Help!

[Sparrowhawk]

Calling all people either from or living in Japan as well as young education teachers!

Okay, I am an English major, with a minor in teaching English as a Second Language. For my minor, I have to take a practicum course where I tutor a young (elementary-middleschool) student new to the States and help them with their English and schoolwork.

Well, wouldn't you believe it, I somehow end up with a 1st grader whose family, along with her, just moved here from Japan right before school started. Along with her name and grade came a side note - speaks no English.

While I am excited to have a student from a culture I am so fascinated about (and yes I mean the culture, not anime - although I like some anime and manga) I am also freaking out. I know a total of five words in Japanese. I am anxious to be as unalarming as possible, but since we will have trouble communicating, I don't know how at first. For example, should I try to use what little I know of Japanese culture to set her at ease (such as greet her in Japanese). If so, how do I do that? What little I know is either myself-to-peer or myself-to-superior. It's also how much is really used in Japan and how much is myth from America (such as, should I bow? should I add a suffix title to her name? -if so which one?)

I know a lot of you are thinking "ask your professor". He wont tell me. he is a believer if you give someone a method(s) you are ruining their education. Instead he gives us all these theories. From these, I know he believes I should focus on the student, and teach her English with a bunch of context (dont just giver her a bunch of words - give her words she uses everyday at home and at school). But all my experience with non-english speakers has been with spanish speakers with a Latin background, which I am pretty familiar with simply because there are so many here.

I have no idea though how to relate to someone from Japan, or what would be apporopriate conversation topics. For example, one of the things I may use for context so that the words she is learning would have meaning for her would be to have her tell me what she and her family do for fun together - but in some cultures you are not supposed to ask questions about family. What would be some topics that a Japanese 1st grader would naturally want to talk about?

As for young elementary teachers, how can I be challenging while not overwhelming, and how to I make myself less alarming. Toddlers if you are smiling and playing with them quickly start to like you. Here, the child will be older, and not as easy to set at ease, two, I will have to maintain authority while not being alarming - I cant just be nice - we have to make progress in her English and school work.

I basically feel like I have been given the pieces of a canoe on an uncharted island in the middle of the ocean with no instructions just being told I first have to build the canoe and use that non-sea worthy boat to cross an ocean. HELP!

PS I should make not that while I am very anxious, I am also very excited. This is what I want to do (I think) with my life, but I assumed I would at least for my first student be given someone that spoke either some English or Spanish (the language I said I was fluent in - though that was a bit of a stretch). This student and myself, however, are completely alienated - no verbal language to use, and completely different cultural backgrounds.

[termyt]

Scary and exciting. I think I'd feel the same way.

Be confident and compassionate. That is my advice. More important than anything you may want to teach her, you must let her know that you are trustworthy and that you care about her.

If she sees you are frustrated, she will be frustrated. If you are motivated, she will try.