昔の人類のように、ビジネスから遠く離れ、自分の牛を使って先祖代々の畑を耕し、利子の支払いに縛られていない人は幸福である。

He's happy who, far away from business, like the races of men of old, tills his ancestral fields with his own oxen, unbound by any interest to pay.
Horace
Roman lyric poet
65BC-8BC

May 31, 2013
Dear Students and Friends
This week Core and Active Listening classes are working on "Food".
Think about lunch, breakfast and dinner you had this week.
Write them down and see how it was.
Ferris students should think about medicine and it affects people and people studying about "Job", think about a good job for you and how to approach it.
Ace classes, do Lesson Two of Prof. K. Mark's book.
Students of Nihon U., remember to answer yesterday's blog on women.
Good Day
gto

Three questions concerning Women in Society.

May 30, 2013
"The highest reward that God gives us for good work is the ability to do better work."
Elbert Hubbard
US author
1856-1915
To the students:
Read and write and discuss:
1.) Which British/Japanese woman do you admire and why?
2.)  Compare and contrast the life of women in Britain and Japan.
3.) What do you think of the idea that companies should be made, by law, to have a certain number of women managers?
gto

Seneca:"As it is a tale so is life, not how long it is but how good it is what matters."

May 28, 2013
Watch J.K. Rowling's Harvard University Commencement Address of 2008.
She started with fear of failure and concluded with
Seneca(Ancient Roman philosopher):
" As it is a tale so  is  life,
not how long it is but how good it is what matters."
Comment your view on this.
gto

暴風雨にしなうヤナギは、 それにあらがうオークよりも、 しばしばうまく被害を免れる。それゆえ大きな難局においては、楽天的でまじめすぎない人は、より偉大な人よりも、順応性と心の平静を取り戻すのが早い場合もある。

The willow which bends to the tempest often escapes better than the oak which resists it; and so in great calamities, it sometimes happens that light and frivolous spirits recover their elasticity and presence of mind sooner than those of a loftier character.
Sir Walter Scott
Scottish poet, novelist and biographer
1771-1832

May 28, 2013
Dear Students and Friends
You should watch JK Rowling's commencement address at Harvard University in 2008.
It would take about 21 minutes.
Three points I want you  to listen:
1.) What was her back ground before entering a university and what did she agree with her parents and what did she really study or did in the university life?
2)  Tell us her experience while she was working in the Amnesty International in London and what did she learn from her work in the Amnesty?
3.) What did she want to tell the graduates of Harvard University to do?
4.) What was her message to us in the last few lines of her speech?  It was her concluding message to us, what was her message?
Write the answers of the questions above.
gto

Writers, like teeth, are divided into incisors and grinders.

May 28, 2013
Dear Students and Friends

"Writers, like teeth, are divided into incisors and grinders."
Walter Bagehot
British Writer and Economist
1826-1877
物書きは、歯と同じく、切歯のよういに鋭く切り込むタイプと、臼歯のようにじっくり噛み砕くタイプ
に分けられる。
What do you think about this statement?

If pro is the opposite of con, then what is the opposite of progress?
gto

The willow which bends to the tempest often escapes better than the oak which resists it; and so in great calamities, it sometimes happens that light and frivolous spirits recover their elasticity and presence of mind sooner than those of a loftier character.

May 26, 2013
Dear Students and Friends

This week:
1.Reading/writing classes should work with reading and writing journal plus news summary.

2. Oral/ communicative classes should work with textbook, presentation and news summary.

3. Ace classes should work with Kevin Mark sensei's textbook plus what we are doing.

4. Aoyama G University Core  should work with three topics from Journal writing and one news discussion, reading and exercises from the textbooks. Get ready for the book report.

5. Active Listening Online report on Food, Interaction on Food, Do ReallyEnglish.


"The willow which bends to the tempest often escapes better than the oak which resist; and so in great calamities, it sometimes happens that light frivolous spirits recover their elasticity and presence of mind sooner than those of a loftier character."
sir Walter Scott
Scottish poet, novelist, and biographer
1771-1832

Businesses are looking for leaders, people who can take initiative and get work done.

May 24, 2013
Dear Students and Friends
Today is the day of John Wesley's redemption day.

