While students are divided by levels at Smith’s School of English that means sometimes there’s a large age gap between students. I’ve had 25 year-old students studying with 65 year-olds or high school students studying with housewives. This just adds flavor to the lesson. The younger students can teach the elder students about the latest [...]
There’s not one person I know that doesn’t suffer from some sort of stress…studying English shouldn’t be one of them. In fact it should be just the opposite - in my classroom laughter’s heard in practically every class. It’s kept light and enjoyable as much as possible but that doesn’t mean I’m not strict nor [...]
One higher level student took it upon herself to write her life stories in both English and Japanese and share them with her family. She wanted to show everyone that you can do anything you want to if you put your mind to it. In her first book her writing was good but simple. Her [...]
Most successful schools in Japan have good teaching materials whether it’s a textbook, flashcards or other various materials. A good school knows there can always be improvements but it’s important that teachers working for a school know how to use their schools’ system first and foremost. Too many teachers think they always know better and [...]
Students often ask me how they can improve their English…while there are shortcuts to learning anything the true secret to learning anything is simple - desire. Obviously talent, hardwork, practice, tests, friends, traveling all help but in the end desire is the one thing that keeps us going when things get tough. Desire isn’t something [...]
While every student that comes through the door at Smith’s yearns to speak English smoothly they all start off at different points in their English mastery. Some have studied at other language schools, others have majored in English and some have simply forgotten most of what they learnt back in junior high school. For the [...]
February 25, 2008 – 8:53 pm
For the past few years I’ve run my Smith’s school pretty much by myself - and I was happy. But last year with the disappearance of the biggest English conversation school I felt that it was time to make a move. I immediately started interviewing possible candidates that would mesh well with the Smith’s system [...]
February 25, 2008 – 8:45 pm
one of the best things about being part of Smith’s has to be the support of both the staff at the head office, the other teachers’ assistance and Mark’s business experience here in Japan. If I have a concern regarding expansion, curriculum, training, staff, etc. I simply pick up the phone. That’s a pretty powerful [...]
February 4, 2008 – 9:01 am
Having lived in Asia for over 20 years now I must say that I’ve been spoiled. I’ve stayed at 5-star hotels, had maids and drivers and eaten at some fantastic restaurants. I remember when I first came to Japan 14 years ago as a student I thought prices were high here but since that time [...]
January 13, 2008 – 7:49 pm
The world has changed…that’s what so many people say when they feel like they’ve lost touch with things around them, be it computers, work or relationships. The world just isn’t the way it used to be. We can all relate to that. However, I think that the expression “the world has changed” is actually outdated [...]
January 13, 2008 – 7:48 pm
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January 13, 2008 – 6:13 pm
Among the various Smith’s materials that we have I find that two stand out above the rest, the Phrase Cards and the Routines. Smith’s has constantly redefined itself in the way it does things both in the classroom and out. The Routines have been with us since the beginning and I believe a great tool [...]
January 13, 2008 – 5:51 pm
I started my school 7 years ago and at that time competing with the big chain schools looked rather daunting what with their flashy entrances and slick advertising campaigns that cost in the millions. But faith and belief in myself and what I was doing kept me going and while at first I made some [...]
January 13, 2008 – 5:44 pm
One of the biggest challenges teachers face is dealing with students that have spent many years learning our language, along the way achieving varying levels of success in the English language tests (Eiken and Toeic to name just a few.) I ask that not only my students, but my staff as well, push themselves to [...]
January 7, 2008 – 7:36 pm
Seeing my students’ progress is joy enough but during the X-mas season I’m lucky enough to receive a few presents from some students, this past year I got a lovely pair of gloves, a nice shirt and some department store coupons. They really didn’t need to but it sure did bring a smile to my [...]
January 3, 2008 – 10:09 pm
I’ve lived here for over 12 years now and the one thing that’s never changed is the Japanese love of English. Al Bartle said it best “It (English) is everywhere.” Japanese companies such as Toyota, Panasonic and Sony saw that having a company name written in English brought it more acceptance in not [...]
