Reimagining a future with the English language英語講師の斉藤健一さん

代々木ゼミナールの英語講師で、Alphaの購読者会員サイトClub Alphaにて一面記事の解説動画を毎週配信している斉藤健一さん。学生時代は意外にも英語が苦手だったという。大学受験で英語の成績が伸びず悩まされた自身の経験から、同じように苦戦する学生を救いたいという思いで教壇に立っている。

Kenichi Saito is both an English teacher and an English scholar. He never stops studying and keeps discovering new facets of the English language. He also teaches at a preparatory school and shares his extensive knowledge.

Among English teaching gurus, Saito is distinctive in that he carved out his own field of expertise: teaching teens to crack Japan’s university entrance exams. “I myself suffered and toiled through those entrance exams,” says Saito. “English can be brutal for Japanese students who are good at other subjects but can’t wrap their minds around foreign languages. I consider it my personal mission to spare students this pain, and to get them into university.”

In junior high and high school, Saito and English never got along with each other. “I thought, I’ll just speak Japanese for the rest of my life, nothing wrong with that. I’ve always loved Japan and Japanese culture. I couldn’t imagine a future where English would play a role in my life.” In high school however, one of his teachers told him otherwise. “He said to me that even if I aced every other subject, English would trip me up and that I would never get into university.”

Unfortunately, the predicament came true. Saito’s scores in other subjects were not so poor but English pulled him down. He had to retake the entrance exams twice before he got into university.

But those two years helped shape Saito into the teacher he is today. “Right now I’m attending graduate school to get a degree in education in foreign languages. I feel there’s a need to improve and solidify the foundations of teaching English and foreign languages in Japan.”

Saito says that students often tell him: “Wow, you must really love English!” He laughs and says this isn’t the case at all. “This is just me, taking revenge on my past self when I suffered from English. I just want to show my fellow Japanese – those trying to get through entrance exams or people who are required to use English at work – that English shouldn’t be something to suffer through or to be endured.”

In fact, Saito says, “English learning can be enjoyable.” He himself has turned the language into a vocation. Does he have a favorite method of studying? “I like to stock up on phrases and idioms by watching overseas TV shows, like Friends and Desperate Housewives, because they provide heartfelt English examples. Take the phrase ‘I love you. And I always have.’ Now that ‘have’ at the end is a present perfect tense. I find it enjoyable to feel how the grammar I’ve learned connects with its actual usage.”

Saito says: “English is a multifaceted language that can be learned through different approaches and methods. Just find the aspects you enjoy. If you like Western music, focus on the sounds; if you’re good at memorizing, learn words relentlessly. If, like me, you love understanding, dive into grammar. Many Japanese feel embarrassed that they’ve reached adulthood without being able to speak the language. But this is definitely not their fault. After all, Japanese, which is our native language, is entirely different from English. For those of us who grew up here, there is no way we can speak English like a native.” Saito adds that English should be treated for what it is – a foreign language that’s necessary to get into university. “After that, if people want to keep studying, English can be a very rewarding skill to have.”

As an educator, Saito feels that grammar is crucial for Japanese students. “So many people grow up disliking grammar. But I know that grammar is both the gateway and the foundation of English learning. And once you learn the rules of grammar you will gain a much deeper understanding of what the sentences mean. After learning basic grammar, just recite and learn commonly used phrases by heart. By doing so, you will push open the door of a whole new world of English learning.” (Kaori Shoji)

Words to live by