Name: Hisako Makino

Year: 1997

 

 

     I lived in Australia for five and half years since I was one year old. But, because I was too young at that time, I forgot almost all the words and pronunciations which I used there after I came back to Japan and started to speak only in Japanese. Therefore, I do not have a large vocabulary and also I cannot speak as well as other returnees. I realize that if we have no chance and no will for using English, our English skill will never improve.

     I started really learning English when I entered JHS. But the class was really boring and was not useful for me at all. The class of HS was much better than that of JHS. Because I was taught by an AET in last year of HS and I could make friends with her. I was sure that I liked English then, but I studied English hard not for improving my English skill but for passing the entrance exam and for majoring in English. And to tell the truth, I did not have any clear purpose except for entering the university. I chose this university only because of the name. But after I entered this university, I could set a goal; "I want to be able to speak fluently as native speakers while I am a university student." 

     I think setting our own goal in our mind is very important and useful. Because if the goal is clear, we can make efforts for it. Anyway, the classes of this university  surprised me.

     First of all, I did not think we would have so many English classes, such as 3 Oral communication classes and 2 Writing classes a week, Reading class, and Workshop class. We really have many chances to use English, and in other words, we must use English everyday. It may sound very hard, but you can do that if you really like English and have a strong will to improve your English. In the second place, I was surprised at the large quantity of materials for learning English. Especially, the tapes which you record in the L.L.class are very useful. All of the conversations and the stories were very good.

     Also the videoing conversation was a very good idea to improve our skill of speaking English. At first I really did not like it because I was frustrated by that. But these days I have come to like it. Thanks to the videoing, I can be careful about the words I use. And because the time is short, I can concentrate on trying to shadow,  asking questions, keeping the conversation going, summarizing, and making my partners understand what I want to say. I am sure that it will help any student.

     In the third place, I was surprised at the large quantity of homework. Certainly, before I entered this university, I heard that Nanzan Eibei students really have a lot of homework. But I did not expect that I would have so much homework. And almost all the homework is optional. It means that nobody will scold you for not doing your homework as HS teachers. Therefore, you do not have to do your homework if you do not want to do that. The demerits are only that the grade may go down a little bit and that your English skill will not improve. When I was forced to do my homework at my HS, I did not like doing that at all. But after the homework became optional in this university, I come to feel like doing that and enjoy it.

     I am really satisfied with the classes now. And I have many good friends who have the same purpose as I,  improving our English. We can help and encourage each other. I have just started my real English studying.