少人数制で楽しく身につく英会話教室・英会話スクールなら「アミックインターナショナル」

This morning I did my laundry.

Finally! I am in Japan and I can see the cherry blossoms!

I had been waiting for the sakura season for a very long time so when I saw the first tree covered in cherry blossoms, I was so excited. I asked several people about the best spot for sakura viewing and I decided to visit Dogo park. I heard about Hanami when I arrived in Matsuyama in January. I had no idea what it was until I went to Dogo park that day. It was a sunny day. There were so many people having picnic beneath the sakura. It was a very cheerful atmosphere. Children were running around playing and adults were eating and chatting happily. I walked around the park with a big smile on my face. I even tried some barbecue chicken coated in sweet sour sauce which I really enjoyed.

Although I am very happy to have seen the sakura blooming, I am also looking forward to seeing the falling cherry blossoms petals. I imagine it to be like standing under pink snowflakes falling slowly but majestically.

Everyone who has ever studied English started, at some point, at the very beginning:

A is for Apple, B is for Ball.

Learning the English alphabet and phonics (the many sounds of the language) is incredibly important for everyone from an adult just starting to learn English as their second language to a English-speaking child learning to read in their first language.

Every alphabet book is a little bit different; one might use R is for Rabbit, another might have R is for Rocket. But while most books choose easy words that even new learners will know, one book chose a very different path.

The problem with English is that it isn’t always written phonetically— which means that words are not spelled exactly how they sound. Think about common words like “knee” or “write” or “Wednesday”. Say them to yourself. Do you hear every letter? No, you don’t: some of the letters are silent.

Both second-language learners and native speakers often have trouble with silent letters. And so, two authors decided to make an alphabet book that doesn’t just teach kids that C is for Cat. It also teaches them that C can be for Czar.

P is for Pterodactyl: The Worst Alphabet Book Ever teaches English readers a word with silent letters for every letter of the alphabet. Some letters are easy: the letters P, K, and W all have many words with silent letters to choose from. Other letters are more difficult. For example, the authors found that there is only one word in the English language that has a silent B, and it is not one that many people (myself included!) know.

Here are some of the words the authors have included in their Worst Alphabet Book Ever. How many do you already know? Can you guess how to say these silent letters?

Silent C: Czar

The czar was the name of the ruler of Russia, like a king or an emperor. Sometimes this word is also written tsar, even though it sounds the same.

Silent P: Pterodactyl

A pterodactyl was a kind of flying dinosaur. This word comes from two Greek words: pteron, meaning wing, and dactyl, meaning fingers.

Silent K: Knight

A knight was a warrior who served European kings and queens. They wore metal armor and rode horses.

Silent T: Tsunami

A tsunami is a very large, dangerous wave that can destroy buildings and trees. The word tsunami actually came from Japanese!

What other words can you think of with silent letters?

4月が始まりましたね！

今週、新しいクラスで新しいスタートを切る方々も多いことでしょう

余戸スクールの火曜日16時のクラスも、今日またひとり新しい生徒を迎えたところです

天真爛漫で元気いっぱいの子どもたちに、Joeも今日は押されっぱなし。。。 

こちらのクラスでは、”Our World シリーズ” （オックスフォード大学出版局） の 『Starter 』というテキストと、”Phonics World” シリーズ のvol.１のテキストを使って、楽しいレッスンをしています。ABCはもう読めるけれど、まだ単語として読み書きするのは難しい、というレベルのお子さんにピッタリです

次のStarterとなられる皆さまとの出会いを、小さな先輩たちも楽しみに待っています

昨日は、余戸校に愛媛新聞の記者が来られました。

愛媛新聞の『媛イズム』というコーナーの記事のために、働く女性について取材したいということでした。

余戸校で行われたインタビューは、終始笑いに満ちた楽しいものでした

記者「では、玉井さんの苦労なさったことなどお聞かせください。」

里美校長「私、苦労って、ないんですよ。少しくらい困難なことがあっても、夫に、『それもこれも人生の彩りだ』と言われてから、苦労も苦労ではなく、次に克服すべき目標だと思うようになりました。」

記者「なぜ今、学習塾をお始めになろうと思われたんですか。」

里美校長「英語を教えていて、英語は言語なんですけれども、それを使って話すべき内容が豊かであること、まず、世界の事象について、最低限知っておくべきことがある、と思い当たったんです。」

 なるほど。。。働く女性である里美校長を支えるご家族の存在と確かなご経験があったわけですね

この取材の記事が愛媛新聞に掲載される時期は、まだ未定です。

いずれ近いうちにお知らせいたしますので、楽しみに待っていてくださいね 

There is a popular yellow field spot in Toon city. It’s a beautiful sight with nice scent.

See the pic below. 

The oil from rapeseed is also known as canola, commonly used both in the home and in food production. 

But long before rapeseed became a cooking oil, it was an industrial oil used as a lubricant in Victorian steam engines and ships. Back in those days, it wasn’t even edible because it contained such high levels of erucic acid, which is toxic, and glucosinalates. 

こちらは、アミックの校長、玉井里美です。
先日行われた「日本マスターズ水泳短水路　愛媛会場」にて、愛媛県の新記録を弾き出したそうです

校長が続けているのは水泳だけではありません。彼女は数年来トライアスロンにも挑戦し、記録に挑んでいます
そのきっかけは、誕生日に息子さんからシューズを贈られたことだそうです
アスリートとしての顔も持つ我らが校長。どこかで見かけたら、ぜひ声をかけてくださいね英語でも日本語でもOKです

里美先生より

本日、愛媛県新記録✨ 達成しました‼️🙌

日本マスターズ水泳短水路 愛媛会場
女子 1500m 自由形 28分29秒57

今年から年齢区分が上がったので狙い目でした😊
ほぼ練習通りのタイム🏊‍♀
手の使い方が少しだけ分かってきたので
来年はもっと速く泳げる気がします😂

これからもがんばります❣

I arrived in Matsuyama in January 2019. Prior to my arrival, I had done some research about the city. Almost all the websites and articles I had found, did mention two must see landmarks: Dogo onsen and the Matsuyama castle. There were so many pictures as well as online travel guides for those two places.

Some time after my arrival, I decided to explore the city a bit. As the weather was quite cold, I started with Dogo onsen which was in the walking distance from where I live. So on a nice Monday morning, I put on my warm coat and wore my sneakers and started my first adventure in Matsuyama. First thing I saw on my way to Dogo onsen, was Dogo park which I found quite peaceful and beautiful. I remember I kept wondering how mesmerizing the park would look in spring.

Dogo Park

Finally, I got to the onsen and all the nice narrow streets around it. The streets were filled with different kinds of stores such as souvenir and sweet shops. I could see locals as well as travellers walking down the streets enjoying all kinds of snacks and sweets. I got to the Dogo onsen. The building’s traditional structure makes it distinct from its surroundings. So many people were posing for photos in front of the building. I enjoyed walking around the neighbourhood for about an hour and had a nice cup of coffee before I headed back home.

Dogo Onsen

Dogo Onsen

My first visit to Dogo was very nice and enjoyable. I really look forward to seeing the neighbourhood when cherry blossoms bloom and trees put their pretty green gowns on.