I’m Kurayan, and I have a third-grade daughter, Miniyan…
At school, she’s started a class called “Foreign Language Activities”, but
I don’t really know what they do in this Foreign Language Activities class, but one day↓↓
She kept saying something like 👧 “so-ko, so-ko”…
Apparently she was practicing English 😓
“So-ko” turned out to mean “circle”!Huh? They don’t say “circle” 😥??
It seems that school lessons these days start from the sounds, so even when the word is written in English letters, she can’t read it yet.
How do they connect “so-ko” to “circle” after this??
Anyway, the teaching method is clearly different from what I grew up with in the Showa era…
Honestly, I started to see the limits of studying at home… 😞
So 🙋!! We decided to try out an English school!!!
Did you know that “Nichinoken”, well known for junior high school entrance exam prep, is also putting a lot of effort into English, regardless of exams!?
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👇👇👇
What we tried this time was the “Elementary School English 4 Skills Course”
・Apparently, by the end of the three-year course, students will be able to read and write English at about junior high school level, and handle everyday conversation.
・Apparently, students can receive high-quality instruction from native-speaking teachers from Nichibei Gaigo Gakuin.
・Apparently, students can build a solid foundation in the “four skills”: reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
・Apparently, the course helps children learn enjoyably and become proactive English lovers.
If the school does all this for you, that’s a pretty great deal!
Liking English is the quickest path to improving, right? 🤒
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Since the trial lesson is free, we decided to just go and check it out!!
It’s held at “Nichinoken Nishinomiya-Kitaguchi Station 2nd Classroom”
Trying Nichinoken’s “Elementary School English 4 Skills Course”
Kurayan’s daughter, third-grader Miniyan 👧, is going to try it out!
Since she’s only been exposed to English at school, we chose the 
beginner “Bronze Course”.
First, hand sanitizer and a temperature check. Their infection prevention measures are thorough.
Inside the classroom, you change into slippers.
There were two kids this day because it was a trial lesson, but regular classes seem to be limited to up to 8 students in the spacious classroom
The assistant teacher explains things in Japanese.
Then the native-speaking teacher appears!
The teacher is from Jamaica and has such great energy
The lesson isn’t just sitting at a desk. They use all five senses: looking at maps,
using flip cards, and drawing illustrations on the whiteboard.
My impression was that the teacher was really good at drawing children in!
<!– Apparently, the teacher comes from the long-established English school “Nichibei Eigo Gakuin”.
What is Nichibei Eigo Gakuin?
✅A long-established English conversation school
Founded in 1981. It has a long history and an overwhelming amount of expertise.
✅High-level instructors
Strict screening before and after hiring. Instructors are evaluated every six months on lesson content, work attitude, satisfaction surveys, and more.
✅Personalized curriculum
More than 70 classes. A personalized curriculum is created by combining the classes each student needs.
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At first, Miniyan was tense and speaking in a tiny voice, but
by the end, she was totally into it
and even enjoying the games!
They also have time during the lesson for one of the four skills: “writing.”
The lesson moves along in a constant flow of English, so there’s no time to think in Japanese! That’s how it felt.
The lesson is conducted entirely in English, but when a student doesn’t understand and has a “?” floating over their head, the assistant teacher supports them in Japanese
. That makes it reassuring even for kids who are new to English!
All done
We got a souvenir and headed home
This English classroom has some interesting initiatives that you won’t find at other English schools.
What makes these initiatives possible is the collaboration between Nichinoken and Nichibei Eigo Gakuin…
