Hello, I'm Peter, and I joined Nanzan University in April 2025. I'm originally from the UK.

Over my 24 years of teaching in Japan, I've often met students with varying levels of motivation. Unsurprisingly, those who are motivated by an interest in travel, a desire to speak with people from other countries, or aspirations to work abroad etc., usually find my classes more rewarding.

Therefore, I believe it is important for the teacher to help students find motivation in the classroom within a relaxed, comfortable environment. I do this by showing learners examples of the 'imperfect' English spoken in other countries, as well as the Japanese used by people from overseas living in Japan.

It is also important to understand that mistakes are natural and that we all learn from them. From my own experience of teaching in schools, I have observed an excessive focus on grammar being either right or wrong. I believe that helping students understand language as often non-binary outside of testing, and emphasising that its primary goal is communication, encourages learners to take ownership of the language - to find "My English". Simply put, I want students to realise that English is everyone's language.