As everyone knows manga is very popular in Japan and is gaining popularity around the world. Some people are so much into manga and anime that they want to look like one of their favorite characters. So in the spirit of having fun, enjoy this one and then get serious about coaching your [...]
As a second stab at working up some sentences to add to those posted by Ed of the Otsu Smith’s School and those added by me earlier. Here are five more sets of sentences. I hope they will be
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some students come for chat while others really have a serious goal in mind. One such student wanted to pass a tour guide test which had an English section, another was hoping to get a promotion at their company and yet another student wanted to prepare for their study abroad trip. Today one student came [...]
The post by Chiharu of the Otsu Smith’s School of English brought into focus the fact that owning and teaching at your own franchise English school does not have to be only for native speakers. And this fact might someday be one thing that will drive more Japanese students to work harder to master [...]
I have to admit that I really prefer the rural areas in Japan to the urban areas and I love how quickly and conveniently one can move between these two using the railway system in Japan!
Recently, thanks to a couple of my students and friends, I had the chance to discover some absolutely stunning areas [...]
By Alex
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Posted in English School Articles, Living in Japan, SSE Fuse Corner, SSE Horie Corner, enjoyed this a lot
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Tagged お花見, 吉野山, 大和八木駅, 奈良県, 明日香村, 月謝制のスミス英会話堀江校, 月謝制のスミス英会話布施校, 東大阪市英会話, 桜天国, 石舞台古墳, 英会話四ツ橋校, 近鉄大阪線, 飛鳥時代, 高松塚古墳
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Haruna has been with Smith’s Hashimoto practically from the beginning. She is expecting her first baby in about three weeks, and has been “on leave” since April. Since then we have met for lunch a couple of times just to get caught up and talk a little about business. She is planning to open her [...]
Hello everyone! This is Chiharu from SSE Ohtsu.
I have been coaching since April 2008 and enjoying interacting with our students very much. As my partner Edward has posted in May, I was very nervous at the begginning; however, I quickly felt very comfortable being in a classroom with our students. Thanks to the SSE system [...]
At Kamishinjo, we decided to combine Yuichi’s English skills with his skills as a patisserie , so we invited our students to make coconut cookies. Interest exceeded our expectations and we had to have a second day in order to fit everyone in!! We were very encouraged by the great turnout. [...]
The following is based on Smith’s School of English curriculum Routine 4 Lawson’s text and questions.
Going to Starbucks Coffee in Japan
I stand outside Starbucks Coffee thinking about having something to eat and drink for breakfast. I decide to have breakfast there so I go into the shop. I look for an available table. I find [...]
By Derek
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Posted in English Lesson Plans, English School Articles, Living in Japan, SSE Tsukaguchi Corner
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Tagged Add new tag, english, franchise, franchises, Japan, schools, Starbucks Coffee, teaching, コーヒー, スターバックス コーヒー, スミス英会話塚口故, 英会話スクール
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this past week I was able to take a mini break to head up to Niigata and spend some time with the two people dearest in my life - my wife and son. It’s hard to explain just what it feels like to hold your child in your arms and see them sleep (and [...]
A few days ago a friend of mine back in the states sent me an email that he was forwarding to several friends as he was inspired by it and felt the need to share it. I don’t usually appreciate such emails as they
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The Eagle
For students…… based on R8 Shopping Questions.
Last week I received a phone call from my friend, Alex. He invited me to spend a weekend with him at his cabin. I decided to go! Before leaving, I went to the store and bought food and a new fishing rod. Then I caught a train to [...]
It is already one week since 25 students and friends of Smith’s School of English Koenji got together at Izakaya Don Bei in Koenji to catch up with their fellow students and meet some new like minded ESL friends.
I have received numerous sms and email messages telling me how [...]
Learn the Vocabulary
It may seem obvious, but learning vocabulary is very important. Words that we don’t know do not sound like words; they sound like noise. Of course, you can learn a new word by hearing it, if it is the only one that is new for you. But you still probably need to hear [...]
