A nice surprice

I have recently began teaching at a company with a worry: a nagging worry that my students would reject me because I am Japanese. To my nice surprise, it was the worry that I did not need. Yes, I faced questions like, "Where are you from?" in the class and I honestly said I was from Japan. Indeed, some students seemed to have been shocked to see a Japanese instructor in front of them, and even then they became comfortable with me when they realized I am capable of teaching the language. In fact, they all seem to have accepted me as a role model.

This experience has taught me that many students do not make a distinction between native and non-native speakers as long as the instructor is capable of teaching English. It is perhaps other segments that draw the line when they are more concerned about business success over anything else.