Book of the Week

I should probably call this entry the Book of the Break.  I studied this book everywhere I went over the winter vacation.  Actually, I　have been reading this book and another book called The Essentials of English Language Teaching.

This is not a book I recommend to anyone who does not teach English as a second language for a living. It would be deathly boring.  I do teach EFL　for a living and the ideas in this book have given me some new insight and a concrete guide that I am sure will result in more productive lessons for both my adult and children's lessons.  A lot of the concepts in this book were, of course, familiar to me, but when they are laid down methodically and clearly some wandering pieces to the big jig-saw puzzle started to find their way home...  I　need time to try to make the theories work but I can honestly say...I see the light!

New Topics

いよいよはじまります！明日からレッスンです。レッスンの準備も雪かけも大変でしたけど準備が出来ました。明日から新琴似校は音楽のトピックに沿って英語の勉強楽しくします！！！初めてのトピックと自分も音楽が大好きなので楽しみです。篠路は僕の大好きなスポーツのトピックで英語の勉強します。今月は終わらないで欲しい☆彡

It's been a long time since the kids have been here.  The reason I took such a long break was to go back to Hawaii, but I didn't go.  I was planning to go, but some things came up and I had to put it off.

Anyway, this month is bursting with new material and great energy.  We are going to study English following a musical theme in the Shinkotoni school and in Shinoro we will be studying English through sports.  I love both of these topics　so I am really having fun planning and making the lessons for this month especially.  See you next week (this week?)

Enthusiastically,

Pat

Happy New Year!

I hope 2012 will be a great year for everyone.  I am very much looking forward to all the challenges and joys that life in 2012 will surely bring. I hope that we not only survive it, but survive it all with dignity.  

I am determined to become a better teacher.  I have spent the break studying; reflecting on successes and failures in an effort to make a better learning experience for all the students at English Island.

来年も宜しくお願いいたします。

新年明けましておめでとうございます！

Merry Christmas

I don't do much for Christmas anymore.  I rarely even bother to go shopping.  The party for the kids at the school is about all I really do. I do decorate my house and do a bit of illuminating too.

It looks like another Christmas has passed and I hope everyone enjoyed it in their own way.  As for the Donoho's of Japan, we still struggle with health issues that seem to increase daily.  Good news is that Hitomi's hand is feeling better after the surgery.  Bad news is she has a some kind of stomach flu.  Good news is my back feels much better.  Bad news is well actually there isn't any from my end for now...knock on wood...Hoping for the best.  I will be writing on this blog more...

If this were a snowboard I'd know that Santa was in Hokkaido. It's snowing again!!! I believe the mountain may be calling me.  Time to go to bed and be ready for the possibility...

May blessings come to you.

Hopefully,
Patrick

The First Panic

I couldn't quite believe what she was telling me, but apparently Hitomi, our school mother, had fallen in front of the school and hurt her hand.  She had been hurrying back to our house to pick up a speaker to play some Christmas music for the kids in Kitano.  She didn't look like she was going to shake it off, so I said I would drop her at the hospital and I would go out there alone.  She said she could make it, but in the end she was just in far too much pain to be doing anything, but seeking medical help.  We parted ways at Toko store in Hiraoka.  She made her way back to Asabu Orthopedic and I faced thirty some kids without any assistant.  It was madness, but I think we made out alright.

The only thing I'm really worried about is, of course, a full recovery for Hitomi.　I can't imagine how much it hurt.


ひと美さん

早く元気になって下さい。

Sympathetically,
Pat

Book of the Week

I'm exhausted.  I thought it would have been an easier week, but unfortunately I wasn't as ready as I should have been and it turned frantic here and there. I hope it didn't show too much... I will make some updates this weekend but for now, please accept my weekly book blurb.

This is it.  I haven't really used it seriously yet, but it looks like a winner and as I have introduced the English Island stamp card to be stamped for both attendance and homework, I must provide quality exercises for students too advanced for the game based homework I usually give.  The exercises are short and clear.  The grammar presented is very well thought out and easy to follow.  If you are interested in this book, I have a copy and I might even buy some and pass them along to students who are looking to shore up their grammar.

すみません。。。今回の翻訳もちょっと待って下さい。とにかくこの本は文法の本なんですけど、わかりやすい！

Grammatically,

Pat

Labour Day

お気に入り

勤労感謝の日です。教室はお休みです。それにしても今日は英会話と別な仕事を朝から行って、買い物に出かけて、たった今帰りました。働いたという事で発寒ジャスコで買ったちょっとだけ高いビールを頂きます。

Today is Labor Day in Japan and the school is off today. This morning I went to another job, after that, shopping, and now I'm back home.  I can't say that I've labored to the point of deserving a reward but I have decided to partake in a slight luxury that I picked up at Hassamu Jusco the other day.