On November 3, 2011, I had a meeting with Smith’s School of English franchise system founder Mark Smith in Hyogo Prefecture. Instead of just sitting and talking, we went for a hike and talked while hiking. We took a trail in the mountains of Kawanishi, above the city, which crossed into Takarazuka at times. There [...]
Having used facebook (yes, they spell it without a capital “f”) and especially its use, and recent growth in Japan, as a subject for lessons in my English school, Smith’s School of English, Kawanishi, I thought that it might prove to be a useful tool for my students in improving their English. Blogging regularly in English [...]
Well, that was it; the Golden Week holiday is but a memory, and I’m fully back in the swing of teaching at my English school, Smith’s School of English, Kawanishi. But the memories are great, having spent several days with my wife, Megumi’s family in Matsue, Shimane Ken. As always, we were treated with great warmth [...]
Unlike Adrian of Smith’s School of English, Hirakata, (see his post) I am not at all a “techie”: I’m still trying to master the remote of my TV, which I have had for almost 2 years. A few months ago, I was looking for something to use to listen to music on my train journeys [...]
My wife, めぐみ, and I were lucky enough to spend our last 12 years in England, before moving to Japan, in the delightful small town of Lymington. I can think of few more fortunate towns to live in; with its beautiful coast to the south, giving views across the Solent to the Isle of Wight, and the [...]
I often use “Let’s Talk” type question lists during lessons in my English conversation school, Smith’s School of English, Kawanishi スミス英会話川西校. Sometimes I base most of a lesson on these lists (some from the Smith’s School of English curriculum, and some lists that I have made myself to augment these), or sometimes to occupy the last [...]
Whenever I ask students at my English school, Smith’s School of English, Kawanishi スミス英会話川西校, which cities in Japan they would recommend for a visit by overseas visitors, they invariably say Kyoto 京都, occasionally adding Nara 奈良市, and even more rarely, Tokyo. Only one has ever suggested Osaka 大阪市, which is also my choice. Why? Well, to me, [...]
In the “Let’s Talk” Question and Answer Item in the Smith’s School of English スミス英会話 curriculum, Question 8 asks: “Have you ever complained in a restaurant?” I have not yet had a student at my English school, Smith’s School of English, Kawanishi, answer this in the affirmative, and I can’t remember complaining in a restaurant myself (at least [...]
I have just finished reading the “Rabbit” tetralogy by John Updike. At over 1500 pages, this had been a marathon read. I had read the first of the four novels, Rabbit Run, as a young man, but had not read any other of his works since, before I tackled reading the whole set a little earlier [...]
Two apparently unrelated events happened to me yesterday that really got me thinking about my recent huge changes in life: coming to live in Japan and buying a Smith’s School of English franchised school. First, I visited Smith’s School of English head office in Kyobashi for an owners’ seminar, where I found the friendliness and support [...]
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