Overview
November was a bittersweet month for BumbleB English. We have been teaching a cohort of six students since they were in 1st Grade Elementary School. These students are in 3rd-grade junior high school and preparing for their high school entrance exams. December will be their last month, and though several will move away from the area in the Spring, we hope to keep in touch and continue to see them progress academically and personally.
Group Lessons - Kids
Several of our group lessons have moved onto higher-level textbooks; we use the Oxford University Press “Let’s Go” ESL textbook series for general students. In addition, we have introduced the “Scholastic Success” workbook series in a few classes. Especially the grammar and reading test workbooks. [For more information, please visit our online bookstore, makostars-store.com]
Writing is becoming a staple in our homework assignments, and the students are showing improvement in their writing.
Private Lessons - Kids
Our private lessons for children tend to be specialized lessons focused on the needs of each student. We currently have private lessons for elementary, junior, and senior high school students. Students tend to take private lessons to study for an English language aptitude exam such as the TOEFL, TOEIC, or Eiken exam. We are helping students study for the Eiken Level 3, Pre-2, and Pre-1 exams. The lessons focus on listening and speaking techniques, reading comprehension, vocabulary review, and writing.
This past year, we have also helped private school students prepare for study-abroad programs, international school entrance tests and follow-up, and relocation to English-speaking countries. For many returnee students, 帰国子女, private lessons are the preferred class structure as the class can be customized to fit the student’s strengths and weaknesses. For most returnee students, we use native-English-level workbooks, materials, and online resources.
Private Lessons - Adults
In November, we received happy news from our students. One student received notice that he was accepted into a top-5 global MBA program. Although the student was working with another MBA advisory company to support the MBA application, we assisted in the interview process.
Another of our students, who works at a major trading firm, recently concluded a significant government contract to supply products to a central Asia nation. Our weekly lessons focused on multicultural negotiation and were supplemented with British Council and Harvard Business Review material. As with our private lessons for children, our classes for adults are highly customized and fit each student’s ability and needs. With a range of business knowledge, experience, and resources, we can provide an asset to any professional looking to improve their business English.
Summary
As 2022 comes to a close, thank you to all the students who have been with us for multiple years. For those of you who are moving to a higher education level, we wish you all the best and hope you keep in touch.
To all the new students who joined this year, thank you for entrusting us with your language education, and don’t give up. Progress is slow sometimes and is not always a straight-line up. Keep at it, and you will see the results!
Here is a quick list of highlights from our students in 2022:
- Entered an international high school (Japan)
- Moved abroad and is attending an international junior high school (Philippines)
- Entered a one-year study-abroad program (United Kingdom)
- Entered a prestigious, private junior high school
- Passed Eiken Level 3 (Elementary school 4th-grade student)
- Passed Eiken Level 4 (Elementary school 3rd-grade student)
- Passed Eiken Level 2 (High school 1st-grade student)
- Accepted into a globally ranked business school
We are immensely proud of the above students and their accomplishments. We are also proud of our students who attend weekly lessons, do homework, and participate in class. Although each student progresses at different speeds, eventually, students who put in the effort in class and at home do make progress, and we are proud of every one of them.
