ネイティブが教える英会話のジェムスクール☆Teachers☆

My friends started a band called the Crane Wives. The bands name is taken from the Japanese folk tale "The Crane Wife" and they have a folk type of sound that is refreshing. I think music has become a little bit stale and songs are very similar (same). My friends have a sound that is very different from anything I have ever heard before and they are making very big steps in making the band their profession (job). I can't wait to see them play live again.

Do you have any friends in a band? What's your favorite type of music?
  

Learning to be proficient at any type of skill is a journey, not an end point. Sometimes all you envision is your destination. You forget about the path right in front of you and each step you've taken to get there. Remember to enjoy the time that you spend learning English (or whatever it is you're studying) because that's the most important part of the process.  

One thing missed in traditional textbooks is that learning a language is something you do with your whole body, really. It's not just the words that are substituted into the boxes, and what comes out is translation. Suffice it to try a computerized translation on line to see what gibberish comes out, not language at all. So much of what it's all about lies in the structure of our brains, our nervous system, and the intuition of analogies, noticing patterns between situations, and language. Any language has infinite number of combinations, of messages. You don't just learn by memorizing an ever growing list of vocabulary items. You have to get into the rhythm of the language, the physicality of the whole thing. Go for it, you have to solve the problems inside the target language, not running to translation for support for every word. How do you translate "a" or "the into English? You don't, that's an English problem not a Japanese one. How do you translate ageru, moreru, oku, etc.? You don't. That's a purely Japanese problem. The messages contained are somewhere else in the sentence, or the context.   

Bbrrrrrrr........ I want spring to finally come! It has been too cold for far too long. Last week I was in Mure-cho playing basketball and it started to blizzard! What the heck is going on? But there is hope! Just the other day I noticed that the cherry trees have started to form buds. It is a sign that the cherry blossoms will be coming! That means spring. I know some people, like my wife, don't really like spring in Japan because of their allergies. Well, I am going to be selfish and demand the immediate return of spring and warmer weather!  

I recently watched a video from TED Talks (click the link to go to the website) that discussed an idea of daily challenges. The speakers daily challenge was to take a one second video every day for the rest of his life. In 1 years time, the speaker created a five and a half minute video which was compiled of 365 one second video clips. I was inspired by this idea and decided to expand on it. I spoke with one of my students about the challenge that I took up and she was inspired and decided to take the challenge. Her daily challenge is to write one sentence in English for as long as she decides to continue the challenge. I would encourage everyone to think of an area in your life that you desire to cultivate and grow, decide on a challenge, and put that challenge into motion. If you miss a day, do not be discouraged, focus more on your challenge. As your challenge grows, you will also grow and be able to expand on the challenge in the future. I hope that this encouraged you to begin a challenge and look forward with a new goal in your mind and I would love to hear some of the ideas that everyone comes up with. With every idea that is created, new ideas will follow and it will encourage others around you to create challenges of their own. So, now I pose the question, will YOU take the challenge? If your answer is yes, what will your daily challenge be?

If you decide to take up the challenge and wish to share your idea, please comment on the facebook link to this post.

Thank you for reading! I look forward to seeing your ideas.

Leigh  

I ran the 44km team marathon race with my friends in January. It was at Manno Park. It was really cold the morning of the race so it began snowing. By the time the race started the snow had melted and turned the ground into thick mud. I was worried I would lose my shoes in the mud while I was running. Many people slipped and fell in the mud. It was so cold I had to remove my wet shoes and socks in between laps to keep my toes warm. My team only had 6 people. Most teams had more than 10 so we were slower at finishing the race. Even though we didn’t finish as a top team and it was really cold we still all had fun. The hot udon after the race was particularly amazing!! Can’t wait for the 88km team marathon race in April!





  

In America there are many cars from many places. The mainland of America is called the "continental United States". Every car in America that can drive on the road has a license plate that has a number on it as well as what state it's from. Usually the cars I see are from one of the 48 states in the continental United States. It is kind of rare but I saw a car from Hawaii in Texas. I was very surprised.

  

The way that some people study, you would think that learning a language is like learning science or math. That all you need to know is りんご = apple like 2+2 = 4. This is akin to thinking that in order to learn to play the piano, you just have to know which keys are C and which are G# and in what order you need to play them. Simply knowing these facts doesn't allow you to play Moonlight Sonata.

Learning a language is very similar to learning to play the piano. Knowing words and keys is important, but what's most important is learning how sentences or melodies are constructed and practicing playing them over and over until you are proficient.  

I was never really much of a reader until the last few years. Now I have found a certain joy and relaxation in reading. The thing about reading is that you can say, "It's not for me." but there is something out there for you to read whether it be a fantasy novel about hobbits or a suspense detective novel. You can even read non fiction if history interests you or something about your favorite activity. I just finished Clash of Kings. One of the hardest books I have ever read but it was so fulfilling to finish it and if you want to increase your English vocabulary one of the easiest ways is to read about something that interests you. Do you read? What's your favorite book?   

I would seriously question the mood prevalent right now, that everything is o.k, or at least better in Tohoku now, two years after the crisis. There are those who would like us to believe that. It would be easier for those people if it were true. The truth is not like that at all. I'm always asked "how do you know that?" Well it's easier if you check sources outside of Japan, but actually most of the reporting is coming from Japanese sources, translated, newspaper articles, public statements by doctors, other specialists. But of course, there is also the idea out there that if it is bad there's nothing we can do about it, so it's better just to forget about it. Not knowing about a threat does not make it easier to take when it does come true. Not knowing is not an answer. As hard as it may be.   

