Opinion and Perspective
The Age Factor: Teaching in Later
Years
James W. Porcaro
In many corners of the world, veteran TESOL professionals face the problem ofageism, which impacts harmfully not only on their careers and personal lives but
also on the quality of education available to students.
Ageism relates to the pernicious, prejudicial policies and practices that persist
against older teachers and workers in other fields. It is the reluctance or outrightrefusal of school officials to hire teachers over a certain age and to extend theemployment of teachers beyond a certain age. It includes the affronting, asinine
assumption that older teachers lack the energy, motivation, and innovation ofyounger teachers, and thus must be replaced in their positions by those presumed
to be better because they are younger.
I have experienced the impact of these policies and practices on someoccasions during my long tenure in Japan, though admittedly I have been luckyto escape the worst of their crushing consequences. In this article I will relate myown stories and debunk the assumptions of ageism, while firmly asserting theenormous capacity and value of older educators. In conclusion, I will suggest
some practices which may help teachers to face this issue, to defend themselves
against age bias, and to reduce the existence of the problem itself.

A Personal History
In 1984 I applied for an English language teaching position at one of Japan’s
then premier two-year foreign language colleges (senmon gakkou). At that time
I had ten years of teaching experience, including seven years as a teacher ofEnglish as second language (ESL) in adult education in Los Angeles, California
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Porcaro(USA). Despite that, the directors of the institution were hesitant to hire mesolely because of my age - 38. In the end, I was hired by that institution, where
I stayed for 14 years. By my second year there, I was openly recognized by theacademic director as the highest rated teacher, based on his close classroom
observations of all the teachers and subsequent detailed reports. A few years
later, I was appointed the academic supervisor of the English program and heldthat position for more than eight years.
In 1999, at the age of 53, I was hired as an associate professor at a private
university and promoted to full professor after three years. Yet, from generally
acquired information over many years and knowledge of anecdotal cases, I feelassured to say that was, and remains, a rather rare appointment for someone atthat age, especially a non-Japanese English language teacher. However, at age 65
I was forced into mandatory retirement from that position as well as from a parttime position I had held concurrently for 11 years at another university.
Now as an entirely part-time instructor I teach more classes per week than I
ever have—at two universities, a junior college, a high school, and a company—
yet my earnings are only about half of what they were when I was a full-time
professor. At the same time, based on the authority of the consistent responsesof my students on course questionnaires given at the universities and the juniorcollege, I can assert that I teach with as much or more passion and quality as I
ever have.
However, my part-time post at one of the universities will be terminatedmandatorily after the next academic year when I will have turned 70. Withme will go the highly specialized and well-received English for Science andTechnology [EST] courses I developed and have taught for a number of years
for electrical and mechanical engineering students, as it is extremely unlikely thatthe engineering faculty will find anyone else willing and capable to take on suchcourses.
Moreover, at the end of every academic year I anxiously wonder whether I
will be dismissed by any school administrator - who has never seen me in myclasses, never spoken to me about my work, never spoken with any of my students,
never seen their responses on course questionnaires regarding my instruction,
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and never read any of my publications which report ongoing innovative teachingideas - merely because of the number that is my age and the utterly misguided
notion that “younger is better.” In truth, that usually translates to mean “cheaper
to hire” and “easier to fire” (Templer, 2003, p. 2).

The Value of Older Educators
Having narrated some of my personal history, and as I proceed to rebut thepremises of ageism as applied to teacher performance, I wish to be careful not tofall into a reverse stereotyping and dismissal of younger teachers in the way thatolder ones have been so treated. I will be guided by Ronald Reagan, who during
one of the 1984 U.S. presidential campaign debates when asked if, at 73, he was
too old to be President, and referring to his opponent, former vice-president,
Walter Mondale, then 56, disarmingly quipped, “…I will not make age an issue of
this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s
youth and inexperience” (http://www.reaganfoundation.org/reagan-quotesdetail.aspx?tx=2238).
Those blinded by age bias fail to see what genuine educators on the front
lines recognize in quality veteran teachers. I leave it to one young teacher (Ripp,2011) to make the case concisely and meaningfully when she asserted that theybring to their classrooms “knowledge, expertise, methods that work, and a deepseated passion [for their job],” (para. 4) and in their role as mentors they sharewith younger, less experienced teachers their knowledge and inventiveness. “I
saw everything that had drawn me to teaching: passion, dedication, innovation,
and an unstopping sense of urgency to reach all students,” (para. 7) she added,
reflecting on her first year of teaching and the mentors she was able to turn to atthat time.
I have been fortunate to have had such a role as a mentor for Japaneseteachers of English ( JTEs) at the high school affiliated with the university at
which I was professor, and where I have taught weekly classes since 2004. Theselessons not only have expanded the range of my own instruction but further, theschool’s designation by the Ministry of Education as a Super English Language
High School (SELHi) from 2004 to 2010 provided me the opportunity to be137

