Shiba's House Owner's Journal

high school teacher | photography | custom pc builder | distance learning | Internet nerd

[shibashouse]

Recent Blog Writing Trends

Is the posting date less important for leaders?

Is categorization less important these days?

I think that social media posts are as long as blog entries; some YouTube posts have long text messages instead of a movie.

What are blog services for?

[shibashouse]

How long in the world do we need to social distance with face masks, IOW, how long will this pandemic last? https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/17267198/deltacron-varient-covid-cypress-new-coronavirus/

[shibashouse]

My Epidermal Cyst Treatment Records

One day at the end of June, I felt dull pains in my back.

I assumed they were muscle pains, but I also found a small bump, which hurt when I moved my arms or shoulders.

I went to the skin doctor on June 22, and he told me I had an epidermal cyst.

He also recommended that I remove it before it is infected, so I made my excision appointment on June 25.

I googled several websites about epidermal cyst removal because I was so worried about how long a punch excision takes.

On the excision day, I walked to the skin doctor's office, following the doctor's advice when taking a surgery.

I expected my surgery would end within 20 minutes because my cyst was small and not infected, but it virtually took me 40 minutes even though it was a punch excision.

The doctor prescribed a couple of painkillers and told me to visit him to clean my wound the next day.

I visited him four times after surgery; the first two days, I needed to stay in bed due to back pain.

Eventually, it took two weeks for my wound to heal.

The websites I checked before the surgery said a punch excision rarely forms a scar, but I have one, and it hurts before it rains.

[ Viewers, beware ] my epidermal cyst removal records

2021/06/26 1 day after surgery

2021/06/28 3 days after surgery

2021/07/02 7 days after surgery The doctor said it took a bit longer for my wound to heal; it might need to be sutured unless it gets better next week.

2021/07/07 12 days after surgery I finally finished my wound cleaning.

2021/10/11 3 months and 16 days after surgery It was diagnosed a hypertrophic scar on July 25

[shibashouse]

Quiet Halloween Celebration

Yesterday, my son and I went to a cafe near Mito station. Although I have been on a diet for two months, we enjoyed small cakes there.

My son turned 25 the day before yesterday when I was out for my eldest daughter's house cleaning, so I hadn't celebrated my son's birthday yet.

That's why I decided to have a cake!

Due to the COVID pandemic, just a few people wore costumes for Halloween.

Surprisingly, I prefer the Halloween celebration AFTER the COVID pandemic; initially, people in Japan don't celebrate Halloween, which relieves me in a way.

[shibashouse]

Delete Disqus and Speed up your WordPress Website

Did you know that Disqus introduced ads to the commenting system? Find out how to check if your WordPress site is showing ads, or if ad netw

[shibashouse]

Another Moon Viewing

It's called the "Juu-san-ya (13-day-old waxing gibbous)" celebration.

It's unique in Japan.

People enjoy moon viewing biannually, as long as it's fine in the evening.

The first one is the "Juu-goya (harvest moon in September, very luckily it's the full moon)" and the other the Juu-san-ya, which is not the full moon.

This year, I took pictures of the Juu-san-ya moon for the first time.

Even though it was not as bright as the full moon, I felt it fantastic enough.

[shibashouse]

My Memory of Linux

The first time I used Linux PC was in April 2016. At that time, I bought a used 32bit desktop made for Windows and installed Ubuntu in it. I heard Linux needed less storage than Windows, so I was a bit sad to see my Ubuntu getting slower the more often I updated it.

In 2017, I studied coding at my corresponding university for my job training. I learned C language, Java, and JavaScript at the intensive lessons in summer, but I was not familiar enough to using Linux then, so I used GDE app for Windows mainly and Xcode on Mac sometimes.

Next year, I stopped using Linux for a while and started self-building Windows PCs. The first time I built my PC, I didn’t fully understand how to handle computer parts, especially wiring was tough. I heard some people gave up building desktops, so I googled every time I had a trouble building my machine and asked for advice from mechanics. It was really amazing to see my self-built PC working for the first time!

Time flies and more and more schools in Japan have to provide online lessons due to COVID pandemic; about half of the high schools in my prefecture tell students to buy a Chromebook. This news changed my mind that I would need to get used to Chromebook, especially in case I get transferred to a school which recommends Chromebook to students. I tried to build my desktop with CloudReady, which resembles to Chrome OS, but I failed because self-built computers can’t get the CloueReady licences, if someone successfully installs CloudReady on a self-built computer, it might be considered a backdoor.