January 2, 2008 – 9:10 pm
2008 has arrived and while I spent most of my holidays up in Niigata where time seems to stand still. It was amazing how much time I had to do things compared to Osaka where it’s always go go go. Don’t get me wrong, I love big cities and have spent most of my life [...]
December 25, 2007 – 6:49 am
Boy oh boy…it’s been one heck of a year for me. While there were a few hiccups on the way I feel that 2007 was great preparation for 2008 and beyond. While a few side projects took up some of my time (network marketing and material development) I spent most of the year focusing on [...]
December 25, 2007 – 6:34 am
Another great post by Al Bartle…I completely agree with his comments regarding missing his students. Life just doesn’t feel the same when I can’t hear about their adventures. Walking around Hirakata I do run into a few of them and we chat or sometimes go and grab a cup of coffee (or juice for me [...]
December 20, 2007 – 9:42 am
with the X-Mas break rapidly approaching things get hectic…as I teach kids that means some fun and games. Each year I try out one or two new games that I haven’t done before as well as use some tried-and-true ones. That way I can build up my list of games that kids enjoy and at [...]
December 9, 2007 – 10:38 pm
about 2 years ago I took up magic. It was at a time when I just wasn’t able to find much free time in the way of being able to go into Osaka or Kyoto for rock climbing nor find enough people to play basketball. I still remember what made me want to learn - [...]
December 9, 2007 – 10:26 pm
I’ve been lucky enough to have met a number of great teachers of late and fortunately was able to hire some of them to work part-time with me in Hirakata. Until last year basically I took care of everything myself but lately my students have a chance to meet a few other foreigners while at [...]
November 16, 2007 – 9:10 am
Tomorrow’s a busy day for me but I’m looking forward to it because many of the students that are coming really have a thirst for knowledge. I love some of the topics that come up in their classes as they challenge me as a teacher to be better. But the ultimate compliment comes when I [...]
November 15, 2007 – 9:07 am
I’ve been teaching at my school for 7 years now and I’m proud to say that I’ve got students that have been with me for 4,5 or even 9 years. (before I joined Smith’s) It gives me great pride to see my students’ growth and unlike the big chain schools it’s in my best [...]
November 2, 2007 – 11:36 am
Each time a student steps through my door I wonder why they have chosen to come to my classroom, the obvious answer is to learn English but I’m always curious to know two things. (1) how they found out about my school and (2) why they really want to learn English. The 2nd part is [...]
October 30, 2007 – 9:46 am
It’s that time of year again, I dress up for nearly all my classes and give them a heavy dose of Western culture. Each year I try something different and spend the money to make it authentic. Two years ago it was STAR WARS with a real lightsaber, last year it was a soldier with [...]
October 28, 2007 – 8:04 am
Usually when I write an entry here it’s to talk about how lucky I am to be a teacher here in Japan and to have the opportunity to help the people in my area but tonight I thought I’d focus on something else that I love - technology.
I’m an avid computer user (mac and windows) [...]
October 22, 2007 – 8:26 am
I try to keep in touch with all my students even the ones that leave. Sometimes meeting up with then even after they have graduated and gone on to university in Tokyo or that have gotten married and moved to another city. Hearing how their life has changed is a great joy for me and [...]
October 14, 2007 – 9:06 am
Just like every other teacher here in Japan. I wake up each day and head to work. The difference is that I actually like going to work. My students are what keep me going. Seeing students improve as English speakers is great but what really moves me are the students (younger ones usually) that grow [...]
October 10, 2007 – 9:40 am
A few years back I found myself being unappreciated and underpaid at my previous company and I thought to myself that there had to be a better way. I was young and like many foreigners here in Japan I envisioned owning a huge school with lots of students and becoming wealthy. While some people buy [...]