Overview
June was a mixed month for our school. We received an unexpected notice that a student in our kids’ lesson was quitting after attending classes at BumbleB English for just one month. We were also notified that one of our junior high school students, who will be moving to Europe with her family in September, can’t continue lessons anymore because of her heavy homework load at her junior high school. While we are disappointed that these students didn’t continue learning at our school, we understand that students have other life priorities. We also understand that our school is not a perfect fit for every student.
Most successful students at our school have one of the following backgrounds: 1) lived abroad or 2) have one or both parents that are native-English speakers or 3) have studied at an English school before, or 4) have an interest in English and will eagerly do assigned homework and attend classes regularly.
We provide a lot of support for our students, whether our small class size or extra resources like printouts and online apps, but it is up to the student and the student’s family to take advantage of these services. Our pricing policy is also very flexible, and we only request a 30-day notice before quitting. Unfortunately, the students who left did not provide us with the courtesy of a 30-day notice.
General Notice: Our teacher does not wear a mask in school, and we will strongly encourage students to remove their mask during the lesson. Of course, students who are ill or have pollen allergies may continue wearing masks in class.
Group Lessons - Kids
We mentioned focusing on vocabulary development for our group lessons in prior monthly updates. We have set up several classes on Quizlet, so students can practice either with their handouts, which we provide or on the Quizlet app. The app is useful and offers several study methods to help students master English vocabulary. Please click here to see our list of Eiken Level 5 words. Additionally, contact us for more information: staff@bumblebenglish.com
We use the Oxford University Press Dolphin Reader Series for reading assignments. Dolphin Readers is a good series with several levels and accompanying activity books. The vocabulary in these series is not difficult, and many grammar patterns reinforce the knowledge from the Oxford University Press Let’s Go textbook series which we also use.
In our Beginner level classes, we have been happy to see how a few students who started as shy just a few months ago have opened up and are now cheerful class participants.
Additionally, our junior high school students have become more serious and are trying hard with homework and lessons. Even for older students, the homework we provide is important for students learning reinforcement.
Private Lessons - Kids
We started using online tools for the private lessons for the two high school students (student K and student M) who will study abroad in Canada and Europe, respectively. One is Khan Academy, and the other is Google Workspace for Education. Unfortunately, we are not an accredited academic institution, so we are ineligible to use the complete tools available on the Google platform.
However, we are developing our online academy and should have several classes available in the next few months. With this new platform, we will replicate our classes so students who miss a lesson can easily go online to review the material and learn on their tablet or computer. In addition, this online platform will be perfect for remote students who cannot participate on-site but still want a structured English learning service. Please get in touch with us at staff@bumblebenglish.com for more details.
We were also happy to hear that two of our senior high school students passed the Eiken Level 2 and one had passed the Eiken Pre-2 Level. In June, we spent several weeks preparing for 2nd part of the test, which consists of reading and speaking. This portion is relatively easy, but some key points and tips we teach have helped past students pass the Eiken exam.
In addition, two of our junior high school students also passed the Eiken exam. One student passed the Eiken Level 5 exam, and another passed the Eiken Level 4 exam.
Private Lessons - Adults
With sadness, we had to say goodbye to two of our adult students. These students (a married couple) will be moving to France in July as the husband will be attending one of the world’s top 5 business schools. The couple joined in May 2022 and attended weekly lessons regularly, even with their difficult work commitments, business school entrance exams, and interviews.
Teaching the husband, practicing English interview questions, reviewing business terminology, and discussing the current business environment was a pleasure. For the wife’s lesson, we focused more on daily conversation English. We used a textbook that covered several real-life topics, such as shopping, eating at restaurants, expressing agreement and disagreement, and meeting with friends.
For another of our adult students, who works in PR for a leading real estate developer, we spend about half of each lesson discussing her work and work interactions. This student’s English is already proficient, so the conversation is smooth. Still, she is keen to improve her understanding of more advanced terminology and needs to communicate regularly in English during her work; we work on more professional expressions. We use articles from the Japan Times Alpha newspaper and articles from DMM English to develop further her vocabulary and understanding of natural phrases and expressions.
Summary
As we enter the summer break, many students have mentioned they would like to take the month of August off. Normally we don’t hold regular lessons in August but instead hold special classes focusing on topics such as reading comprehension, presentation, phonics, etc…
Additionally, we will be working on our new online academy in July and August. Contact us for more information: staff@bumblebenglish.com
We encourage anyone interested in our school to contact us for a free trial lesson. Online lessons are available to students not in the Yoga vicinity.
As always, please get in touch with us directly for information about our school: staff@bumblebenglish.com