Still, I could install Ubuntu on my 64bit intel 9th generation desktop, which belonged to my son before, and attached a high-grade Wi-Fi receiver to it. I'm so impressed to see my Linux desktop working with Wi-Fi, remembering the days I failed to install a Wi-Fi receiver driver on a 32bit Linux.

[shibashouse]

I Was Doubted by AI!

I found that my English blog was considered malicious by Google’s system, which was so shocking. I have 2 blogs, one of which is written in Japanese and the other in English, and both have similar URLs.

In the past, I wrote my English entries on WordPress.com blog, which is still available. I’m satisfied enough with blogs provided by WordPress.com, but I dislike tiny media storage on a free blog. On the other hand, Tumblr gives us unlimited media storage with no ads, although it doesn’t support colored letters. I use the same screen name here as my Japanese blog title and similar custom domain to the one for my Japanese blog, which caused this trouble. Since I don’t want to see this popup anymore, I decided to change the blog title and my custom domain for my Tumblr. If you have more than two websites or blogs, beware when naming your sites and domain names!

[shibashouse]

Mid Autumn Festival

On Mid-autumn festival day, lots of people hope clear sky with the most beautiful moon in the year.

It should not always be the full moon.   A waxing moon one day before the full moon is called "Yoimachi" and a waning moon one day after the full moon is called "Izayoi" in Japanese.  In any phase, the moon on the mid-autumn festival day is so stunning.

It's clear this evening, so I successfully took pictures of this precious full moon, which might be my best full moon photos.

[shibashouse]

Nephrolepis exaltata 'Bostoniensis' or as it is more popularly known the Boston Fern is a great first house plant or a fern to introduce to your collection, quite easy to care for and it will live happily in your home or office

I bougut a potted one for 300 yen the other day, and have been keeping it in the bathroom.  Seeing it sprouting gives me power

[shibashouse]

Battling with Invisible Enemies (2)  Trolley Dilemma Everywhere When Addressing Coronavirus

Since last month, I have often heard the news, which is mainly from the international media, that the Japanese government takes coronavirus least seriously because it hasn’t taken strong measures to prevent the outbreak.

Democracy in a Team

Japanese politicians think consensuses are important when working in a team. Even in an emergency, strong leadership might be considered a dictatorship, which delayed the national statement for addressing COVID-19. The PM rarely makes political decisions alone, which will be harshly criticized as a dictatorship and reminds citizens of the military government during WW2.

Japanese Paradox in Coronavirus

It is often said that the Japanese tend to avoid touching each other when greeting or chatting in daily lives, which is considered the reason why Japan has fewer coronavirus cases compared to other G20 countries, which seems quite unnatural. A rumor also says that the mandatory BCG vaccination to babies under 12 months old in Japan works not only for TB but also for COVID-19 since the BCG vaccine specially developed in Japan covers a wide range of TB mutations, which might be able to deactivate coronavirus.

Huge Personal Space

After WW2, young couples have started smaller families because they prefer to live apart from their parents to protect their personal spaces, which should be kept in private. On the other hand, visiting their parents is quite important especially in the New Year holidays and the graveyard visit in Obon. Japanese tend to avoid receiving welfare since welfare recipients' buying behaviors are all checked by the finance ministry.

Moreover, welfare recipients are not allowed to own a car. They must get permission from the city office to own a computer; finance ministry workers consider a PC is a typical cashable fortune. A welfare recipient is someone who lives in minimalism; he or she can't even go to a concert or a sporting event. In other words, he or she dare refuses to receive welfare to keep on his or her hobbies or fun activities, which is his or her reason for being.

Japan Does Not Follow the International Consensus of Social Distancing

https://www.kantei.go.jp/jp/content/000061935.pdf

Japan has been conducting coronavirus prevention measures called 3Cs, which Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike announced on February 28 evening. The 3Cs mean social distancing measures; they were confusing to me at first. The next day, the majority of public spaces have the 3Cs poster, transparent plastic shields in front of the cashier counters, hopscotch-like floor linings to encourage social distancing, which disappointed me a bit. To tell the truth, I expected that the government would implement the measures China or Singapore did in February. Recently, no customer is seen at nearby restaurants or cafes; the government finally realized that social distancing means almost the same as evacuating at home.

I assume the Japanese government misunderstood the 3Cs slogan that only activities held in crowded places with poor ventilation and a huge audience would be prohibited. Prohibiting big events is too partial to lower the curb; just one C (a closed space, a crowded place, or close-contact settings) brings us infection as neither vaccination nor medication is available yet. In this way, coronavirus has put all humans into a disaster.

