{"id":1679,"date":"2018-02-26T02:36:59","date_gmt":"2018-02-26T02:36:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.anjedudc.com\/?p=1679"},"modified":"2019-02-04T03:56:40","modified_gmt":"2019-02-04T03:56:40","slug":"anj-vice-presidents-interview-jonathan-hull","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.anjedudc.com\/ko\/anj-vice-presidents-interview-jonathan-hull\/","title":{"rendered":"A&J Vice President’s Interview – Jonathan Hull"},"content":{"rendered":"

PERSONAL\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"\"

Jonathan Hull – VP of A&J<\/p><\/div>\n

Naru:<\/span> Could you say something about yourself?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

John:<\/strong> <\/span>My name is Jonathan Hull. I\u2019m from Sacramento, California. I was born and raised there, and I\u2019m currently 31 years old.<\/p>\n

Naru:<\/span> Before coming to the Philippines, what did you do in the US?<\/strong><\/p>\n

John:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>I was in university. I was also working as a security guard. I was working as a parking lot security from 4 p.m. to 12 a.m., and from 1 a.m. to 4 a.m. \u2013 sometimes 3:30 – I was working as club security.<\/p>\n

Naru:<\/span> What are your hobbies?<\/strong><\/p>\n

John: <\/strong><\/span>My hobbies revolve mostly around sports and computers. I like to play all kinds of sports. When I have the time or when I have people to play sports with, I do it. I also like to go online and watch YouTube videos, play video games, and stuff like that. And I like music. If I have a guitar, I usually play it. But nowadays I don\u2019t have a guitar. Oh, and recently I\u2019ve been working out at the gym. I just started last week, but I hope this trend will continue.<\/p>\n

Naru:<\/span> What do you do in your free time?<\/strong><\/p>\n

John: <\/strong><\/span>Most of my free time is spent in front of my computer or out with students, having a meal or a few drinks.<\/p>\n

PHILIPPINES, BAGUIO & A&J<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Naru: <\/span>How did you learn about Baguio?<\/strong><\/p>\n

John: <\/strong><\/span>I learned about Baguio when my business partner decided to invite me to start a school here back in 2008.<\/p>\n

Naru:<\/span> What surprised you the most about living in the Philippines?<\/strong><\/p>\n

John: <\/strong><\/span>I don\u2019t really know if anything really surprised me. There are a lot of things I had to get used to when I came here. Most of it had to do with living in the Academy with students and staff. I had to deal with the lack of privacy, but that\u2019s something I easily overcame. The good thing is that I\u2019m never really lonely, so yeah.<\/p>\n

Naru:<\/span> What are the advantages of studying English in the Philippines?<\/strong><\/p>\n

John:<\/strong><\/span> For the students, it\u2019s very economical. I mean it\u2019s not the US or Canada or Australia or England. But the majority of the people here can speak English at a very conversational level, so it\u2019s a good place to start for beginner students. You know, it\u2019s a good place to get a good footing in English conversation, and like I said it\u2019s very economical. You don\u2019t have to spend so much money. Life here is pretty cheap.<\/p>\n

Naru:<\/span> How is it like working with Filipino teachers?<\/strong><\/p>\n

John:<\/strong><\/span> It\u2019s good. I mean it\u2019s easy to collaborate with them because we\u2019re usually on the same page. When it comes to like teaching grammar, reading, writing, speaking or whatever, we always work together.<\/p>\n

Naru:<\/span> What do you think of Filipino English proficiency?<\/strong><\/p>\n

John: <\/strong><\/span>Filipinos generally speak good English. Of course, the expressions that they use are quite different from American English expressions, but overall we can communicate very well. People around the world \u2013 other English speakers around the world \u2013 would be able to communicate with Filipinos in English pretty well.<\/p>\n

TEACHING<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Naru:<\/span> When do you feel happy as a teacher?<\/strong><\/p>\n

John: <\/strong><\/span>Of course, I feel happy when I see the students are learning something from my lessons, applying what they learn, especially during free time. I like to see that.<\/p>\n

Naru:<\/span> From your teaching experience, do you feel any differences between Korean and Japanese when it comes to studying habits?<\/strong><\/p>\n

John:<\/strong><\/span> Japanese students, they know more what they have to do improve their English. What I mean by that is, like during their study time, during their free time, they use English because they want to practice it. For Korean students, they generally have an on-off switch. During study time they study really hard \u2013 and that\u2019s good, but during their free time they switch off and they go to \u201cKorean-only\u201d mode. They speak Korean with friends more often than we\u2019d like them to.<\/p>\n

