お問い合わせは：aiinstitute@gmail.com Blogspot instead of Homepage #1, October 18, 2023

 お問い合わせは：aiinstitute@gmail.com

October 18, 2023

Saturday, I had Shuma: we did EIKEN interviews

He did well.

EIKEN Jun 1kyu vocabulary.

We had some reading work from university.

I told to send his further studies.

We had EIKEN Jun 1kyu interview essay assignment of "Great Depression" (quite interesting topic)

Sunday: I picked up Sai brothers.

We went through all the necessary textbooks for studies.

We went through Jun1kyu interview exercises, big brother did very well. Younger Sai is still new to the subjects. We went to through Vocabulary and short reading sections.

October 13, 2023 Some new ideas of my brochures

 October 13, 2023

Some new ideas of my brochures

October 12, 2023 Receive a call from New Zealand Embassy about the War Cemetery

 October 12, 2023

Receive a call from New Zealand Embassy about 

the British Commonwealth War Cemetery.

Secretary asked the wreath by the Yokohama Foreign General Cemetery will have the Wreath as usual.

I answered I am not in charge, but Mr. P. Eymard, so send him the invitation and contact Mr. Higuchi who is our business manager.

I mentioned I am on the Royal British Legion Committee and the meeting will be next Wednesday. 

She said she is not sure who has the wreath or Poppies to put on your jacket. New Zealand government finally decided to be responsible  for the occasion recently so the notice is now out. Catholic Hodogaya Church said it is too late, you should give two months notice. I think only the Anglican Church(both of Japan and the world) are at least concern and interested in the War Cemetery for Christian sense of Reconciliation and I do think in the last moment they will take care of the place.

According to her file, Catholic, Anglican and Baptist are on the list, however I never met anyone except Anglican minister in the past five six years.

There were Islamic priest, Buddhist priest and last year Hindu and Jewish priests.

I asked about catering and the answer was usual "Pop Cone catering service" which the British embassy used.

She mentioned the usual caretaker, Mr. Kobayashi is not in charge and nobody is living there anymore and the new lady in charge said she is not there on week ends and has not enough staff to  take care of the place.

The War Cemetery had 60,000,000 yen budget until last year and enviously taken care well by the British government and Yokohama Foreign Cemetery which has 400,000,000 yen but never used it

and constant accusation took place for it.

Now I don't know about their future, The British Embassy which has had the prime plot  given by Meiji Emperor is now sold to Mitsubishi and shrinking and this War Cemetery is not taken well as in the past and very soon there must be a new system to take care o.f the place       Whatever it is, the transition of power and wealth and image of the Empire is definitely changing and we have tp face the change.

October 7/8/9, 2023 CLIL: Content and Language Integrated Learning

 October 7/8/9, 2023

Content and Language Integrated Learning

Conference and the Annual General Meeting held at the Building 36 of Waseda University、Tokyo

Talk and presentation is usual meeting

but the get together party held at 125th memorial building 15th floor was very fruitful.

I learned that English middle school math drill is sold mostly through Jukus with 15,000 copies per year. I was wondering how they could sell such things plus the highly educationally motivated group of students and schools are departing from Todai oriented goals to global USA/England/Canada etc. universities.

I met a person who advised the Tokyo government to shut down Chiyoda International School in Tokyo and they did it in two years.

I met Yokohama Gakuen assistant to principal and learned the details of some secrets of Yokohama and Kanto schools; it was interesting and exciting details.

I learned more about CLIL teaching and methods involved.

October 3/4/5/6, 2023 St. Alban Church and the Nursery (Two)

 October 3/4/5/56, 2023

St. Alban Church and the Nursery (Two)

After looking around and thinking of Yokohama Christian School trying to have a Middle School,

I went to the St. Alban's Nursery School.

I thought was a huge institute like the British School or Nishimachi International School

or what Pastor Linda had mentioned in  our meeting from her daughter's source;

it was very unlikely a small nursery school to accommodate the need of the Expats community

started with an Australian woman married to a Japanese and the size is about twenty to twenty five 

at maximum, now they have about twenty, using their limited rooms behind the church.

It is a small but warm school of ages about two to five, ages before entering kindergarten.

Now I understand why Shuma(my student) went to Aoba International School from there. It is a pre-kindergarten nursery, what Yokohama Union Church original had.

I met the director of the school and had a nice chat and found out her Filipino son of age 10 is attending the Japanese school and using an Elementary Math in Japanese which I am planning to teach in English in 2024  classes.

