ネイティブが教える英会話のジェムスクール☆Teachers☆

Parents can be so important in helping their children to get motivated. Not just encouraging them to do their homework, filling in the blanks, as important as that is, but praising their kids if they learn the songs, if they try to speak and communicate in class and afterwards. Even a simple "way to go" can make such a difference. especially for shy kids.   続きを読む

So, I just found out that the music group LMFAO broke up. They were a very popular electro-pop group in the States with their unique style and music you couldn't help but dance to. I decided to dress as Shuffle-Bot this Halloween. He's a dancing robot and has been kind of a mascot for them. I'm not sure how many people here in Japan will get it, but it's still a cool costume regardless.  

Getting ready for Halloween! Just finished painting a pumpkin. Next up is making my costume. Are you ready for Halloween? Have you made or bought your costume? Get ready, and make sure to come out to our Halloween event in Manno Park. See you there! Trick or Treat!  

There is so much to love about Japan; the culture, tradition, and also the beauty in nature and in architect. Everything is unique and has it's own story to tell. I fell in love with Japan long ago and have continued to fall more and more in love since that time. When I came to Japan, the beauty that I wanted to see was even more beautiful than I ever hoped. For example, the flower in the image has a smell much richer and fragrant than any flower I had ever smelled, it was magnificent and sweet. I walked by a bush of this flower and was engulfed in it's fragrance, and there is more like it. Since arriving here I have fallen more in love with Japan and look forward to every day from now into the future.   

I always talk about how much I love living in Japan--particularly Shikoku. I keep myself very busy by spending time with good friends and exploring the natural beauty and also the delicious food of Shikoku. It's easy to drive around and find something interesting. When you have nothing to do, simply go for a drive and discover something new. One of my favorite things to stumble upon are waterfalls. I found 2 in only a week of exploring Kochi and Tokushima prefectures. I'm sure there are more! The water was freezing cold but I went for a swim anyway.   

I like technology a lot. I have a degree in graphic design but I also like to make music. I make electronic music primarily but I also like to sing sometimes. One day I was going on a trip to Tokushima for the awa odori festival. It was a long car ride from Takamatsu. While we were driving I decided to try karaoke in the car using my laptop and a microphone. It worked very well. We could all sing together and listen to music during the trip. It was very fun and I hope to do it again.  

Working on grammar and sentence structure in class can be a bore for kids at times when they aren`t very interested in the particular conversation topic. Using the "conversation cubes" in Saturday`s American School proved to be a big hit with the boys as the attempted to put a story together using some very random words decided by the roll of the dice.   

Kids have tons of energy and every now and then they can't sit still. We have a relay race when they are full of energy. Here they were practicing there shapes. I would say "SQUARE" and they would draw the shape. By the end they knew all of our units shapes. Square, Triangle, Diamond... We had a lot of fun to. Do you know the shapes? Rose does :)  

Saijo’s Matsuri festival is coming soon. We have been hearing the drums all week long. Now lots of groups have assembled their danjiri. I was lucky enough to see a group put one together. It is very intricate. It’s amazing that they don’t use any bolts or nails to hold it together. This danjiri has images of birds decorating it. I can’t wait for Matsuri!   

It's been so wonderful to see how happy some of my classes can be with prevalently senior citizens when they get a feel for what it means to work together, and help each other in class. Getting some things straightened out for the first time, that had been bothering them, and that eureka moment, when they notice how the pieces fit together in a sentence, in a discourse. You're never too old to learn, and you're only really old when you stop learning, don't you agree?   

Yesterday, Gem School participated in a special event at Kodomo no Kuni. Sam, Leigh, and I performed in a private room on stage in front of a few dozen kids and their parents. We had a lot of fun singing songs and reading books.

This was my first time at Kodomo no Kuni. I had heard about it, but I never thought it would be so cool. There's so much there for kids to see and do... I wanna go there when I'm a kid!  

The other day I saw a rainbow and thought it would be fun to paint some with my student. My babies finger painted rainbows and learned all the different colors of the rainbow. We had a blast. I was afraid that the paint would get everywhere, but luckily it didn't. Everything and everyone was clean, well except for the babies' fingers. Do you know the colors of the rainbow?  

The new Baby Club at Rainbow School in Takamatsu is amazing! The babies are super cute! Rory (pictured) and his mother are always smiling and happy. Rory has the CUTEST smile, it looks kind of like an open duck face. Though Rory can't speak yet, his mother repeats the stories to him and he enjoys them very much. His recent hobby in class is what I call "Climb Sensei and make her bounce me", it's adorable. He loves to bounce and last week he said "U" when I showed him the "U"! I was shocked and it made me so happy! Being able to meet these wonderful babies and their moms are a true joy and I look forward to watching them grow in the future!

  

I went to Miyajima with my friends on the weekend. It was my first time. It was on my list of things to see in Japan. The weather was perfect—sunny and warm. It was a beautiful fall day and you could see the leaves are starting to change colors. The floating torii gate was particularly beautiful at sunset. The deer were quite amusing. They seemed to target families with baby strollers because the strollers were packed with yummy things to eat like paper and bags and actual human food. I would like to return to the island perhaps for some camping next time. It was a beautiful place indeed.   

When I came to Japan I was very excited about biking. I came from Texas. In Texas it is too hot and too far to bike most places. I have always loved biking and here in Kagawa I am finally able to bike almost everywhere. Within my first month I was here I bought a folding bicycle. I learned some of the pros and cons about a folding bike pretty fast. If the bike is heavy that's too bad because it has to be carried it onto and off of the train. Sometimes the bike has to be carried up and down stairs too. So when I bought a bike for my wife I made sure that it was much lighter. This picture is of me holding the bike I bought her.

My bike is 35 pounds (15.87kg)
Her bike is 25 pounds (11.3kg)

  

There is a real range in ability levels when working with a group of kids ages 10 months to 3 years old. A few of the older kids in this group are already recognizing words and reading along during individual book time while others are still learning the basics of shape recognition and letter pronunciation. When we threw the animal shapes on the floor to match with the letters, all of the kids had a great time searching for the right one and did very well putting the alphabet back together. Good job kids!!  

So after our lesson this week we made up a game. I would pass the ball and give an adjective..."Expensive" and then the students would have to make a sentence using the adjective..."My PSP is expensive!" After that it becomes take shots on Eric "The Wall" Jansen...Surprisingly these kids are good :)  

Most students are familiar with the alphabet song when they begin classes at Gem School. Many also are very good at recognizing and writing upper case letters (A, B, C). However, a lot of students have trouble remembering and distinguishing lower case letters (a, b, c). The difference between “b” and “d” can be especially confusing. In the picture above Tina and Angela got some practice writing upper and lower case letters. They did a great job!  

It's nearly impossible to find authentic Latin American food. Even if you want to cook it at home, finding all of the ingredients can be a challenge. Yesterday, we stepped up to that challenge and cooked brunch for some friends. Tortilla soup, gallo pinto, huevos rancheros, and tacos. What a feast!