Naru:<\/span> I think you don\u2019t force them to speak only English.<\/strong><\/p>\n

John: <\/strong><\/span>I\u2019ve been teaching for 10 years. During my first few years of teaching, I was pretty strict about that. I used to force to students all the time, and I got tired of it. We used to be a Sparta-style academy. Now we are semi-Sparta. I believe that since they are adults, they are mature enough that they don\u2019t need to be told what to do. They know what they\u2019re supposed to do. I don\u2019t want to force anybody. If you really want to learn, you\u2019ll do it. If you don\u2019t, then maybe it\u2019s not your time. Maybe you need time to get into it yourself. I don\u2019t want to force anyone anymore.<\/p>\n

Naru:<\/span> What do you pay attention to when you teach English?<\/strong><\/p>\n

John: <\/strong><\/span>Depends on what I\u2019m teaching. Nowadays most of my classes are conversational, so I focus on expressions that they use, pronunciation, stress points, stuff like that. Vocabulary\u2026 Not so much on grammar, nowadays. I mean, yeah, if they say something that would make comprehension a little bit difficult, I kind of try to correct them. But my focus is on them trying to speak more and be more confident with what they say. We do the polishing part later.<\/p>\n

Naru:<\/span> How do you make them be more confident?<\/strong><\/p>\n

John: <\/strong><\/span>Get them to speak more, and let them say things without correcting them so often. Try to be more enthusiastic in their conversation. Let them talk about things that they like to talk about, and ask more questions. Let them say more, and when they feel that they can talk to me without thinking too long or anything like that, we start polishing.<\/p>\n

Naru:<\/span> I think Filipino teachers sometimes talk too much.<\/strong><\/p>\n

John: <\/strong><\/span>What I don\u2019t like in my class is dead air. I don\u2019t want to ask a question and have the student think for 1 minute and say nothing in between, otherwise it sounds like they\u2019re finished talking. It\u2019s hard to keep the flow of the conversation that way. It gets awkward, and I\u2019m not sure if the other teachers feel the same way. But maybe that\u2019s why they are talking so much. Let\u2019s say if I ask questions to students and they gave me 1 or 2-word answers, and I just stare at them for a minute waiting for them to speak more, I think it\u2019s not fair for either the teachers or the students because it sounds like the teachers are not interested in their job and seems like student just doesn\u2019t have anything to say. The level of speaking too much or talking too little is not very clear. I don\u2019t know. Some teachers do just generally talk too much, perhaps.<\/p>\n

Naru:<\/span> What surprised you the most about your students?<\/strong><\/p>\n

John: <\/strong><\/span>When I started teaching, the attitude of students in Asia is stricter than students in the United States. Coming from personal experience, when I was in high school, middle school, university, I didn\u2019t really study so hard because I felt like I didn\u2019t really need to study that hard. I just, like, looked for context clues and stuff like that. And also there\u2019s a different way of learning. For example, when it comes to learning for vocabulary, a lot of my students just sit down in one place and just like trying to memorize 20, 30 words at a time, just cramming them into their skulls. I would say they have a very strong attention span. If that were me, I\u2019d probably just sit down for 3 minutes and just, like, go somewhere else.<\/p>\n

Naru:<\/span> How can students improve their proficiency, and what kind of learners improve fast?<\/strong><\/p>\n

John: <\/strong><\/span>It depends on their goals. For example, most students want to be better speakers, right? So what they\u2019ll have to do is \u2013 simply put \u2013 they\u2019ll have to speak more. After speaking more, they\u2019ll have to notice their mistakes and be aware of things that they say. And they\u2019ll have to remember that the expressions that they want to use, just keep trying to apply them over and over and over again. Those who want to become faster at reading or have better comprehension, just read more. Practice makes perfect. They say the best ratio for practice and study is like 80:20. 80% practice and 20% study, or 8 hours of practice and 2 hours study a day. The ones who are very serious about their studies, the ones who recognize what they want out of studying English, the ones who really try hard to get will improve fast. Those who come here and be like \u201cI think that since I\u2019m in the academy, I\u2019m automatically going to get good at speaking English,\u201d no, that\u2019s not the correct attitude to have when you enter the academy.<\/p>\n

Naru:<\/span> How should students behave towards others from other countries?<\/strong><\/p>\n

