EduCareer StaffBlog"Rinjin Blog" | "EduCareer"Supporting your career in English teaching in the Japanese school system

Blood Types and Teaching

2010/06/01

Do you know what blood type you are?

I wonder how long you were in Japan before someone asked you this question for the first time?!

Someone asked me again yesterday and instead of answering straight away I asked them what blood type they thought I am. She explained the traits of each blood type to me and concluded that I was most like type O...unfortunately she was right!

My friend knew that I had been a teacher for a number of years and she asked what the best qualities were in a teacher. This was a very perceptive question and I found it difficult to answer straight away, especially as it depends very much on the type and atmosphere of the school and the students. I settled on flexibility and dedication as my top 2 qualities, after which my friend told me that type A are probably the best teachers. Hmm, I dismissed this without another moments thought until I got home and thought about what she had said again.

Since I do not believe in blood types affecting people's personalities or horoscopes or playing the lottery, I never really thought about a connection to teaching style and blood type, although of course teaching style and personality go hand in hand.

So here is the list of personality traits, based on Japanese lore, and how they can best be exploited in the classroom environment:

Blood type A （A型）

Methodical, sensible

Well, these are great traits for a teacher, they are likely to plan their lessons very carefully and carry them out according to plan, which means that students will earn the material they have to learn in a logical way.

However, this could lead to over cautiousness on the teacher's part, so beware!

Blood type B （B型)

Active, free thinking

Being an active type is again a good trait for a teacher, being able to inspire your students into action will of course help them in later life. Free thinking can help students think outside the box and encourage their imagination.

However, B types are traditionally thought of as selfish and irresponsible... not the best if you are a teacher I suppose!

Blood type O （O型）

Sociable, optimistic

Optimism is something never to be underestimated, negativity is easily spread especially amongst young people. Being social is also useful in a school environment and getting to know your students is a vital part of being a teacher.

However, type O's can be vain and rude...oh dear not good when surrounded by teenagers!

Blood type AB （AB型）

Controlled, creative

Creativity is a great trait to have when you are a teacher, keeping lessons fresh and interesting for students is a very useful skill. Being controlled can also be vital in the kind of heated situations that can occur everyday in a school setting.

However AB's can be very critical of others and at other times indecisive...it is necessary to not break down the motivation of the class to beware!

So what do you think? Does your blood type affect your personality; does this in turn affect your teaching style? We would love to hear your feedback!

Lastly here is a link to a BBC news article I read the other day which suggests that "blood type discrimination" does exist! Read it here!