Just a quick post expressing my thanks to the students and staff for wishing me well on my 61st birthday last Friday.
61! My Goodness!
"No wise man ever wished to be younger" (Jonathon Swift).
Best wishes to everyone and may we all have many more years to come!
Michael.
In just a few days time it will be Halloween,
Here in Japan, Halloween is all about parties and candy and costumes, It is like this in America and a bit in England as well, and there are many parts of the world that don`t celebrate halloween at all.
Did you know Halloween is actually quite a new holiday? the idea has been around for a long time but it used to have a different name, and be celebrated very differently.
Once upon a time, Halloween was actually three different holidays! Halloween is a mash up of Samhain (pronounced Sah-Wayn) which was an ancient Celtic celebration of the dead, where they would wear masks to hide from the ghosts that could return that night , as well as the Harvest festival at the end of Fall when the fields are empty and the cold weather is setting in so we would eat cosy, sweet foods, and finally it gets its name from All Hallows Day, celebrating the Catholic Saints who were thought to chase evil out of the world.
These three holidays were so close to each other that over time they mixed together until we were left with Halloween, when we Celebrate Fall and eat pumpkins and cosy food and dress up as ghosts and monsters to scare each other for fun.
History has so many interesting Stories to tell us!
-Jordan Sensei
In my Jr High and High school classes, I try to encourage my students to ask their questions and have conversations with me and with eachother.
To help them with this, I bring "The Cube" to each lesson, it is a simple dice with "Who, What, When, Where, How, Free" on the different sides, helping them think of what to ask next. When I started with one of my groups, they were very unsure, speaking quietly and taking a long time to come up with something to ask. However, now that they are more comfortable they are asking more and more interesting questions, whe have gone from "when is your Birthday" all the way up to "where in the world would you like to live in the future" and it has been great to hear everyone sharing their thoughts and help eachother figure out how to ask things.
Lessons are a great way to learn grammar and vocabulary, but the truly best way to learn how to speak to others is simply to do it, you`ll learn the flow and the tone far easier when you get to see and hear it all around you, so get out there and try talking to someone!
-Jordan Sensei
Spreading the spooky vibes!
So Halloween is comming up and some of my students seem less than excited about the day.
Some of them feel like it's not going to be fun because they will be at school and while others are happy to spend it
with friends. I got to see one of our little P2s spread some Hallowwen cheer to other students yesterday after class.
It was really sweet and thoughtful!
She bought Halloween lucky packets and handed them out, and said Happy Halloween! That spirit is why I want to encourage everyone,
to try something new this halloween. Dress up, or play a small prank with your friends.
Hand out candy or even just pull a scary face.
Spreading a little bit of the spooky vibes may be just the thing to brighten up someon's day!
- Khanya (Kay) Sensei
冬のインタラクティブセミナー絶賛受付中です！！
会話とはまた違うアプローチで英語学習に挑戦しましょう！◆フォニクッスの練習
◆読みの練習（絵本を使った教材で多読します。）
◆リスニング力・語彙力の養成
◆英検・入試のリスニング対策これからの時代、パソコン力は必須です！
小さいうちからコツコツと取り組み力を付けていきましょう！
Halloween or Guy Fawkes Night?
It may sound strange but my first ever Halloween was 24 years ago in Hokkaido.
This is because Halloween was primarily a North American and Canadian festival and, at least when I was a child in the UK, it wasn’t celebrated.
The UK has its own very different festival called Guy Fawkes Night.
While Halloween is a festival celebrating the supernatural (similar to the Mexican Dio Del Muerte – Day of the Dead), Guy Fawkes Night is a commemoration of an actual historical event.
However, there are some similarities.
For example, both festivals are known for particular phrases; “Trick or treat? (Halloween) and “Penny for the Guy” (Guy Fawkes Night), both festivals involve sweets (Apples coated in toffee are popular in the UK) and both festivals involve light in the darkness – candles in pumpkins (Halloween) and bonfires at night and fireworks (Guy Fawkes Night).
A distinction though is that Guy Fawkes Night has it’s own special chant;
Remember, Remember,
The 5th of November,
Gunpowder, Treason and Plot.
Best wishes, Michael.
There is a quote that has gone around and been attributed to many people over the years,
"quiet women rarely make history"
I think this quote is important idea for not only women but everyone, If we want to make History and leave a mark on the world, we can`t sit quietly on our hands and do nothing.
Stand up, ask your questions, explore and challenge the things that interest you and pursue the ideas you think are important, this is how we change the future and make history.
The quote can be read a second way as well, The people who stay quietly to the side and support us are rarely remembered in the history books. Our world is shaped and held together not only by the big events, but also by all those quiet people doing all the small, unglamorous jobs, so remember to appreciate everyone and everything they do.
-Jordan Haines
I was asked an interesting question quite recently, one that has me thinking,
What makes you a good teacher?
What indeed makes a good teacher? surely everyone can agree it is more than just standing in a classroom and explaining information.
Is it the ability to make a class fun? is it knowing so much about your topic you can answer every question? is it having stories and expreiences to help students understand?
It is hard to pin point what exactly makes a teacher a good teacher, but I want to pose a question in return,
What make you a good Student?
As I`ve noted before, not everyone can learn just from sitting and listening, so is it the ability to memorise and understand, or is it the motivation to focus and engage with what happens in the room anyway?
Regardless how we do it, I think we all owe it to each other to try and be our best when we are in class together.
-Jordan Sensei
It is always important to celebrate your little victories! No matter how small they are!
Moving a step closer to your goals is so important in the language learning journey.
I try and get my students to acknowledge that they did a good job, even if they don't think so.
A couple weeks ago, a couple of my students entered the Kure Municipal English Recital competition (Sorry if the name is incorrect).
Both "H" and "R" did exceptionally well, despite not winning prizes. 90% and 95% are amamzing scores and I am so proud of them!
I want them to celebrate their victories and I will be sure to be getting them some treats to remind them how wonderful this achievement is!
Well Done guys! you should BE PROUD!
- Khanya (Kay) Sensei
冬セミナーのご予約が始まりました⛄
冬セミナーでは興味のあることを英語で学習したり、
資格試験対策、外国人教師との対話チャレンジ、世界地理や文化の学習等、
オーダーメイドのレッスンをご用意いたします🎀
この冬、苦手を克服して得意をさらに伸ばしましょう。お気軽にご相談ください✨