1. To oral/communicative students:  read and think about speech.

2. Journal Writing classes:
You should have three journal entry
plus one special journal on a certain topic or on News.

3. To Core students: you must have three separate journal entry from three categories of writing.
                            answer questions on the Reading section of Food(116)
coming Friday(1) correct the answers
(2) news interaction (3) questions on Food(4) Journal

4, To Reading and Writing classes of Monday(and some Wednesday)
What is a good job?
Businesses are looking for leaders, people who can take initiative and get work done.
Leadership demands self-confidence.
The outcome for this unit is to describe the duties of the job that you want and give reasons that it is a good job for you.
Describing why a job is right for you is an important way for you to discover why you are the right person for that kind of job.
Choose a job that you want.  Write a list of your skills that are good for that job.

5. To Reading/writing class of Newsmaker(Wednesday)
Topic is Medicine.  We should also write on News, too.

gto

One big difference between Britain and Japan is that more than a quarter of UK students have had a year's break between school and university.

May 23, 2013
One big difference between Britain and Japan is that more than a quarter of UK students
have had a year's break between school and university.  Taking a gap year, which people spend travelling round the world and/or doing voluntary work, has become increasingly popular.  The benefits include students showing more enthusiasm about studying after time doing something different.  It's good for getting a job, too.  Employers often prefer graduates with experience of life away from school  But the UK and Japan have this in common: when the economy is doing badly, a lot of graduates find it hard to get a job.
1. How did you choose which universities to apply for?
2. How and why did you choose your main subject to study?
3. What do you think of the idea of taking a "gap year" between school and university?

We are born weak, we need strength; helpless, we need aid; foolish, we need reason. All that we lack at birth, all that we need when we come to man's estate, is the gift of education.

May 23, 2013
Dear Friends and students

We would start one entry(writing) for Newspaper with summary and vocabulary writing.
The other two should be either from Blogs or from the book.
To Oral Communication students, incorporate Newspaper with Blogs to come up with Speech/Presentation class.

"We are born weak, we need strength; helpless, we need aid; foolish, we need reason.  All that we lack at birth, all that we need when we come to man's estate, is the gift of education."
Jean-Jacques Rousseau
French philosopher
1712-1778
生まれたての私たちは、弱いので力を必要とし、無力なので助けを必要とし、
愚かなので分別を必要とする。生まれた時にないものすべて、大人になるのに
必要なものすべては、教育という贈り物である。

One of the topic of the Writing/Reading class is Medicine.
As we know Antibiotics is very important medicine to cure our disease like tuberculosis or any illness in the old days were difficult to cure.  But overuse of antibiotics make the viruses resist against it and cause the disease difficult to be cured.
I personally avoid using medicine and try not to depend on them or addicted to medicines.
What is your opinion on Medicine?
gto

The American people are a very generous people and will forgive almost any weakness, with the possible exception of stupidity.

May 21, 2013
Dear Friends
Read, think, and write/speak.

 "The American people are a very generous people and will forgive almost any weakness, with the possible exception of stupidity."
アメリカ人は非常に漢代なので、ほとんどどんな欠点での許してくれるが、愚かさだけは例外のようだ。
There are many topics to discuss.  One is Job and the other education, but today let's think about what is going on in the Japanese politics now. Think and write some points you had discovered.
gto

When I was as you now, towering in the confidence of twenty-one, little did I suspect that I should be at forty-nine, what I now am.

May 20, 2013
To the students:
Remember:  Any writing with reading students of mine should at least write three contributions on the topic from the blog or from the text books.
Any oral or communicative students should contribute one topic from the blog.

Today's topic should be on:   what job do you want to work?