John: <\/strong><\/span>They shouldn\u2019t be shy. They should do their best to try to communicate with them because experience can really go along the way when learning a language.<\/p>\n

Naru:<\/span> What do you think about students using slang very often?<\/strong><\/p>\n

John: <\/strong><\/span>If the students tend to use slang, that tells me that they have reached a certain level of comfort in using English and their confidence has come up to a certain point, which is very good because it tells me that they can go on to the polishing process and start focusing on proper English instead of slang. I would actually try to encourage students to speak more casually in the beginning because it\u2019s easier to polish that than it is when going from formal to casual.<\/p>\n

Naru:<\/span> I think sometimes students might be rude because they don\u2019t know the certain word in the beginning.<\/strong><\/p>\n

John: <\/strong><\/span>As an educator, you learn to tolerate such things because they are learning. All of these things are forgivable like they might say a word that\u2019s kind of off-color. You just have to let them know this certain word or expression is not acceptable in many social situations. If they say something that might be offensive in any kind of way, or if they react in any kind of offensive way, I just let them know. I\u2019ll say, \u201cNative English speakers might feel this way about it, so try not to use it,\u201d or something like that. But it\u2019s okay. I don\u2019t get offended.<\/p>\n

Naru:<\/span> Why is studying English important?<\/strong><\/p>\n

John: <\/strong><\/span>It\u2019s because English is considered one of the universal languages in the world. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s important to study English but any other language \u2013 Spanish, French, Dutch, Mandarin… Studying a language like English would help you communicate with other people around the world. It\u2019s good. If you can communicate with others, that means you can connect with others and understand others better, which leads to a more peaceful world, right? There was a guy named Charlemagne, and he said, \u201dTo have another language is to possess a second soul.\u201d<\/p>\n

Naru:<\/span> When do you feel it\u2019s hard to teach English to students who come from different countries?<\/strong><\/p>\n

John: <\/strong><\/span>I think the hardest time for me to teach English is when I feel that the student doesn\u2019t really want to learn, or they\u2019re not really interested in the lesson. If he doesn\u2019t show any effort to improve, then I feel like it\u2019s just a routine day at the factory or something. Just put on a suit and tie and do what I have to do, and then after class, it\u2019s just whatever.<\/p>\n

Naru:<\/span> If that happens, what would you do?<\/strong><\/p>\n

John: <\/strong><\/span>I would still teach, but the expectations that I get from the student isn\u2019t very\u2026 There are students who just do what they think they have to do. You can\u2019t really feel that they want to learn like that drive is there. Like I said, if they come to the academy, they\u2019re automatically going to learn \u2013 that\u2019s not true. You have to find, you have to feel, you have to see it in the student\u2019s eyes and in their efforts that they\u2019re really trying to learn. If I don\u2019t, it\u2019s hard.<\/p>\n

Naru:<\/span> You\u2019ve been teaching for 10 years. Have you ever felt like quitting this job? <\/strong><\/p>\n

John: <\/strong><\/span>No, I haven\u2019t. I feel that this is my life\u2019s calling? I feel like I found the thing that I want to do in my life. I mean, if I wanted to quit, I would\u2019ve done so within the first year. It\u2019s a very satisfying, rewarding job. You get to meet new people all the time. You watch people grow and improve. You build relationships. It\u2019s really good.<\/p>\n

NATIONALITY<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"\"

Interviewed by Naru<\/p><\/div>\n

Naru:<\/span> What\u2019s the difference between Western and Asian people?<\/strong><\/p>\n

John: <\/strong><\/span>Well, it\u2019s hard to say because there are many different cultures in Asia. There are many different cultures in the west as well. In general, I would say Asian people prefer to keep to themselves whereas westerners are more sociable. We\u2019re no stranger to other people, like, we like to ask questions or talk to people who are complete strangers. Let\u2019s say on the bus or in the coffee shop or restaurant, we try to strike up a conversation with anybody, even just passing people down the street. Asian people, based on what I\u2019ve noticed, they don\u2019t really like to be bothered. They keep to themselves. And another thing is that a lot of Asians would say that they see themselves as a group. For example, when they go out and hang out in groups, they like to be together all the time. That\u2019s cool. In the US, when we get off work, we don\u2019t know the other person. I mean we do, but\u2026 My coworkers, I see them at work and we are really good friends. Off work, if we run into them like in the store, we just like \u201cHey, what\u2019s up? See you at work.\u201d If it\u2019s one of my friends from the neighborhood or something, then we really stay and talk a little bit more. We value \u201calone time\u201d \u2026pause.<\/p>\n