She mentioned most of her students will be in international schools and I learned from her what is the criteria of entering international schools.  I was surprised to find out that it is connection, contact and politics. 

Coming back I found out that Rev. Yamamoto mentioned that they would like to live in Manse. Somebody has to to tell YCS to move out from the Manse they had conquered. Who can do it ? And Are they competent? Are they even a Christian Church? Maybe they are Christians.I am very sorry for my wife work so hard to let the service going on and  to find the place for the new pastor. My daughter strongly suggested to withdraw from most of the church works but she won't listen then she said it is a "curt". And I should not to be involve in any of their issues as I tried to have Ferris and RCA and Rev. to "help" them before.

My daughter said take my wife to Karuizawa because she always wanted. I think I should...

October 4&5, 2023 Visit to St. Albans, Tokyo

 

October 4&5, 2023

Visit to St. Albans , Tokyo

I visited st. Albans in Tokyo. Few year ago, I met Naomi Saito-Schmidt, a daughter of Pastor Linda,

in front of Keio. I was surprised and had a little chat with her. She was on the way to St. Albans an Anglican church. I was shocked that Presbytarian minister's daughter was attending an Anglican church. Later, with on line meeting of the Yokohama Christian Church with Wisconsin Pastor Linda she mentioned how great this St. Albans was with their two or three scout troops and the nursery school is so successful. I heard from my student's mother that Shuma had attended this nursery school before he went to Aoba and St, Mary's and she had very good impression about the place.

I became very curious. I thought they are the best example of how an "international" nursery should be.

So, I decided to visit them through Episcopalian minister/priest of St. Alban I had met in Christ Church.

I went on October 4, First I made the mistake of time, instead of 12:30 I went at 10:30; luckily the organist of the first Wednesday was the organist I had met before. She said to walk around the community. I did it.  The Chapel was just across the Grand Lodge and the other side corner is the  KCIA headquarter of Japan and next to that is the huge Russian embassy, about the size of the USA embassy and behind is the American Club. In front is the tallest building in Japan, Azabudai Hills

and had a sign of the British School in Tokyo , someday I would visit. I just walk to their 15,000 Square meters campus and saw the principal I knew from the War Cemetery.

He said to come in so I did and heard from him his 800 enrollment is going to be soon 900 (not to  be mentioned but you can guess that the well to do HK British are coming and that is the reason the building and the school exist. How great Tokyo is and how my RBL contact works)

The nursery story  to be continued.

October 2&3, 2023 Some thoughts from a letter from Jun Ishimoto

 October 2&3, 2023

Some thoughts from a letter from Jun Ishimoto

actually it is a messenger.

Jun mentioned he had met the head of Yokohama Christian School

and signed a contract of his money back from the school

after she had reported to the authority about his daughter's case and school tuition was refunded.

It was done in business like.

Jun mentioned that the Brothers of St. Mary's International School 

had more of heart into any cases that took place in school and not

business like the Christian School. She said Jun is in the past of "international

schools", today it is different.よくいいいよる

I thought St. Mary's were business only and only location and good facilities.

This was my illusion, it is inside that counts., taking care of the students as a human being

with heart of compassion and thought.

I just met with Dennis Yang and listen to some major issues that Kermit had totally forgot

(maybe he did unconsciously) but Dennis knew in details of the Johnny's associate like 

problem that was taking place in  '70's SJC and contrast with SMIS Brothers in other side of the river.

I thought the Brother was a good teacher and met him with my wife in Sapporo and supported his return  and even went to his funeral at Gyosei Chapel; but with the Johnny's case I thought I made a wrong view.  Even  you are a good teacher, if you are not a good human being, it has no meaning. Now I realize it.

I always thought SJC defeat  was physical building and facilities difference, it was more than that.

Now, same night I heard about YCS taking over most of YCS and that was going to be a divine worship problem for the, but after reading Jun's letter and listening to Dennis at Staba around noon, I think is more than that. It is very unfortunate that people can not be humble to open their minds and listen to others.

事件の問題よりもその対処の仕方に大変申し訳なく思っています。誠意思ってやってもらいたかったです。

As an educator, I should really be careful how I should be and do my duty as an educator.

More than that I really really regret very very much that I had introduce the Ishimoto family to  a "Christian School" which they were not and I  am very sorry I did.

I hope this lesson will be remember in my life to live accordingly.