This is an unusual post, but Christmas is just around the corner and I, for one, could stand to lose a few pounds before the “eating season’ begins. We have a nice long winter holiday here at the Smith’s Schools. I usually take the opportunity to go home to Canada to visit family, but this [...]
Fall has always been my favourite time of year, and there’s nothing better than fall in Southern Japan. I’ve never been a summer person. I spend my summers sitting under the air conditioner, waiting for fall. October in Osaka is wonderful. The air is dry. The wind is cool. The sun shines most of the [...]
Last Friday was the day of the big typhoon. It was also Yuichi’s birthday. It didn’t look like it was going to be a great one with a typhoon and both of us working all day, but some birthdays happen like that. The typhoon let up for the evening of his birthday, so that was [...]
My adult life has been divided almost equally between two countries and two professions. In Japan I am a teacher. In Canada I am a counsellor. Over the years, I have maintained one confidentiality rule that I believe is very important. I do not discuss students with each other. What happens in class stays in [...]
Japan is moving more and more towards becoming a bilingual country. Jr. high schools and high schools are changing their curriculum to “up” the English skills of their students. Beginning this year, elementary schools across Japan have been mandated to teach English starting at grade 5. Until this year, the government mandated English to be [...]
Sometimes it’s fun to take a little time out from regular curriculum to study culture. I particularly like to study Japanese culture in English. I get my students to explain their holidays to me in English. Tanabata is one of my favourite Japanese traditions. Though most westerners have heard the story of the star-crossed lovers [...]
I love getting new students. Whenever I get a new student I am grateful to the secretaries for the great job they do at head office. Sometimes I’m difficult. I can get stubborn. But I always appreciate the secretaries for all the hard work they do. Last night I got a new student. I [...]
Today was an interesting day for me, here at Smith’s Eikaiwa Kamishinjoスミス英会話上新庄校. Everywhere I went people seemed to be speaking English. I was walking down the street toward the local grocery store, Kansai Super関西スーパー, which the locals call Kansu, when a woman starting talking to herself, clearly studying English and practicing basic English from cue [...]
It was a long winter this year. For most people it was something to complain about, but for me the Osaka climate is perfect. It’s really just one long fall that turns into spring! Japanese people pride themselves on having four seasons, but I think Osaka has no winter. Still, by Osaka standards, it was [...]
I love that quote. Recently one of my friends wrote it on his facebook status. When I read it I wondered if I was just sitting in the middle of the track. It’s march now and I decided that I needed to reassess the year so far to see how well I’ve really been doing. [...]
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