I wanted to go to the hospital and speak to an English speaking doctor, so I asked a student of mine, who is a nurse at Itami City Hospital in Hyogo Prefecture, if she knew any English speaking doctors. She said that a doctor who she works with studied in the U.S.A. and probably speaks [...]
One of my students runs her own izakaya at a station near Smith’s School of English Fuse School and recently I decided to check it out.
I had been finishing up some office work at Smith’s School of English in Fuse on a Monday night when my flyer assistant called me up and asked if I [...]
When I started to learn Japanese I wanted to listen to anything and everything. This was good, but it was just too difficult. I became frustrated.
Then, I wanted to learn by listening to small selections of Japanese again and again and again. This was also good, but natural conversation is not like [...]
There are a lot of unique customs in Japan that aren’t always easy to understand because their meanings don’t always translate perfectly into English. Sometimes there are misunderstandings and things aren’t interpreted in the way that they were meant to be. A prime example of this can be easily seen if you pick [...]
One thing I really enjoy is helping my students discover new places right in their own towns which they have never been to.
I have lived in Osaka for about 4 years now and do most of my commuting by bicycle. It’s by far the most convenient mode of transportation. Cycling combined with my curiosity [...]
By Alex
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Posted in English School Articles, Living in Japan, SSE Fuse Corner, SSE Horie Corner, enjoyed this a lot
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Tagged OCATモール, やまや, オーキャットモール, ミナミホリエ, 世界中から食料を輸入する, 南堀江, 家具屋, 月謝制のスミス英会話堀江校, 月謝制のスミス英会話布施校, 東大阪市英会話, 英会話四ツ橋校, 食料品店, 食料雑貨品店
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One of the best thing about seeing your own students improve is that once they reach a certain level they can actually use their English to help me understand more about Japan, the language and the culture. Today during the conversation with one of my higher level students we started talking about the differences in [...]
Pictures…Photos…Visuals…all so important in learning a language without translation…For the past year or so I have been using a picture or two in most of my lessons in order to get the students to speculate, speak about it, or strike up a conversation…It continues to work well for me and the students display instant interest [...]
The first of three summer “Hashimoto Babies” was born about a month ago. “H” gave birth to a beautiful baby boy named Keisuke. Congratulations to her, her husband, and the new grandparents!
jim
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Today I was crossing a road by bicycle in Tsukaguchi when I passed a group of high school students that were crossing in the opposite direction. One of them looked at me, smiled and said “Smith” in Japanese. She meant “Mr. Smith”. I guess she thought I was Mr. Smith, which I don’t mind. The fact that she knew the [...]
In response to the STAG request from Ed of the Otsu school, below are 4 paragraphs to be used with the phrase cards whose numbers are shown. For a great explanation of how to
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Yesterday we attended the conference for franchise owners. We are still relatively new here at Smith’s Kamishinjo, so it’s nice to attend the conferences and meet some other franchisees. Yuichi and I have been reading everyone’s Soapbox posts and have been inspired and impressed by how well everyone is doing. After having a [...]
You never know when and where you’re going to make new friends; on the train, at a party or even in your building. The other day as I was just getting ready to head home I was surprised to hear a knock at the door and my student popped in as she was just going [...]
A few weeks ago I asked out a few students as well as some teachers for dinner at a local restaurant. Over the past 13 years I’ve gotten to know Hirakata pretty well and found some fantastic restaurants so it’s always nice to introduce my students to them. One such place is just a stone’s [...]
This is a reminder to Smith School of English students, friends and family that tomorrow (Sunday June 15th) at Izakaya Don Bei, in Koenji (03 3330 6382) from 5pm, 25 plus students along with their family and friends will gather to relax and enjoy each others company while welcoming Tokyo’s unwanted humid rainy season. I [...]
Ever since I came to Japan back in 1994 I was amazed at how interested the Japanese people were in English. It seems to transcend all age groups. Students in junior high school and high school are forced to learn English but unfortunately the focus is on grammar and reading rather than communication. Here in [...]
I often wonder why Japanese students have so much trouble to speak and understand spoken English. When I eat lunch at Cafe DECO, which is just below my school, and I can’t help but be required to listen to some conversations of young college girls. The cafe is not large and [...]