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」

Have you ever heard the saying, “You have the same amount of hours in a day as Beyonce”?  Beyonce juggles being a wife and mother, a world-famous musical icon, a brand ambassador, and social activist seemingly without breaking a sweat while the rest of us mere mortals are over here complaining about having to go to work AND schedule a dentist appointment in the same day. Obviously, these days Beyonce has a lot of assistants to help her accomplish all her day to day errands. However, I’m sure when she was just a fledgling pop star she had something quite a few of plebeians lack: discipline and focus. After all, you don’t become one of the world’s best-selling artists of all time by sheer luck.   

I struggle with keeping focused every day. If I have ten minutes to kill, I mindlessly scroll through Instagram instead of doing something a bit more worthwhile.  Enter Dandapani, an Australian Hindu priest, who coaches people on self-development. Dandapani states that people are easily distracted and lose focus because we are training ourself to be easily distracted. Every time our phone buzzes, we race to check our notifications, which makes us a slave to our mobile devices. Dandapani isn’t anti-technology, he just doesn’t believe that we must be connected at all times. If we want better focus, we must train ourselves to be more focused by “keeping our awareness on one thing at a time”.  But how do we practice focusing our awareness? Dandapani recommends giving all your attention to a spouse, friend, or partner while they are speaking. If you start to lose focus, bring your attention back to the speaker! Trust me, it’s easier said than done. Here’s a short video by Dandapani on how to control your focus. Let’s play a game; try not to get distracted for the entirety of this  6 minute video! 

Interesting, right? Do you think you can practice giving someone or something 100% of your attention? Who knows, maybe the next amazing pop star is in you, waiting for you to realize your potential. 

こんにちは、アミック石井校の辰馬です。

この間、生徒さんの1人が、授業終わりにAlex先生に向かって「シール、シール」とおねだりをしていました。

幼稚園や低学年向けのクラスでは、授業を頑張ったごほうびに、時々シールのプレゼントがあります。乗り物や、海の生き物のシールが人気です。

ところが、Alex先生は帰り際のあいさつをされたのだと勘違いして”See you!”と答えていました。シールとシーユーって発音がちょっと似ているんですよね。

実は、貼って遊ぶシールのことを英語では、sticker（スティッカー）と言います。日本語でもステッカーと呼ぶことがありますね。英語のsealは、封筒などの封印、印鑑、密封などのことを意味します。

「封筒の封印って何だ？」と思った方、sealをインターネットで画像検索してみてください。予想もしなかった可愛い生き物が出てくるはずです。sealには「アザラシ」という意味もあるんですね！

いつも言っていることですが、やっぱり英語の単語にはたくさんの意味があるので、色々な文章を読んで知識を増やしてくださいね♪

Christmas music usually has themes of spreading holiday spirit, merrymaking, and peace on Earth. While that’s good and all, sometimes you just want to feel an emotion besides sweet saccharine joy during the holiday season. Mariah Carey, Nat King Cole, and any “Carol of the Bells” rendition will always have a soft spot in my heart, but when I want to explore other feelings the Christmas season gives me, I put on these not-so-jolly and less well-known Christmas songs. 

“Christmas for Cowboys” by John Denver

Growing up, my parents had a well-worn mix tape of Christmas songs that would live in our family mini-van’s tape player every Christmas season. Sandwiched between Dolly Parton and Burl Ives was this gem from John Denver that I’ve never heard played anywhere else. While most Christmas songs celebrate being together with friends and family, this ballad highlights how even when you are completely alone on the holiday (which I have been) that doesn’t mean the day has to be any less special. 

“Christmas at 22” by The Wonder Years

When you’re young, Christmas is about spending (even more) time with your family. But when you grow older and move away to college, the holiday becomes a time when you get to go back to your hometown and see your best friends from high school and how much everyone has changed (or hasn’t). Some may roll their eyes at the song because it hits about every pop punk cliche imaginable (pizza, AIM away messages, hanging out with my friends), but I think it perfectly captures what that point in your life—Christmas at 22—feels like. 

“The Fairytale of New York” by The Pogues 

Somehow I managed to go almost 30 years of my life without ever hearing this song (despite it apparently being the UK’s most played Christmas song of the 21st century), but after discovering it last year I don’t think I’ll ever go another Christmas without it. The song has dark themes–drug abuse, gambling, domestic disputes, homophobic slurs–and yet still presents an air of hope for a better life in the way only Christmas can.

“Won’t Be Home For Christmas” by Blink 182

Let’s be honest: as an adult, Christmas can be a giant pain. Whether you are working at Toys R’ Us and getting sworn out by deal-crazed grandmothers or are spending hours cutting paper stocking decorations that are going to get thrown away in two weeks, Christmas can you make you feel like a big Scroogey-Grinch at times. There’s nothing profound in the lyrics of Blink 182’s Christmas contribution, except that yeah, you’re not alone in sometimes wanting to grab a baseball bat and send carolers running from your front door. 

★クリスマス★

みなさん、こんにちは♪

アミックBlogを訪れてくださりありがとうございます。

早12月、アミックでもクリスマスレッスンが始まっています🎄

キッズレッスンでの可愛い作品です。サンタさんからのプレゼントが楽しみだね！

大人の方もクリスマスや年末に向けて楽しい予定がたくさんある方もいらっしゃるのではないでしょうか？

アミックでも、8日（土）にクリスマスパーティーを開催します！

普段会えない他校の生徒さんや講師と話せるチャンス♪

お酒の力で英語が口からペラペラ出やすくなる、なんてこともあったりするみたいです(*^-^*)

まだお席ございますので、お申込みお待ちしております！