Drawn to Macquarie University for its reputation in language studies, Alison von Dietze graduated with a Bachelor of Arts/Diploma in Education (Japanese and ESL) in 1994 and remains ever grateful to her lecturers and the coveted Japanese exchange that changed the course of her life.

“I’ve always been interested in languages,” she says, explaining how it all began with a record her grandparents gave her as a child containing a single Japanese pop song.

“The lyrics were on the cover, and I enjoyed copying the sounds, daydreaming about what Japan was like.”

Intrigued, she pursued Japanese in high school and remembers daydreaming about being a Japanese teacher one day. Like many young dreams, however, this was overshadowed by the promise of a secure career in economics, which she also enjoyed. In the late ’80s, straight out of school, Ms von Dietze joined Westpac full-time, and pursued a degree in economics.

Keen to continue her language skills, however, she added Japanese to her studies also. As she recalls, “I chose Macquarie University because the language program had an excellent reputation, and I could study in the evenings after work.”

Her love for language won out in the end, and in second year she dropped economics, opting to add teaching to her degree instead.

“I realised that was what I wanted to do, and switched over when I met Barbara McLean, who was the English as a Second Language expert,” she says.

“My time at Macquarie was truly formative, thanks to Barbara – she taught me the fundamentals of teaching English as an Additional Language, and took the time to help me plan my degree and guide me on my path to becoming a teacher. Her support changed the course of my life.”

Not only did Ms von Dietze end up teaching Japanese in Australia, she also spent many years living in Japan teaching English, thanks to the skills developed at Macquarie.

“I’m (also) still grateful to Lea Smedley, the coordinator of the Language Education Program, and Sue Xouris, a specialist in Japanese language education.

“They both practised what they preached – their classes were highly innovative, engaging and motivating. Lea taught many essential aspects of teaching that are sometimes overlooked in current teacher education programs, and Sue encouraged us to put fun and creativity at the centre of our work.”

Of course, Ms von Dietze hasn’t forgotten her Japanese classes either, or Professor Takita Susumu Sensei.

“He gave incredibly powerful language lessons, and also taught Japanese history and culture. He was so passionate, and had such a warm way with students.”

It was during Professor Susumu’s classes that Ms von Dietze first discovered the year-long internship in Japan, when her fellow students spoke about their experiences.

“I just thought, I have to get that, and after completing my degree, I was selected by Sensei to go on a one-year exchange to Fukushima Prefecture, north of Tokyo.”

Living in the small village of Hirata Mura, Ms von Dietze worked in the yakuba, the public office, where all the different departments such as town planning and infrastructure were in the one building.

“One room was the Board of Education, where I worked, and I also spent time at two junior high schools as an assistant English teacher.” But the experience went much deeper than work experience.

“It determined my future, my life,” she reflects. “I established lifelong connections and became part of the community. I was just 23, and they treated me like a daughter.”

Once when she was at work, her colleagues noticed she wasn’t feeling well and responded with such kindness and care.

“They took my temperature and insisted I go to the secretary's house to be cared for. Up a dirt road, it was one of those really beautiful old Japanese houses, with shared agriculture like rice and asparagus, and they set me up in a gorgeous room with a fluffy futon and looked after me – they even refreshed my little teacher's unit, sunning my futon, so it was lovely to go back to."

The married couple who took Ms von Dietze in and looked after her became like family.

“They’re our children’s Japanese grandparents – my 20-year-old son even returned to Hirata Mura last year to assist with the rice harvesting,” says Ms von Dietze, who still treasures a special kimono she was given when she finished her exchange.

Though returning to Australia when her internship completed, the pull back to Japanese life was too strong, and Ms von Dietze and her husband eventually moved to Japan, where they resided for 12 years. While there, she taught EFL at English conversation schools. After completing her Masters, she also taught at JF Oberlin University and Takushoku University for seven years. She also published research on the use of the first language in second-language teaching.

Significantly, it was also where her children were born.

“In Japan, the tradition is to introduce your baby to all the people you’re connected to, and who’ve looked after you, in the village. We did that with both kids, and they even went to the same school I’d taught at for a few days before we moved back to Australia at the end of 2011.”

Teaching at a Foundation to Year 12 school this time, Ms von Dietze noticed a lack of engaging reading material in Japanese for young Australian students, which led to self-publishing three series of Japanese readers.

“I wrote them to maximise student exposure to language in a fun and meaningful way, just as I’d learned from Sue Xouris.”

Currently a Languages Curriculum Specialist at ACARA – the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority – Ms von Dietze has been busy working as part of the team refining the national curriculum for languages, developing associated professional learning and running a networking group around Australia for language experts.

Of course, she and her family still do what they call turbo trips to Japan, where they jam-pack their time with everything they love and miss about their second home.

“Learning Japanese has allowed me into the heart of Japan; it’s changed me,” she reflects. ”The culture, the kindness, the generosity – the spirit of Japan has become part of me. I’m sincerely grateful to Macquarie University; it’s incredible how instrumental it has been in my life.“

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Alison von Dietze's bio

Alison von Dietze graduated from Macquarie University in 1994 with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Japanese and English. Ms von Dietze also holds a Diploma of Education (Japanese/ESL) from Macquarie University and a Master of Education (Teaching Second Languages) from the University of Southern Queensland.

With more than 25 years of experience in education across primary, secondary and tertiary settings in Japan and Australia, she now serves as a Curriculum Specialist in Languages at ACARA, contributing to curriculum refinement and implementation. She has also contributed several research publications as part of her commitment to advancing language education.