you use that to fuel your motivation?
Make learning fun. I was Indiana Jones, and every new kanji was a mysterious artifact I wanted to understand. But your holy grail of language learning might be chatting with native speakers or binge-watching dramas on Netflix. Find ways to turn your study sessions into something enjoyable.
Also, don’t get discouraged by setbacks. My junior college cut its Japanese program right as I finished the 100-level courses, but I didn’t let that stop me. Is your university still funding your language program? If you’re self-studying, can you make time in your busy schedule? How can you find a workaround that keeps your motivation alive?
Identify what excites you about the language and incorporate it into your daily practice sessions. When obstacles appear, remember there is always a way around them — what will your way be? I made language learning a part of my job.
That initial spark didn’t just keep me going — it eventually pushed me into a teaching career. And trust me, being on both sides of the classroom teaches you a lot about how we learn.
What My Teaching Career Taught Me About Language Learning
Mistakes are crucial to any learning journey, and I’ve made more than a few. Looking back, not pursuing a master’s degree felt like a big one — it limited my opportunities in ways I hadn’t anticipated. If you’re starting out, consider how to plan ahead to keep doors open in your career. Do you need further certification or even deeper immersion in the language you’re learning?
Teaching in Japan taught me another valuable lesson: the importance of learning for use, not for tests. English education here often turns the language into a logic puzzle. Prioritizing test scores over practical communication skills. Is your language study focused on memorization, or are you using the language in real-life situations to get things done? Watching a movie, reading a news article, or having a conversation are all real-world uses to put your knowledge to the test. It’s easy to fall into the test-prep trap, especially if your job requires a certification. But I’ve worked with people who passed the JLPT N1 and still couldn’t order a bowl of ramen. Check in now and then and think about how to move beyond just studying for exams and start using your language skills. What’s been your biggest language-learning mistake, and how did you bounce back?
I still don’t know if this is career-related yet, but I wish I had started writing online sooner. Writing blog posts about language learning and the things I’ve done that might help others has been a great experience. Learning in public — documenting your progress and sharing your insights with others can open up a world of possibilities. What would you want to tell someone starting to learn the language you study?
While my career taught me the importance of practical language use, there was one tool I wish I had embraced earlier: writing. Little did I know that putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) would transform my language-learning journey. Here’s why writing could be the tool you’re missing.
Why Writing is the Language Learning Tool You’re Missing
Have you tried writing about your language learning? Let me tell you why it’s so great if you’ve never tried it. The first time I tried writing about kanji, I realized I didn’t understand radicals as well as I thought. But breaking it down forced me to see the gaps — and that’s when things really started clicking.
Have you ever heard of the Feynman Technique? It’s the idea that explaining something to others forces us to understand that concept better. Writing about language — whether it’s grammar quirks or vocabulary hacks — has made me a better language learner. What’s something you’ve been struggling to grasp in your language studies? Try explaining it in writing in your notes or on a blog. You’ll find that the gaps in your knowledge become much more clear.
Japanese has a lot of terms and grammar points that seem exactly the same but actually have subtle differences. This is where using the Feynman Technique can be a life savor. I used to avoid using ばかりに (bakari ni) like the plague (avoidance strategies are useful in language learning, too, but that’s a whole different story for another day). But trust me, breaking it down in writing will help it stick.
Here’s an example of how we can break down the difference between ばかり (bakari) and ばかりに (bakari ni):
Step 1: Define the Terms in Your Own Words
ばかり (Bakari)
This is a word that means something that happens repeatedly or exclusively. Think of it like saying “just”, “only”, or “nothing but” in English. It's like when you're doing just one thing, something happens only in one way, or you’ve just finished something.
Examples: (help your future self, add example sentences)
読むばかり (yomu bakari) = "just reading" or "I do nothing but read"
寝るばかり (neru bakari) = "just sleeping" or "only sleeping"
食べたばかり (tabeta bakari) = “just ate”
ばかりに (Bakari ni)
This one is a bit more specific. ばかりに is used when something happens because of a particular reason, often leading to a negative result, but not always. It's like saying "because of just" or "due to" in English. Usually, it's used when something small or seemingly insignificant causes something bigger to happen.
Examples:
お金がないばかりに (okane ga nai bakari ni) = "Because I have no money (something bad happened)"
遅刻したばかりに (chikoku shita bakari ni) = "Just because I was late (something happened as a result)"
Step 2: Try to Teach It (And Gaps in Your Knowledge Might Appear)
Imagine you’re hanging out with a friend who keeps doing the same thing over and over again. You might say:
彼はゲームをしているばかりだ。
(kare wa geemu wo shiteiru bakari da.)
→ "He’s just playing games."
He’s not doing anything else but gaming.
ばかりに comes in when a small action leads to something bigger (usually not so good). Imagine you were late to school, and that led to a whole chain of bad things:
遅刻したばかりに、先生に怒られた。
(chikoku shita bakari ni, sensei ni okorareta.)
→ "Just because I was late, the teacher was mad at me."
*As you make these notes you might think, Wait, is it ゲームをしているばかり (geemu wo shiteiru bakari) or ゲームをしてばかりいる (geemu wo shite bakari iru)? Is there a difference? Then you create a new note for the difference between しているばかり (shiteiru bakari) and してばかりいる (shite bakari iru) and start the process all over again. The Feynman Technique is designed to keep you asking questions until you have all your answers.
Step 3: Test Your Understanding
To make sure it sticks, let's think of scenarios and decide which one to use:
You’ve been eating cake and doing nothing else. Would you use ばかり or ばかりに?
→ ばかり: ケーキを食べてばかりいる (keeki wo tabete bakari iru) “You’re only eating cake.”If all you’re eating is cake, that might have some unfortunate consequences. Would you use ばかり or ばかりに?
→ ばかりに: ケーキを食べすぎたばかりに、お腹を壊してしまった (Keeki wo tabe sugita bakari ni, onaka wo kowashite shimatta) "Just because I ate too much cake, I ended up with an upset stomach"
Step 4: Simplify Further and Refine
To highlight the differences:
Use ばかり when emphasizing exclusivity (just/only) or repetition of an action (doing nothing but X).
Use ばかりに to express a causal relationship, usually (but not always) leading to something negative or unexpected.
Bonus Tips:
Use Visuals: Create a flowchart to show when to use each grammar point.
Practice Speaking: Try to use both grammar points in conversation to get real-time feedback.
Real-Life Context: Try to find ばかり (bakari) and ばかりに (bakari ni) in songs, movies, or books you like in Japanese.
Writing helps give me a deeper understanding of Japanese and the other things I study, but it also helps me connect with a community of fellow learners. Since sharing my struggles and successes online, I’ve heard from others going through the same things.
You’ll find support and encouragement by sharing your journey through blogs, social media, or language forums. You might even stumble across a few unexpected connections (though beware of Reddit black holes… ). You’ll get help, some new study techniques, and find a community where you feel at home!
Whether you’re just starting or have been at it for years, we’re all on this journey together. So, let’s dive into the final step — finding ways to support each other and stay motivated.
Let’s Take This Journey Together
Language learning can be a long road, but with the right mindset and tools, it’s one of the most rewarding adventures out there. I’m still on this path, too, learning new things every day — and I hope these tips will help you as much as they’ve helped me. Writing has been one of my most transformative tools, and I encourage you to try it, too.
What’s your next step? Are you still learning or are you already teaching others?
Leave a comment: What’s the most confusing part of your language journey right now? Let’s hash it out together — because if I survived polite Japanese lessons, you can do anything!
If you enjoyed this, you might also like this other post about all the mistakes I made as a beginner:
