Interview

Setsuko Toyama

Setsuko Toyama is a prolific author, teacher trainer and presenter. She is one of the pre-eminent names in teaching English to Japanese children, and is a tireless advocate of content-based English instruction. She is the author of several textbooks, the latest of which is the "English Time" series.

Ms. Toyama took time from her very busy travel schedule to correspond by e-mail with ELT News editor Mark McBennett at the beginning of December, 2002.

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About the early days

ELT: From what age did you begin to have an interest in English? What memories do you have of your early English education?
ST: My father was in the trading business and spoke fluent English. When I was a young child, there were English picture books, Betty Crocker cookbooks, department store catalogs, and gifts from my father's friends in the US around the house. Guests from the US would visit our house, we would cook sukiyaki and I thought my father was really wonderful, speaking English and translating for us. My father would read me Little Golden Books before I went to bed.

I think I grew up with a positive image of English and vaguely thinking I would grow up and be like my father. I started learning English in junior high just like everyone else. I wanted to use the language right away and I had little difficulty using it and learning more and more. I'm very lucky in that I learn languages rather quickly and I am very strongly auditory.

I believe you majored in comparative studies of cultures at university. How did you get started in ELT?
When Tsuda first offered the course in comparative studies of cultures, a French major class for 30 students was created. I was one of the first 30 who had a very intensive program in French but had to maintain a certain level in English. It was hard but FUN. I wrote my thesis on a French playwright.

I was hoping to go to Europe for further studies but instead I got married and didn't have any doubt about becoming a homemaker. I belong to that generation. I had never taught English until some mothers in the neighborhood asked me to teach their children. I couldn't say "No" as they took turns baby-sitting my children while I taught theirs! There wasn't much material available so I used picture books. That was in Akita and we moved to Niigata. More and more students enrolled and I knew I needed to study how to teach.

By chance I went to the kick-off meeting of JALT Niigata chapter, where the late Munetsugu Uruno sensei, a co-author of Basics in Listening, was the speaker. That was an eye-opener and I was hooked. At the end of Uruno sensei's presentation, I knew teaching English was what I wanted to pursue as a career. You can't imagine how hard it was for me to make it to each meeting, though.

I live in a very small town where women are defined by not what you do or are but whose wife or mother you are. Although this aspect has changed a lot over the past decade, back then it was unthinkable that I would leave my family on a Sunday to attend a meeting for English teachers. My husband was supportive but he didn't regard teaching as my career. My in-laws thought it was a nice hobby!

I persisted and became actively involved in the local chapter and then at the national level. I haven't missed the annual conference since 1987 and I have served on a few conference committees. I also started attending TESOL in 1991. My first work as a teacher trainer was for Matsuka Phonics Institute. I was an instructor for the teacher training seminars on weekends. I learned so much from Ms. Matsuka and I respect her for all her contribution to changes in English education in Japan.

About being an author

You've become a very prolific author of textbooks for children. How did you get into that field?
It all started in Morioka, at JALT Summer Seminar 1990. There were only a small number of teachers and in fact JALT decided not to organize a summer seminar after that. It was such a small function that all the participants, organizers, and publisher reps got to know one another and became really good friends. I'm still in touch with most of the people who were there. It was the time of Sansa Odori, the famous summer festival of Morioka and all through the conference, we heard distant sounds of drums, rehearsing for the night.

Addison-Wesley had a rep at the display and during the conference, we talked about picture books. Later I was asked if I would be interested in developing the Japanese guidebook for A-W Big Book Program. So you see, I wouldn't have gotten my first published book, if I hadn't gone to Morioka that terribly hot summer! Life is full of unexpected turnings.

Once I published "Eigo Ohanashi Takarabako" for Addison-Wesley, I was asked to present at various functions and people started to see me as "the storybooks teacher". Offers and requests from other publishers kept coming and I took up only what I really liked; what my gut feelings told me to do. Every project was a challenge and I loved working on it.

Then I was approached by Prentice Hall about writing Journeys Listening/Speaking 1. I first thought I couldn't write an English textbook but I co-authored it with Carl Adams, an old friend from JALT Niigata chapter. After that I worked on different projects that kept coming my way. I've been very fortunate to work with extremely good editors, both at Japanese and ELT publishers. Some of them moved to different publishers and I was asked to join in their new projects. So I have worked with the same people but it looks like I have worked with various publishers.

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