Hi, I’m Tim Stout, or Stout Sensei. I’m a Japanese teacher. I’ve taught Japanese since 1992. I’ve taught at all levels, K-12 and college, in public and private schools, in the United State and Japan. I’ve helped 1000s of people learn Japanese, and I can help you too.
I’ve lived in Japan for 20 year. I was just 3 years old when my family first moved to Fussa City, outside Tokyo with my father’s work. He worked for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. At age 4 I attended Japanese kindergarten, where I gained a foundation in Japanese. Later my family moved to Kobe, Japan, where we lived from 1977 to 1980.
At age 19 I served a mission for the Church. Between 1987 and 1989 I lived in Kumamoto, Oita, and Miyazaki, all located in the southern island, Kyushu. After graduating from Brigham Young University with a degree in Japanese Teaching, my wife and I moved to Japan with our 2 and half year old son, Rick. I worked for a English school in Isesaki, Japan from 1994 to 1996.
In 1996 my family and I moved to Tokyo and accepted a job at the American School in Japan, where I taught Japanese for 10 years. My students were the children of expatriates and diplomats from countries all around the world, living and working in Japan. In 2006 my family and I moved back to the United States, and I started teaching Japanese at Waterford School in Utah.
In 1994 I graduated from BYU with a major in Teaching Japanese and a minor in Computer Science. While attending college I taught Japanese part-time at Pleasant Grove Jr. The program grew 300 percent in the three years I worked there. After graduation, I moved to Japan.
While working at the American School in Japan I completed a masters degree in Japanese Pedagogy through the Columbia University Intensive Japanese Pedagogy program. After returning to Utah, I earned a doctorate degree in Curriculum and Instruction at Utah State University, and in 2014 I began teaching Japanese at Utah Valley University. Since then I have presented at ACTFL and served in the CollegeBoard AP Japanese Committee for 10 years.
I’ve written several books published by Tuttle Publishing, and available widely. These include books about the Japanese writing system, Japanese Hiragana and Katakana for Beginners and Japanese Kanji for Beginners, books about Japanese vocabulary, Japanese Picture Dictionary, and two special resources for children, Japanese for Kids Flashcards and More Japanese for Kids Flashcards.
My family and I live in Utah. LaNae and I have five children and four grandchildren. We enjoy Japanese cooking, and eat homemade curry rice, sushi, or gyōza at least once a week!