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a member of the school’s advisory committee for that program. This involved,
over the years, dozens of classroom observations of the JTEs and follow-up
discussions and advisement both within the committee and privately withindividual teachers. They also have observed my lessons at the high school fromtime to time and discussed with me their views in the spirit of a true communityof practice. I have been very grateful for this chance to give back something asa mentor to these teachers as I had lacked any such person in my early years ofteaching.
One of the great advantages to teaching at my age (70) is the fact that I have
lived a longer life in Japan than any of my students. I have been through a cycleof life in Japan with my family. That includes births and deaths, growing up andgoing through school, job hunting and living on one’s own in society for the firsttime, marriage and raising a family, three-generation family life and care for very
elderly parents, and more. I know the lives of my students. I know what theybring to the classroom and what lies outside the classroom for them. I bring mypersonal experience of life in our society and my understanding of the students
themselves to the classroom, to my relationships with students, and to themeaningful lessons I prepare for them. I believe that students sense all of this andreadily trust me, as in turn I respect them.
Indeed, an integral element of students’ advancement in English language
proficiency is the opportunity to express their thoughts, opinions, and feelings,
and to state their knowledge and information, on matters within their life
experiences and in the society around them. Using content from students’own society and culture, and from their personal lives, in the English language
classroom greatly facilitates, encourages, and motivates their self-expression,
cognitive growth, and language development. Furthermore, such an instructional
focus constructs a necessary and vital bridge for many students that connects to awider and deeper understanding of other peoples, cultures, and issues.
It is simply foolish and wrongheaded to think that young students wanttwenty-something teachers close to their age. They simply want a good teacher,
one with experience and demonstrated expertise in classroom instruction andclassroom management, one they can trust and follow with confidence. Sulich138

The Age Factor, OnCUE Journal, 8(2), pages 135-142(2004, p. 33) states convincingly that “expectations and perceptions influenceclassroom interaction from the beginning” and that research among younger
students shows that they see the teacher in the following six dimensions: keeps
order vs. cannot keep order, teaches vs. does not teach, explains difficult concepts
vs. does not explain well, interesting lessons vs. boring lessons, fair vs. unfair,friendly vs. unfriendly. Not “old vs. young”!
I believe these views relate as well to college and university students inJapan. Both teachers and school officials here would do well to keep in mind
these observations, particularly in the increasingly difficult classroom teachingatmosphere of today, as more and more universities increasingly fill places withstudents that lack fundamental academic skills and orientation for university
studies, and bring to campus the baggage of poor and inappropriate academic
and personal behavior (Porcaro, 2002).
Quality veteran teachers know the critical value of concepts like respect,
authority, discipline, morality, responsibility, integrity, character - and their
existential application with students in the classroom. When it comes toclassroom management - including the need to correct misbehaviors, to balance
limits and leeways, and to establish a positive productive working environment
for all students - seasoned teachers have great sensitivity toward these issues; they
understand their importance; they carry recognized moral authority to addressthese issues; they exercise effective command of the situation; and they effectconstructive outcomes.
Lemov makes distinctly clear what such teachers know from the certainty
of long experience of practice: that it is utterly false to think that warmth andstrictness in the classroom are opposites. The teacher must be both; indeed, often
at exactly the same time. “When you are clear, consistent, firm, and unrelenting
and at the same time positive, enthusiastic, caring, and thoughtful, you start tosend the message to students that having high expectations is part of caring forand respecting someone. This is a very powerful message” (Lemov, 2010, p. 213).
A brief excerpt from a poem, What teachers make by Mali (2002), written asa defiant, stirring reply to an ignorant cynic, rests the case.