My friend gave me free tickets for any Takamatsu 5 Arrows home game this season. I decided to go last weekend. Man was that disappointing. I have been in Takamatsu for over 4 years now. I remember when the team was in the upper echelon of the BJ League and they had players that worked together. Even the stadium use to be near capacity or sold out. But now I was just 1 of maybe 200 people in the gym. So sad. The owners and sponsors of the 5 Arrows need to drastically rethink what they are doing. If they want to make money they need to deliver a proper product. Fire the coach and get proper players. Even basketball fans like myself are jaded with the team. How can they expect casual basketball fans to support a losing team? What a shame!  

Valentine's Day is a day most know as a day to get chocolate, sweets, and perhaps flowers from the person or people who like you. The Valentine's Day traditions in Japan and in America, are very different. From what I can tell, in Japan Valentine's Day is a day for females to give males a token of their love and then later on, on White Day, the males respond to that by giving them a gift. In America, Valentine's Day is different. In America, we do not celebrate White Day, and on Valentine's Day, it is typically the male giving the female the gift, though females do give gifts to males. Valentine's Day isn't only a day to gift chocolates and sweets, it is a day to cherish the person that you love, typically a couple; it is very rare for non-coupled people to celebrate this holiday, and in fact, most hate this holiday. Anyway, on Valentine's Day in America, dating couples will exchange sweets, chocolates, and perhaps flowers, however, married couples will exchange those things, plus jewelry and other special trinkets and gifts that they know the other person enjoys very much. Valentine's Day is a mutual holiday in America, rather then a one sided holiday.

Thank you for reading!

Leigh  

Just because it is cold doesn’t mean you can’t have fun outside, particularly the beach. I spent hours at the beach recently with my friends. We packed picnic lunches and hot tea. We brought sleeping bags and blankets. We had a lot of fun and didn’t even get cold. What do you like to do when it’s cold? Japan has many beautiful places to hang out in nature. The good thing about the cold is that you can have your own private beach because most people don’t realize how nice it is, even when it’s cold.   

I am a hands on person. I like to do more than I like to watch. I like getting my hands dirty. I have done many projects and completed things that I thought I never would. I love trying new things. This is a picture of one of my first wood carving projects. I carved a rook and a pawn, pieces from chess. It took hours to complete them both. I carved them by hand with my dremel tool. I am very proud of how they turned out.

  

Hi everybody,

I have both sad and happy news. First the sad, my bike of 3 years has finally gone to bike heaven. The wheels were shaking, the chains were rusted, and the gears were misaligned. Though the bike itself was too small for me and the tires always punctured, I felt bonded to it. So I decided to buy a new bicycle. But I wasn't going to buy just any bike. If I was going to pay an arm and a leg for one, then I would get one that fit me. They are so expensive here in Japan. Even grandma bikes will run you upwards of 10,000 yen. So I went to my local bicycle shop. They specialize in Cannondale bicycles. I use to ride one of these when I was younger. I decided to order an XL mountain bike with 29 inch wheels! It arrives on Friday. Finally a bike that is befitting of my size.  

Looking at the terrible situation women are in, not only in far away countries, we should all stand up for the rights of women, which are human rights, aren't they? This means not only women, but men too showing solidarity for real rights, not just paying lip service. The best we can do is to look into ourselves, and realize our own failure to stand up clearly for what's right.   

One thing a lot of people don't realize when they learn a new language is that you must learn to use your mouth differently in order to pronounce words correctly. For example, one day in Spain our professor explained to us how to pronounce the "d" sound. I was shocked to learn that you do it differently for Spanish than for English.

This misunderstanding is very present in Japanese speakers learning English especially because of the katakana system of writing foreign words. I try to make it clear to my students that "ザ" does not sound the same as "the". In fact, you need to put your tongue between your teeth as in the picture above in order to pronounce "the" as a native speaker would. It seems silly at first, as if you are exaggerating, but it makes an immediate difference in your pronunciation. With practice it will sound and feel better and better and you will be more easily understood!  

On January 29, 2013, GEM School hosted several events throughout the different locations GEM School has. There were mock seminars, Home Stay Clubs, and so much more. The events that I hosted were a Home Stay Club, in which we went down to the river and roasted marshmallows and I showed the students how to make s'mores. It was a lot of fun. The second event I hosted was a dance class. The students were able to learn to dance with DJ Leigh and Side Kick Coco! We learned the Shuffle which was a lot of fun. At the end of the event many of the students asked if we could get together and dance weekly, it was a fun time! I hope to dance with them again soon!

Thank you for reading!

DJ Leigh   

I had the chance to surf in the freezing waters of Oregon too. I’ve never been in colder water. I had to wear a full body wetsuit along with a hood and booties. When I was finished I walked around on the beach. Many people were out playing and walking along the beach. Some people were flying kites and others were going for a walk. Children were chasing the seagulls and collecting sea shells. I watched a beautiful sunset.


  

I have a degree in graphic design. Before I came to Japan to teach English I was doing graphic design for a sign company in Texas. As a graphic designer I can do just about anything with an image. While I was visiting my brother in New York I saw this shirt and wanted to buy one. It was a shirt for children so their biggest size was still too small. I took this photo of the shirt, converted into a stencil using my graphic design software, and made my own shirt using the stencil. I made a shirt using a photograph of a shirt. You can really do anything, so why not come and learn some English?