sakae.s Tutor Interview

Q. Hi Sakae! First, could you give us a brief introduction of yourself?: A. Hi! I am sakae. I teach Thai and Japanese. Before I started to teach in Cafetalk, I used to teach Thai to Japanese natives who lived in Thailand, and also taught Japanese to Thai speakers. I enjoy my teaching experience in Cafetalk. I get to know many students from different parts of the world. Seeing them grow in my lessons brings me joy.
Q. Where did you born? What is your memory of your hometown?: A. I was born in Edogawa Ward, Tokyo. When I was little, I used to go to the local festivals often. It was much fun to play the taiko drums and to carry a portable shrine with a lot of other peope at the festivals. I enjoyed such vibrant atmosphere in my hometown.
Q. You currenty live in Thailand! How is your life there?: A. I started living in the suburb of Bangkok from 2012. It was a littile difficult to get used to the life without any public transportantions like trains at the beginning. But now, I completely got used this simple, slow and calm lifestyle. Any laid-back person like me would find this environment quite easy to live in.
Q. What brought you to teach Thai?: A. My friend gave me this idea. When I was still in Japan, I worked in a customer service. I like helping people thorough talking, which I can also do as a language tutor. I am thankful for my friend who first pointed this out.
Q. How do you spend your time outside of your lesson? Is there any hobbies that you enjoy?: A. I like spending my free time playing with my pets (a dog, a cat, and a rabbit) at home. I also enjoy reading and going to a movie theater too. In a short break, I often go on a day-trip in Thailand.
Q. Thai alphabet looks so unique and complicated to learn. Do you have any advice to the prospective Thai learners?: A. Well, it can be a challenge to learn Thai alphabet to any beginners. However, once you remember, you will never forget it! Besides learning characters, I put an emphasis on learning the corrent pronunciation in my lessons. On the bright side, Thai grammer is not as complicated as its alphabet and pronunciation. There are no postpositional particles and tence changes in a word in Thai. One word can cover many different meanings as well, so I would say Thai is a pretty simple language.
Q. Is there any good study methods for Thai learners?: A. I would say having the good foundation is the most important. Study until you have a solid basic knowledge of Thai language, and then you can think creative and try different study methods. In my case, I love reading, so I read many news articles in Thai and search the meanings of any new words to build my vocabulary. If you prefer learning from ears and visuals, you can watch Thai TV shows and movies to improve your Thai.
Q. For students who may be interested in taking your lesson, could you tell us about your teaching style?: A. In my lesson, we use textbooks, but I always teach extra common Thai words and phrases which cannot be found in the textboooks. Also, I teach my lessons in a relaxed atmosphere, so that students can feel safe to ask any questions. It is important for me to make sure my students enjoy my lessons.
Q. Which of your Thai lesson would you recommend the most to the Cafetalk students?: A. If you are new to Thai and willing to know what my lessons are like, I would recommend my Introductory Thai Pronunciation Lesson for Very Beginners (In Japanese title, “タイ語　超初心者のための入門 (発音)“).
Q. Finally, do you have any message to your current and future students?: A. To my current students, thank you so much for learning with me!! I enjoy teaching because you are being really good students. To my future students, I would say, you can ask me anything. Do not be afraid of asking questions when you are learning a new language. I hope to continue having fun lessons with you!