"When I was as you are now, towering in the confidence of twenty-one, little did I suspect that I should be at forty-nine, what I now am.
私が今のあなたのように。２１歳で自信に満ちあふれていた時には、今の私のように４９歳になるjとは考えてもなかった。
Samuel Johnson
English lexicographer and author
1709-1784
 I think we go to university to get a job. A job is very important factor in our life to have a family and a stable life or not.  In Korea today most graduates of university cannot get  decent jobs.  They will get a minimum
 wage of 880,000 won as part time workers.  This condition will not only give them a marginal life but also no way they can get married and have a family. If they are lucky to have a full time job, they still must pay their children's educational fee and mortgages for their home and they must retire before the age of 55, most in their 40s. Do you think Koreans are economically successful?  They live by working hard to the unknown owner of the system.  Remember Korea became bankrupted in 1997 and they are running business under IMF supervision and most probably Korean companies are under the bank supervision and the real owners are not Korean themselves but some international financial institutions in the USA.
But most Koreans work so hard and hard to survive compare to the people here in Japan .  Are you desperate to get a job, are you desperate in achieving your skills in colleges to get a better job?
In general I  think the Japanese students are comfortable under overprotected system and I don't think you have to survive keenly like the Koreans or others in Asia.
What is your opinion to the statement I mentioned about the comfortable situation of the Japanese students, do you agree or disagree about my statement?
gto

What you eat is what you are.

May 16, 2013
"What you eat is what you are."
Food is very important for anybody.
What did you eat this week?
You should come up with the list of breakfast, lunch,and dinner.
What is your favorite dish?

The first picture is this week B lunch for the faculty dining room of 23rd floor M University with a substantial discount for the faculty from 1260 yen.
Below is the picture of F Women's University lunch out for the International Lounge, I was welcomed by them to have some ice cream and snacks.
How much do you spend on your lunch and where do you have it?
GTO

What is one good point Japan's system has which Britain doesn't have?

May 16,2013
One thing pupils and teachers are agreed on: they are all under pressure from the government to succeed.  Education in British schools has often been about encouraging pupils' original thought.  But since 1980s different governments have said it's more important to have core, compulsory subjects which pupils are strictly tested on all through their school years. Schools are judged according to how their pupils perform.
Many teachers say they can't educate pupils so much as "teach to the tests" or use a "spoon-feeding food to a baby.
For discussion or research:
1. What is one good point Japan's system has which Britain doesn't have?
2. What do you think is one good point the British system has which Japan doesn't have?
3.
Do you think English should be a compulsory subject in Japanese schools?
Why(not)
4. Which is the best way to assess the progress of pupils and students (tests, or what else)?
gto

The highest reward that God gives us for good work is the ability to do better work.

May 15, 2013
"The highest reward that God gives us for good work is the ability to do better work."
よい仕事をした人に対して神が与える最高のご褒美（ほうび）は、もっと良い仕事をする能力だ。
Elbert Hubbard
US author
1856-1915
The topic we had on the Reading and Writing classes was Religion and Darwinism. I want you to make a research on Darwin and his work on Evolution.  Evolution was something Christian could not accept and till this day some states like Tennessee made it illegal. What are some disagreements Christians had over Darwin's Evolution Theory and what can we learn from"natural selection"of Darwin through his study of Galapagos Island.
gto

Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.

Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.
あなたができること、または、　できるといいなと思っていることは、
なんでも始めなさい。大胆さは、才能と力からと魔法を秘めている。
Johann Wolgang von Goethe
German poet, dramatist and novelist
1749-1832
I went to a nursery to teach English to a group of 3 year old youngsters. They were cute as kittens or puppies. Their attention span was short so I should use more videos or songs. I had an idea of reading a picture book and they will quietly listen to my reading, but they could be bold very soon after repeating the alphabets three times.  I doubt they remember their lessons.
The teachers told me that three boys had learning disabilities but I thought they look all right. I thought that Japanese system in taking care of youngsters was too rigid and any one that can not abide to their system was stamped as a learning disability. I will study into this matter.
What do you remember from your kindergarten or nursery days?
gto

Truth is beautiful, without doubt; but so are lies.

Truth is beautiful, without doubt; but so are lies.
疑うまでもなく真実は美しいが、嘘（うそ）もまた美しい。
Ralph Waldo Emerson
US philosopher, poet and essayist
1803-1882

May 13, 2013
1. I have to tell students of Reading and Writing classes to write at least 3 Journals, this is true for the Core Classes,too.
2. To the students of Oral communication/ English conversation classes would be at least one Journal each week for presentation.

The major topic of this week starting with Monday of May 13 is Name.
The outcome for the study of Name is to write about a name that you like, giving information about the name.
Explaining why you like it.

