BOOK OFF!

has good English books. I got some today- 2 text books, 1 book of American idioms (some outdated), TS Eliot's cat poems, and 2 readers. They also have a lot of novels, magazines, and cook books. I wish they had more books for children, but they only had a few. So cheap too! I'll have to go back.

And now folks, here's an outdated idiom for you:

"spruce up" means- to clean or redecorate

for example: My living room was a mess, so I spruced it up before my friends came over. 

English- it's good for you.

Once a week?

Is one hour per week enough for English study?


No.

And this is not a conniving attempt to get people to sign up for more lessons. Both children and adults need to study outside of their English school. When they get home, in the library, or at a cafe with friends- anytime, anywhere. Obviously it is best to talk to foreigners, but if native speakers are not available, there are many other options.

Outside of class you can...

Have a conversation with foreign people (in an English cafe, bar where foreigners frequent, with friends, etc.). You can pick up lots of natural phrases, improve your listening skills, and become more comfortable in a social situation.
Review the text book. Or you'll forget what you learned!
Watch TV/listen to music. In English. There are several English dramas for rent, movies on TV, and music for free online. Find something you enjoy, and it will be very helpful.
Read books/magazines. Pick a topic you love and find a book on it. If the original book is too difficult, try graded readers, such as "Oxford Progressive English Readers." Famous books are simplified and made easy to read. Several levels are available. Manga is useful. Books for adolescents are fun and easier to read as well.
Write. Writing is VERY helpful, especially if you get your teacher to check it. You can learn lots of things that will be useful for future conversations. Also, it's good to actually write down and then see the sentences on paper. For example, write a diary about your daily activities, an essay on current events, or your opinion about a topic important to you. You can learn a lot from your mistakes.

There are several ways to practice and use your English skills outside of the classroom. It's VERY important that you do something. If you take piano lessons, you should practice the piano at home everyday. If you take Karate lessons, you should practice or exercise at home as well. Same with art, cooking, and everything else. Once a week is not enough. 頑張ってね。

Japan...and the rest of Asia

I bought "プレジデントFamily" magazine, because it has several articles about English education. One of them compared junior high text books for Japan, Korea, China, and India. Unfortunately, (yet predictably) the Japanese book was pretty pathetic. The English level is fairly low (appropriate for elementary kids).  The Korean one incorporates, not only English, but logical thinking skills. The Chinese one seemed useful for learning natural everyday conversation (at a fairly high level). And the Indian one was just....advanced. But then the University entrance test was high level (fluent) English. How can one master a language in just 6 years? It's impossible.

I realized that the problem lies with fact that children start learning English far too late. They should start in kindergarten. They should have English class at least once a week in elementary school.  They need to play and talk with native speakers (or Japanese people with VERY good English). Instead of getting it crammed in their brains from 13 years old, they should pick up naturally and in enjoyable classes from 5 or 6 years old. Kindergartens should have foreign and Japanese teachers. At that age, they can pick up 2 languages with no problem. I have taught several students who went to international kindergarten, and then normal Japanese elementary school. They spoke very well (good pronunciation, natural speech), but also had no problems learning Japanese.

It seems as if the writers of such articles, parents, (young, modern-thinking) teachers, and educated people of Japan all seem to realize this problem. It's obvious and everyone knows it. For the sake of the future, these problem need not only to be recognized, but solved. And soon.

English Schools, Large and Small

Yes, it's hard to care about your students as individuals with specific needs and goals when you have over 1000 of them, most of whom you've never met.  And I've never much cared for gray walls and plastic cubicles either!

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20101102zg.html

~~~~~~~~~
And I will become a better teacher.

youth

Start young! Babies (and young children) and language skills. Easy article (with glossary):

http://www.english-online.at/science/language-learners/babies-are-good-language-learners.htm

I wish I learned Japanese when I was a baby...

Useful

Lots good articles for learning English, easy to read, many topics:

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/