English is my best friend
Japan uses the “6-3-3-4” education system, which is the same as in the United States. This means that there are six years of elementary school, three years of middle school, three years of high school, and four years at a university. This system was set up by the School Education Law in 1947.
Elmentary school and three years of middle school are compulsory. Most children also go to nursery school and kindergarden. About 95% of middle school graduates go on to high school. and about 50% of high school graduates go on to a two-year college, a four-year college or university.
During the nine years of compulsory education, all children learn English. And some students also go on home-stay holidays during the summer to improve their English. Many university students learn English as part of their basic education, and so it is common for Japanese to study English for about eight years Still, most people in Japan feel that they can’t speak English. Why is this?
Generally speaking, most lessons in school are taught by Japanese teachers and students learn mainly reading and grammer. I suppose it’s the reason why most people in Japan have such a feeling.
But recently this has been changing. More and more schools are employing native speakers of English as assistant teachers who work along with the Japanese English teachers to help the students learn to speak natural English.
There are probably many reasons why Japanese have difficulty with English, but perhaps one of the biggest reasons is the worry about making mistakes. But, it is very natural for most Japanese to worry about mistakes because it is the custom in Japan to feel shame when they make mistakes.
Indeed, there are so many difficulties to learn English. But I love English. Throughout my life, I’d like to learn English. English is not only lifelong learning but also a best friend for me.
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Comments (1)
Bee
wrote on February 16, 2006:
Kayo, English is also my best friend. Fortunately, I learnt most of it outside school, first listening to it at an early age when my parents invited an international crowd home (none of them was a native speaker but they all used English to communicate).
Then I travelled a lot to the States when I was little, so I guess listening to the people, watching TV provided me with the sound and rhythm of the language. When I finally had it at school, I had the impression I knew it…so I did not study much. Maybe I should have, instead of spending most of my time reading novels, Agatha Christie books (The Harry Potter of the time) and voraciously devouring all surfing magazines I could get hold of.
The real test came when I had to teach it, as for the first time I had to reflect on the language and the difficulties other people might have when learning it.
Teachers usually teach the way they were taught…and I am no different. I try to get my students as exposed to the language as possible, use it in as many opportunities as possible, in different contexts and with people from all nationalities. What is important is to try to reach out towards the other and try to make yourself understood without the fear of failing. Making a mistake is a step towards learning and perfecting yourself.
My two cents of real and regards from Brazil.
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