We studied in Skills and Success about BlackBerry, Chicago, and Mustang(car). they have reasons for the names.

I think naming is a very important thing for marketing any products. One example is my former school, St. Joseph College. They changed their school name to St. Joseph International School and the result was a closure of the school. A fortune teller known at that time said there was no benefit to change it and the school  terminated soon whether you believe it or not. The prediction came to be true, indeed. This same fortune teller was known to be a fortune teller for Kishi Nobusuke and Matsushita Kounosuke.  Matsushita Kounosuke named his company, National after her advice.
But the present administrators didn't care about this and changed this name to Panasonic. See what happened to the company.
 I see Logo and names are very important factor to success. Image is very important to us and name is one of them.
Discuss on Names.
gto

People are always neglecting something they can do in trying to do something they can't do.

May 11, 2013
"People are always neglecting something they can do in trying to do something they can't do."
人はいつも、自分にできないことをやろうとして、自分にできることをおろそかにしてしまう。
Ed Howe
US journalist
1853-1937
 Here is a picture of M University of two towers of three they built over S Hill.  I had a chance of entering the latest 16-story building and found very strange.  I thought it was like a major hotel or a major company in the downtown of Tokyo with students wearing worn out clothes who reminded me of any graduate students in Japan. They were taking a high speed elevator to the 15th floor where the study hall of the graduates are located in this impressive building.
I was astounded about it so I asked them some questions about the building but only inhuman answer came back to my ignorance.  I forgot that this institution had changed from very warm touch to an elegant elite institution and now this whole 16 story building is dedicated to the elite M University graduate students and not for others.
One of the major merits of this institution  carried for many years is the school had a good heart and cared about the people. All my life I admire this school for its human oriented/good people.  The graduates of this school were very good persons, all being kind and cared about the others. I think that is their strength of this school and I hope that will be always their prime goal and backbone of their education.
What do you think is the prime purpose of school and what people evaluate about it with?
gto

I was taught that the way of progress is neither swift nor easy.

May 9, 2013
Please read and discuss this statement:
" I was taught that the way of progress is neither swift nor easy."
物事は急に進歩することも容易に進歩する子もない、と教わった。
Marie Curie
Polish scientist
1867-1934

Today is International Red Cross Day, May 8, 2013. To be able what we are capable of becoming and to achieve what we are capable of achieving is the only end of life.

May 8, 2013
Today is International Red Cross Day in the world.
"To be what we are capable of becoming and to achieve what we are capable of achieving is the only end of life."
なりえる人物になって、達成できることを達成することが、人生の唯一の目的である。
Robert Louis Stevenson
Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer
1850-1894
Today is International Red Cross Day.  I was very active member of the Japanese Red Cross Volunteers in 1968 and went to Israel for Paralympics with two other members on this picture, Zushi and Tsunemi.
Tsunemi san is a graduate of Meiji University and started a jeans company of Edwin with two other people and became a multi-millionaire and successful apparel maker owner. I found helping "others" was the key
to his success in business.
I became a teacher and continue teaching in universities.  I think life is challenge and persistence.
Hope you all will have something you can continue in your life. My classmate, Dr. Ken Hsu, a surgeon,
said"Life is Learn, Earn and Return. For us, our stage in life today is return. Someday you, all, will return after learn and earn. Good Luck!
Tell us your plan or dream  in your future work after learning in universities.
gto

"Time is precious, but truth is more precious than time."

May 7, 2013
The picture of Father Pittau, S.J. (Archbishop of Sardinia) and GTO
" Time is precious, but truth is more precious than time."
時は貴重だ。
だが、真実は時よりも貴重だ。
Benjamin Disraeli
British prime minister and novelist, 1804-1881
Right after the war, National (today's Panasonic) was broke. Only way to survive was to collaborate with Phillips Electronics of the Netherlands. Nobody wanted to work with the foreigners. But Matsushita Kounosuke, the founder of the company appointed 45 year-old middle school graduate and very loyal and honest employee except he was too honest to anyone.  Kounosuke told him one thing that is even though you disagree with Dutch engineers we must wait 5 years to complain or disagree with them. When a huge factory was completed, the Japanese engineers and factory workers did not listen to the advice from the Dutch advisers at all and did whatever they wanted to do. That was the time the 45 year-old factory manager said one thing to wake them up.  That was one thing:"wait five years before you complain to them."
The workers realized  their mistake and started working hard. That was the intention of Kounosuke.
He knew who to use and how to use people properly.
Kounosuke once said there is 60 percent of good in any person and 40 percent of negative side.  His job is to see the positive side in person and correct the weakness.  That is what he did as a leader.
What is your strength and weakness and how you can improve yourself?
gto

Picture of students of 1894, L' ecole de l'etoile du Matin(Morning School) today's Gyosei with "daughter"school St. Joseph College yet to be born later.

