Monthly Archives: January 2009

You can

The now famous words of Obama have been heard throughout the word, “Yes, we can.” So simple and yet full of meaning. The United States is presently facing it’s greatest challenge in over 60 years. Only time will tell if their actions will prove to be successful. I do think Obama chose the right words [...]

2009 and a Spring Hike!

January has nearly come and gone already! Here at SSE Kamishinjo, we are off to a running start. We are hopeful that this year will be even better than last. Already, it looks promising in terms of trials and new students. We have made plans to begin including children in our student body, and plan [...]

Teaching English to University and College Students in Japan

スミス英会話布施校講師が書いた記事。日本語はこちらへ I think one of the most enjoyable aspects of teaching English here in Japan at Smiths School of English more me has always been the wide range of ages which we often encounter in one small classroom at the same time.  It is always exciting and challenging for me to tailor a lesson for [...]

A Special Thank You to Students at Smith’s School Kotoen ( スミス英会話 甲東園校 )

I consider myself very fortunate to have a Smith’s School of English Franchise in Kotoen, Nishinomiya.  This very famous and well-established upper-class neighborhood is full of educated and cultured people who have achieved a certain degree of success and peace in their lives.   It is a pleasure to work and do business there and I’m [...]

Soapbox

It’s great that Smith’s started this Soapbox. It allows me to share ideas with other teachers, students, friends, family and anyone with access to the internet. In high school I often asked people to help me out in the classes I found tough so this is my way of giving back. I do my best [...]

スミス 英会話 布施 校 生徒様のブログ (ニュージーランドからKia Ora 2009年2月)

スミス英会話布施校講師が書いた記事。日本語はこちらへ The February 2009 edition of “Kia Ora from New Zealand”, which is my student’s blog in Japanese, is now up!  However first I’d like to point out some interesting topics which developed on the blog following the January 2009 posting.  Some students posed questions on what is the purpose for studying English if not [...]

Smith’s School of English Tsukaguchi School New Year Event  スミス英会話塚口校 新年会

Smith’s School of English Tsukaguchi’s 2009 New Year event was lots of fun!   To read about it, please click here.   Enjoy! Derek Smith’s School of English Tsukaguchi 月謝制英会話のスミス英会話塚口校 http://www.smithweb.co.jp/school/tsukaguchi.shtml   英会話尼崎市

Teaching English in Japan is Fun/Owning a School is Even More Fun!

Nearing the completion of my third year since coming to Japan to take over an existing school, I can honestly say that it has been well worth it to make this career change.  Oh yes, there were hard times in the beginning and I can’t allow myself to drop the quality level of my lessons, [...]

self-study

Students often ask me what they should do at home in order to improve their English, my answer is always the same: anything. English can be broken down into 4 parts; speaking, listening, reading and writing. And all 4 parts can be improved with self-study. Let me explain. Speaking – while you might not be [...]

Apple Photobooks

One of the big reasons I’m such a fan of Apple computers these days is their Iphoto program. While Picasa 3 does a better job of organizing photos and makes it easy to find a certain photo you’re looking for, Iphoto has one function that I can’t find anywhere else. With just a few clicks [...]

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