Fumitaka Torii is a Japanese language teacher at the Center for Languages and Academic Exchange Service. Torii has been working at HUST for nearly 6 years. The Japanese teacher got a job at HUST just three days after graduating with a master’s degree. “This is my very first job and workplace,” Torii shared about his special relationship with the University.
In high school, there was a time when Torii was sick and couldn’t go to school. With the help of his teachers, Torii was able to continue to study and enter the university of his choice. “Since then, I want to become a teacher to help others,” the young teacher reflected.
In Japan, Torii has a lot of Vietnamese friends. This is why he wanted to come to Vietnam in the first place. “Before coming here, I only knew about the reputation of Hanoi University of Science and Technology, which is a very famous university,” he thought back.
Torii always longs for more time in class to promote students’ creativity. According to him, knowledge is necessary, but creative ideas are more important. “If you just memorize the language by heart, the learners can’t read and write fluently,” the passionate language teacher shared about his teaching method. He always encourages students to actively seek advanced knowledge instead of just depending on lecture notes in class.
The most meaningful gift that the Japanese teacher received on the occasion of November 20 was a pencil engraved with his name. This was a handmade gift by his students. He couldn’t help but feel happy and moved when his students at HUST organized small parties on this occasion every year. “This is a new experience for me,” he said, adding that there is no such culture in Japan.
Most of the language instructors from Japan will stay in Vietnam to teach for 1-2 years before returning home. For Torii, it is too short to understand the culture of a country. Young lecturers decide to stay at HUST for a minimum of 3 years. COVID-19 extended his expected stay in Vietnam due to border closures during the pandemic.
“The 6 years of staying here is the right decision for me,” said the Japanese lecturer. “I will always remember the time working here, where I had taught my very first class.”
Ha Kim