May 5 and 6, 2013
Dear Friends and students of GTO
I found this picture while visiting my mentor, Father Dominic Tagawa,S.M.(Head of Gyosei International School). He gave me a permission to bring it home and copied it.  I was excited to see so many foreign faces.  The whole football(soccer) team was completely foreign students.
We easily forget history.  Japan until Sino-Japanese war was a minor state in Asia and working hard to modernize and catch up to survive the imperialistic colonialism that was expanding all the way to Far East.
To modernize they desperately accepted the new educational system of the west. They invited anyone that can help them and most often they were the missionaries.
One of the early Catholics came to Japan and help establish schools were the Society of Mary, before the Jesuits came to Japan in Meiji.  Remember Sophia University, a Jesuit university is celebrating their centennial this year.  They started the school called the Morning Star in Tsukiji in 1888.  Tsukiji was the settlement in Tokyo opened as promised by Tokugawa shogunate to the major western powers and Meiji government had to accept the promise made by the former regime. They later moved to Kudan and made a dormitory to accommodate the needs of foreigners' children mostly coming from a large residential settlement of Yokohama.
I heard from a priest in Gyosei about 30 years ago studying the history of the school that any students speaking Japanese among the dorm students would not be permitted to return to their home in Yokohama.
We always had that rule even in my days and I did not like it.

Dear students can you recall some rules of your school and how you felt upon it.
gto

Make the iron hot by striking it.

May 3, 2013
"Make the iron hot by striking it
鉄は、打って熱くしろ。
Oliver Cromwell
English military and political leader
1599-1658
The school I went had a long hallway where they kept the lockers.
The American tradition is to keep your books in your locker and pick them up
to your next class.  Books were usually heavy to carry them back and forth from school,
so most students kept their books in their lockers. I carry them home on foot.  It took me twenty minutes walk but I liked to carry them home.
 Later ink my life, my Lutheran minster whom I studied together in the
Japanese university visited my school and mentioned that the calmness and darkness of the hallway
gives concentration and focus to study in monastery style Catholic schools and we have that.
Until then I never realize the good point of this hallway.  We got it whether we realized it or not.
How was your school set up and did you carry books home?
gto

Never awake me when you have good news to announce, because with good news nothing presses, but when you have bad news, arouse me immediately,for then there is not an instant to be lost.

April 2013
(next two days I will be in Nagoya without computers)
"Never awake me when you have good news to announce, because with good news nothing presses, but when you have bad news, arouse me immediately, for then there is not an instant to be lost."
よい知らせを伝えるために私を起こすということは絶対にするな。
よい知らせは急を要さないからだ。だが、悪い知らせならすぐにおこしてくれ。
その場合は一瞬たりとも無駄にはできないからだ。
Napoleon Bonaparte
French military and political leader, 1769-1821
Today I met the managing director of M University. We had lunch together at Hill Top Hotel.
We talked about the development of the school and some affiliated schools of the university.
He used to be the business manger of the attached High School and mentioned that even changing from all boys school to co-education, the school have to get the permission of the graduates according to the law and  the document must  be carefully kept in the safe.  Listening to that I now know why the responsible people of closing SJIS were fast in demolishing the school premises.
Another topic I asked was the law enforced this  April 2013 about maximum of five years for any part time teachers in universities to be able to teach. He mentioned that it was the idea of the Democratic Party of Japan to make the part time teachers full time but what actually happened was the promotion was forgotten and limitation of five years came into effect.  I will most probably retired by then but the young people will suffer with this new rule.
What do you think of the new law of having maximum of five years for part time employment?

This is our hallway.