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I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could….
I make kids wonder,
I make them question.
I make them criticize.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them write.
I make them read, read, read….
I make them understand that if you’ve got the brains,then you follow your heart….
Let me break it down for you, so you know what I say is true:
Teachers make a goddamn difference! Now what about you?

For All Teachers To Do
There is little or no reason to expect any time soon any broad institutionalchanges in policies and practices in Japan regarding age discrimination against
teachers, let alone the passage of any legislation that would proscribe even
overt manifestations of ageism within the field of education. Having noted
that, however, I appreciate the recognition I have received in some quarters
for my teaching skills and experience, and the opportunities afforded me at myage to continue to contribute to instructional programs and the professional
development of other teachers.
Moreover, Japan is well-known and admired for its honor and reverence ofactive masters of traditional performing arts and crafts. Older accomplished andstill productive individuals in ordinary fields of work, including education, too,should be acknowledged and valued by their employers and communities for the
excellence of their labors and contributions to the people they serve.
Meanwhile, there are several good practices that all teachers can adopt,
worthwhile in themselves and which address the age factor discussed in thisarticle. I would like to end with some suggestions.
Older teachers especially must maintain their passion for their work, andcontinue to hone their instructional expertise of many years of experience andto innovate in their classroom practice, to include as well an understanding and
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appropriate application of educational technology.
Both veteran teachers and younger teachers should reflect on their life
experiences as teachers and come to understand the evolving meaning andrelevance of it all. Through such inquiry they can “uncover who they are, where
they have come from, what they know and believe, and why they teach as they do”( Johnson & Golombek, 2002, p.5). They need to tell their stories in writing for
professional publications, at teacher gatherings such as JALT chapter meetingsand conferences, and informally among colleagues at their workplaces. Theseshared narratives of teaching experiences can bridge generations and promotereal communities of practice within each workplace and across the wider domainof the teaching profession.
At college and university faculty meetings at least safely tenured teachers
can point to the value for students, faculty, and the institution itself of retaining
good teachers and hiring simply the best teachers available regardless of age. At
the same time they can point to the counterproductive effects of releasing goodteachers merely because of their age and hiring less than able teachers of any age
for expediency.
Veteran college and university teachers should seek and accept opportunities
to mentor younger teachers at their institutions and to expand their role inthe community by presenting guest lectures and classroom lessons to students
particularly at local high schools. These activities not only are very rewarding
in themselves but also can serve to build relationships with teachers at theseother schools and establish one’s reputation as a respected senior teacher in thecommunity.
As parents, we should encourage and support those teachers in all
educational settings who provide all their students with a full and rich learning
experience, thus making us active stakeholders in our own children’s education.
This is particularly opportune for pre-primary to high school levels at openclassroom days, meetings with teachers, and PTA meetings.
Finally, I would like to emphasize that the age of teachers in itself is an arrant
irrelevance, and in the end it is always the work of good teachers of any age thatraises educational standards for the benefit of all.
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References
Johnson, K., & Golombek, P. (2002). Teachers’ narrative inquiry as professional
development. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
Lemov, D. (2010). Teach like a champion: 49 techniques that put students on thepath to college. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Mali, T. (2002). What teachers make. Retrieved from http://www.taylormali.
com/poems-online/what-teachers-make/Porcaro, J. (2002). “Free Pass” universities: A new opportunity for achievement?
OnCue, 10(1), 11-13.
Ripp, P. (2011). The emerging age bias. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.
org/blog/teacher-age-bias-pernille-ripp
Sulich, M. (2004). Keeping discipline in the classroom. English Teaching Forum,42(3), 32-35, 11.
Templer, B. (2003). Ageism in TEFL: Time for concerted action. TESL
Reporter, 36(1), 1-22.

Author Bio
James W. Porcaro has lived in Japan for 30 years. His teaching and publications
have included such diverse fields as literary translation, African studies, English forscience and technology, and high school education, along with numerous other areas
and topics. porcaro@pa.ctt.ne.jp
Received: September 22, 2014
Accepted: October 10, 2014142