Public Reference

Teaching American Culture in Japan



Many Americans and native English speakers leave their
countries to travel abroad to teach English in Japan and
other countries. While most of our teaching work has been
with Japanese students, we have also worked with students
from Europe, Latin America, Africa, and other parts of
Asia. American culture fascinates English students in
Japan; many English students around the world share this
fascination. In this article, we would like to discuss
culture that we teach about in Japan: handshaking and the
changing American family. If you teach English in Japan or
other countries, these two items may be of interest to your
students too.

Handshaking

The American handshake has several basic components. The
first basic component is that the handshake is quick. First
the hand moves up, then down, and then returns to the
original position. The handshake is not a pumping exercise.
Nor is it a hand-holding exercise. The handshake dates back
to extending your hand so the person taking it knows that
you are not holding a weapon. The second is that a
handshake should be firm, but is not a contest to prove
your strength.

Not all Americans have mastered these two concepts. Some
Americans pump hands up and down. Others try to prove their
strength. Most Americans, however, understand the two basic
concepts. Many abroad do not, creating negative impressions
with Americans when they shake hands. We teach our students
that the handshake may be important to many Americans. The
impression they make when shaking hands can influence their
future relationships.

The handshake also has varieties. Some people use their
left hand to cover the other person's hand while shaking
with their right hand. Many people think this shows more
sincerity. The handshake also has some remaining gender
issues. Long ago, men shook hands; women did not. Today,
almost all men and women shake hands.

Reading about shaking hands can be a little dry and lack
clarity. If you are teaching abroad, you may want to try
talking about handshaking and demonstrating. Then, have
your students practice. For teaching ESL in America and
other English speaking countries, this may be too basic for
many students. For students freshly arrived, however, such
explanations and culture tips, along with practice can be
helpful.

The new American family

Not that long ago, many Americans thought of the typical
family as a father, mother, and two children in the
suburbs. Every morning the father would leave for work; the
mother would stay at home with the children. Many families
were like this, but this image was more a stereotype or an
ideal than anything else. We often gaze back through our
rose-tinted glasses, ignoring many Americans. Not all
Americans lived such apparently happy suburban lives. Many
women had to work. Many Americans could not afford to live
in the suburbs. Not all male workers earned enough to
support families. Not all Americans got married. Some
families had single mothers and grandparents raised the
children in some families. Single people, gay people, and
people of color existed, but they were rarely mentioned.

America has changed since then. The vast majority of
Americans realize that there are many kinds of families.
The image of a white family with a stay-at-home mother, a
working father, and two children has faded. Americans now
see families with two gay parents, families with single
mothers or single fathers, interracial families and other
kinds of families. They also see many people living alone.
Many Americans have become more accepting of other ways of
living, and Americans with these other ways of living are
now more open about their life patterns. This family
diversity appears in movies, on television shows, and in
books. Some people may still have problems accepting
everyone, but America has come a long way since the days
when the image of the suburban family reigned supreme.

If you teach English abroad, the reaction of your students
and their interest in these topics will vary given their
background and knowledge. These topics may not be the right
ones for your students. If not, your challenge is to find
the right ones. Almost all English students around the
globe are interested in the culture where English is used.
English is more than a language; students want to learn the
culture too.

Successful Child Portraits: Everyone leaves happy!span>


I thoroughly enjoy shooting kids, especially when a parent
announces that their child won't sit for a good portrait.
When my portrait session is over, the parent and the child
leave happy; the child had fun and the parent has a good
selection of images. Here are a few key learnings that
were gleaned from children portrait photography sessions:

1) Established Prioritized Goals

Talk to the parent(s) about what they are looking for and
if they've had bad photo sessions in the past, learn what
they think went wrong. Prioritize the goals so you have
done the most important shots by the end of the shoot, but
you don't want to shoot in prioritized order.

2) Prepare Fully

Bring the subjects in only when you are ready to shoot.
Give your subject(s) a break and let them wander while you
get ready. Get the technical side set (White balance,
lighting, exposure, sets, props, etc) so you and your
equipment are ready for that optimal shot. You still need
to learn to setup quickly, just don't begin shooting your
younger subjects until you are ready or you'll lose their
attention prematurely.

3) Maintain Control

You've learned what works and what doesn't, so don't let
the parent dictate the sequence of the shoot. Listen to
suggestions, but keep in mind what works and what doesn't.
Often times the correct sequence is counter-intuitive to
your client.

- Start simple and build in complexity from there

- Organize the sets based on the subject's readiness

- Communicate your reasoning behind the sequence with the
parent(s)

4) Warm-up:

Tell the parent(s) to let the child roam on and off the
set; present some props to the child to play with, but let
the child warm-up to you, the setting, and the idea of
being photographed. Get down on their level, sit on the
floor and talk to them. Win them over!

5) Keep Your Subjects Involved

Ask the child to help you setup, ask them to retrieve a
prop, have the child press the shutter for one or two
shots, and show them their pictures on the camera. Feed
your subject genuine praise and encourage them. At the
end of the session, sit down with the child and show them
the images on the computer.

6) Show Them, Don't Just Tell Them

Personally demonstrate the poses that you want from them
and have fun doing it. Don't worry that it might look
silly coming from you; it helps to break the ice and win
over your subjects and parents.

7) Keep their hands occupied

Hands are always a challenge in portrait photography and it
can be difficult to convey the hand positions that you want
from your subject, especially young children. Instead of
instructing the child how to position their hands, it is
easier when you give your younger subjects a prop to hold.
It also looks more natural.

8) Time the Highest Priority Goal

Wait for the right moment for that highest priority goal.
Warm-up first, win-over your subject's confidence, and
recognize the peak time to shoot that most-important goal
before your subject(s) starts losing interest and focus.
This typically happens between 50 to 75% through the
session.

9) Bribery Works

As a parent, routine bribery is not a good idea. However,
as a photographer looking for that difficult portrait, have
something on-hand within the set that will attract the
child (ex. Stuffed toy, cookies, fun props).

10) Patience

Today's cameras can shoot 10+ frames/sec, but burst
shooting is risky and doesn't work with strobes. Wait for
the shot and train yourself to gently press the button just
before the right moment. Repeat two or three times and
choose the best if possible.

11) Kick the Parents Out

After you've gained the child's trust and you've
pre-occupied the child, gently ask the parents to step
out-of-sight while you take some shots. Hands-down, the
parents agree that the best shots came while the parents
were not visible. Kids are looking to please their parents
and keep their guard up. Parents can use their own
point-n-click camera to get those shots, what they want
from you is what they can't get, which occurs when the
parents step away!

Summary

Arrange the session to work up to the most important shots
through continuous communications and good workflow, but be
flexible and dynamically adapt to your subject's attention
span and interests. You're a professional because you've
learned to balance the technical aspects with the creative
and the people skills; successful children portrait
photography can take you to a new level of professionalism.