Naru:<\/span> How do you find the Japanese people?<\/strong><\/p>\n

John: <\/strong><\/span>They are very polite, very driven. They know what they have to do. They recognize their responsibilities and goals and always try hard to fulfill them, which is very good, very methodical in a good way. Very kind. Warm-hearted.<\/p>\n

Naru:<\/span> How would you describe your fellow Americans in general?<\/strong> Because I\u2019ve never met an American except for you, but I think you are not a typical American. I have imagined them to be because you are polite, calm and considerate.<\/strong><\/p>\n

John: <\/strong><\/span>Just kidding. I would say Americans are proud of a group of people, like patriotic. They\u2019re a warm-hearted, very sociable, sometimes very laid-back, sometimes very nosy, pretty straight-forward group of people. I would say that we describe a lot of things and tell it like it is.<\/p>\n

Naru:<\/span> I wonder if your character is from personality or nationality.<\/strong><\/p>\n

John:<\/span> <\/strong>From my stay here, there are a lot of things that have changed about me, you know, to kind of my blend in with my surroundings, to adapt to my surroundings. I believe that deep down I\u2019m still as American as they come. But because of my environment, I\u2019ve learned to adjust and make little changes to fit, and I believe that my experience here has changed some parts of me, like, permanently. But there are other parts that are still American down to the core. I\u2019d say that I\u2019ve learned to be a little bit more careful with words that I say, and I\u2019m a little bit more of a social-type person than before. When I was back in California, I liked to keep to myself a lot, especially in my free time. I just stayed indoors or hung out with a small group of friends, but now I like to hang out with a large group of people. I think those little changes are because of my stay here.<\/p>\n

Naru:<\/span> Do you think Asian people have \u201cNative allergy\u201d?<\/strong><\/p>\n

John: <\/strong><\/span>I don\u2019t know. Some of it might come from fear, or some of it might be because they don\u2019t want to be bothered, perhaps. A lot of my students do kind of clam up when they meet some other native English speaker, but others try to be a little bit more social. I\u2019d say it really depends on the personality of the individual. It\u2019s interesting because people didn\u2019t mind standing next to me or sitting next to me on the train when I was in Korea. If anything, I was the one who was a little bit shy because obviously, I was different from most people there, but people didn\u2019t seem to care. So I thought it was pretty cool. I don\u2019t know. In Japan, are they afraid that foreigners might start talking to them or something? It could be a Native allergy. It\u2019s okay though.<\/p>\n

Naru:<\/span> What are your plans for the future?<\/strong><\/p>\n

John:<\/span> <\/strong>If everything goes according to plan, then I will be working in Korea in the near future as an English teacher. Also, I\u2019ll be trying to devote my free time to get a master\u2019s degree, and afterward I would like to try to be a professor in university later on in the future. Maybe at the same time, I\u2019ll start a new business like a caf\u00e9 or a little lounge because I like to cook. I\u2019m not good at it but if I learn more, maybe I can do something with that. In the near future, I\u2019ll work more as a teacher in a different country, like in Korea and hopefully in Japan, too. If everything goes well I\u2019d like to go to both countries and work back and forth. Ultimately, though, I\u2019d like to become a much better teacher and develop a really good style of learning English. I\u2019d like to leave that kind of legacy.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Naru:<\/span> <\/strong>He is very popular to students both in his class and after class. I was a little bit surprised by him during his interview because I can sense that he is not only a teacher but also knows how to handle someone\u2019s behavior. He is sensitive to students\u2019 personality and He respects them. As for the students, they can see his reactions and listen to what he says because he lives in the academy. Talking about professionalism, the students can feel a different aura of him during and after class.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PERSONAL\u00a0 Naru: Could you say something about yourself? John: My name is Jonathan Hull. I\u2019m from Sacramento, California. I was born and raised there, and I\u2019m currently 31 years old. Naru: Before coming to the Philippines, what did you do in the US? John:\u00a0I was in university. I was also working as a security guard. […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1763,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,28,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interview","category-news","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.anjedudc.com\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.anjedudc.com\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.anjedudc.com\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.anjedudc.com\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.anjedudc.com\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1679"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.anjedudc.com\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1679\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3024,"href":"https:\/\/www.anjedudc.com\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1679\/revisions\/3024"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.anjedudc.com\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1763"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.anjedudc.com\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.anjedudc.com\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.anjedudc.com\/ko\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}