The Language Teacher
October 2004

Gone, but not Forgetting…

Alan S. Mackenzie

Former JALT Director of Programs

Perspectives

. . . with Joyce Cunningham & Mariko Miyao perspectives@jalt-publications.org

By the time you read this, I will be starting a new life as head of EFL Professional Development for the British Council in Thailand. After 15 years in Japan, my partner Gregor and I have decided to change cultures, work situations, and TESOL organizations. Taking up the theme of next year's JALT conference, Sharing our Stories, I would like to highlight what I have learned from my particular journey over the last few years as an active JALT member. Needless to say, my final chapter in Japan has proved to be a doozy!

It all started about 5 years ago, when Hugh Nicoll, Steve Snyder, Jack Kimball, and Eamon McCafferty conspired to trick me into being CUE SIG coordinator. As a part-time university teacher who had only recently acquired a Master's degree, I was very reticent to take on this kind of responsibility, but they assured me that it was not that hard.

Well, life is as hard as you make it for yourself, isn't it? Within my first year, I decided that I wanted to have a mini-conference on content-based education because it was not being talked about in Japan, as far as I could see. Luckily, I was working in a program that considered itself content-based, and Keisen University consented to give us not only the site for free, but supported printing of the conference handbook, cleaning, busses to and from the station, and funded a free party on the Saturday night for attendees. It is amazing what you can get if you have the courage to ask, the contacts to make it work, and the guts to carry it through.

We continued to have one mini-conference per year for the next 3 years involving other SIGs in the organisation of the program and thereby increase SIG activity and inter-SIG communication. These conferences are now called Pan SIG conferences rather than CUE conferences, which reflects the increased involvement of other SIGs in the set-up process. More recently, JALT Chapters have become more involved (Kyoto 2002, Tokyo/West Tokyo 2004, a trend we would like to encourage). This all lead to me taking the only position I actually chose in JALT, which was national SIG coordinator. I did this only because through the CUE conferences I was doing the job anyway!

Then disaster struck. At the 2002 June Executive Board Meeting, the board of directors resigned, leaving a huge gap in the organization. Some of those directors held multiple positions, meaning that even though only 5 people left, 15 positions became vacant, a situation we all agreed should never be allowed to happen again. Organisationally, investing too much in too few people is very unwise.

Director of Programs was the last of these positions to be filled. Because of Bob Sanderson (nominator) and Aleda Krause (seconder)—yes I know who you are and I plan to get you back for it—I was elected Director of Programmes; I guess because of the mini-conference experience and because nobody else wanted the thankless task of organising the JALT conference.

So, with 5 months to learn and do what ordinarily takes a year at least, we gathered a team and slung a conference together…and it worked. Having a full year to do the next conference resulted in near unanimous approval, so year three we decided to go to a university site. Well, that is proving more problematic than we expected, so please bear with the current conference team as they iron out the cracks.

These past 5 years as an active JALT member have taught me an awful lot. First, I have learned that most language teachers have difficulty communicating with each other, so we should not expect any more from our students. Second, getting involved in JALT increased my skill-base phenomenally. I have never (through necessity) learned so much, so fast, so well. In terms of professional development, the last 5 years have been a steep learning curve, a huge drain on personal energy, relationship and leisure time. However, it has also been the most stimulating, exciting, and personally fulfilling time of my life. So far.

I believe that JALT is a necessary organization. I am grateful that it was there for me in my inactive years, as a support network. I am much more grateful for what I learned over the last 5 years as an active participant. I would encourage any JALT member to get involved, do something, and help this organization. I never had any delusion that we would have the best conference ever; all I wanted was that it be better than the last one. I think we achieved that. I hope you collectively can achieve more.

Yours with respect, love, hugs, and best wishes for all success in the future,

Reported by Alan S. Mackenzie
Former JALT Director of Programs

The Language TeacherOctober 2004

Gone, but not Forgetting…

Alan S. Mackenzie

Former JALT Director of Programs

Perspectives

The Language Teacher
October 2004