Monthly Archives: November 2008

日本の秋は美しい A Beautiful Time of the Year!

Last week on Sunday my wife and I went to the Kitano area of Kobe where we stayed overnight with her parents in a nice hotel and enjoyed a fine meal of Kobe steak.  There is nothing like Kobe steak.  It practically melts in your mouth and the service during the meal was superb.  In [...]

Around the world in a month

China, Mongolia, Russia, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, England, New York…..and back to Kyoto. I started back at classes the day after I returned but my internal clock was probably still somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic. A pleasant welcome back from my students and was excited to show them photos of my journey. Hope to [...]

Japanese NOU

Everyone knows that Kyoto’s famous for their temples and now as the leaves are changing colors people from all over Japan will descend to Kyoto to witness the stunning beauty. With another long weekend coming up it’s sure to be very busy and although it may be a little cool the clean crisp air it [...]

Business VS. Social Work? Can the two merge?

At a Franchise meeting in June, Mark Smith mentioned that today’s business world is shifting in focus from being merely profit centred to taking into consideration the benefits of social work. His comment was of particular interest to me, since I have spent all of my career in the human service industry, with more than [...]

reactions

It’s funny how people react to different things. My friend and his wife invest in the stock market. Earlier this year things were going well. Unfortunately, in September everything changed. Leyman Brothers collapsed and it caused a ripple in the system. Prior to the collapse each week my friend would tell me how great things [...]

It Just Keeps Getting Better and Better

Last weekend I met up with several teachers in Japan that I used to work with or have an acquaintence with.  We had drinks and food in a nice place and it was real nice to see these people again. Thankfully they all have jobs and seem to be in high spirits about what they [...]

スミス英会話は他の英会話と違います What makes Smith’s a Better Choice for Japanese Students?

As you read all of these posts by Smith’s School owner-teachers you cannot help but feel the passion we all have for what we do. We are much more than just teachers. We are full-fledged members of our communities. We attend a lot of local events and participate actively in our students’ lives in ways [...]

英会話を上手になるのは練習で決まる Practice Makes Perfect!

Every English teacher in Japan is constantly asked by students how they can become  better at English.  When my students ask me, I say you just need to allow yourself the chance to use English more every day.  That means you must read it, write it, speak it and listen to it as many hours [...]

夕べ岡本駅に行く途中で Last night on the way to the station….

Last night after finishing my last lesson at about 10:00 p.m. I walked to the Hankyu Okamoto station with my student and on the way, we passed some young university students who were gathered outside the local izakaiya. Two of the girls said, “Smith’s Sensei” and waved to me and my student as we passed. [...]

Change Things Up and Keep Life Fresh スミス英会話大津石山膳所

日本語のサイトはここです。 Change is good. I just wanted to remind everyone of the importance of changing things up from time to time. Change the decor in your school, change the music or the ambience. Seasonal decorations in the classroom and adding seasonal themes to your lessons make everything more interesting. Refreshing your teaching skills and changing [...]

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