Trolly Dilemmas When Addressing COVID-19 Prevention

I rarely watch TV news about coronavirus. I prefer watching vlogs on YouTube because it's fun for me to study insider's stories and connect the dots with news from mass media. When I hear the news about city lockdown in other countries, I strongly feel the national leaders and their citizens can trust each other with empathy.

Compared to the other national leaders, Japan PM and local governors seem to have much more conflicts among patronage companies before issuing the emergency measures. In other words, they don't seem to focus on keeping their citizens' health. Some of them might care more about how to prevent the Great Depression than reducing coronavirus victims. There are a few critics who predict the Great Depression caused by the COVID-19 pandemic would kill more people than the virus itself. It's natural for them to follow the trolley dilemma and recommend the chief politicians prioritizing the economy, betting that enhancing citizens' mental health would boost their immune system enough to conquer coronavirus.

Here’s another trolley dilemma the doctors in Iwate Prefecture faced:

https://www.tellerreport.com/life/2020-04-24-iwate-hospital-that-refused-pregnant-women-on-their-way-home-home-improvement-of-infection-control-system-new-corona-.Bkul76XgYI.html

The initial problem might be that a pregnant woman in her 30s who lives in Chiba prefecture temporarily visited their parents in Iwate Prefecture. She accidentally gave premature birth and called an ambulance, but was rejected by the first two local hospitals as she was suspected positive in coronavirus. Not only the doctors but also the pregnant woman was in another trolly dilemma and put her baby and herself at risk.

What does each element in the trolley problem picture symbolize?

The trolley problem picture is basically used for morals education or problem-solving training. The trolley problem logic is called the trolley dilemma, which was ironically used in the COVID-19 treatment strategy.

The survey conducted by Wroclaw University and Norweigian University joint team shows that Westerners tend to associate one severely injured person on one track with the Great Depression and five severely injured people on the other track with the number of deaths by coronavirus syndromes, whereas forestkeepers in Papua don't agree with Western medicals' treatment strategy. In short, people's health is the most important to Westerners and they even sacrifice freedom to overcome the deadly virus. The dashing trolley symbolizes COVID-19, and the derailed one stands for the future after beating an invisible enemy to all humans.

https://twitter.com/hornby32mm/status/1117308307415322624?s=20

Surprisingly, a Japanese railway fan found a win-win solution to the trolley problem. The main agenda is how to operate the rail pointer lever, and he or she on twitter mentioned that the railway engineer should keep holding the lever in the middle of the pointer until the trolley derails.

How to Operate the Trolley for a Brighter Future

Imagine there are rows of hospitals along the two tracks in the picture. Medics are taking care of COVID-19 patients and those with other chronic diseases 24/7. The trolley represents the deadly toxic coronavirus, which is never allowed to cross the fork. Non-medic people including politicians, store staff, educators, couriers are concentrating on their minimal tasks or staying at their homes. None of them is dispensable. They all unite to conquer the coronavirus.

What is more important than life?

I want to survive from COVID19! In other words, my own life comes first, but there is only one exception. I wouldn't be afraid of passing if my death can contribute to saving other people. For now, I promise I'll do my very best to prevent the virus, but the moment I would, unfortunately, get infected with the fatal virus, I'm ready to give my hospital bed to someone more serious than I would be. I have been helped, encouraged, cheered up by so many people I've met; I simply want to express my gratitude by saving someone.

To live with fun is wonderful. To see someone live with fun is fulfilling.

[shibashouse]

Coronavirus: The Hammer and the Dance

What the Next 18 Months Can Look Like, if Leaders Buy Us Time

I learned that we are in “the Hammer” phase now. I assume everyone concerns what he or she can restart and what he or she must restrict in “the Dance” phase.

[shibashouse]

Battling with Invisible Enemies　(1) Could It Be World War 3?

When I first heard about the novel coronavirus at the end of January, I felt it would be the most terrible disease in my life. Patients in China suddenly lost consciousness and passed within a few days, which happened to quite healthy people. At that time, I was going to book a cabin hotel in Shinjuku to take my accounting test on February 1.

Ominous Instinct

I usually stay at a cabin hotel since it’s cheaper than an ordinary non-smoking single room, but this time, I thought it dangerous to stay in Shinjuku, where I heard rich Chinese tourists visited to get face masks and anti-virus necklaces in bulk as souvenirs for their family or neighbors. Unfortunately, some of them were not very well but managed to complete their itineraries with their precious souvenirs. This was the very first news I heard about the dreadful COVID-19, which completely changed my commuting style to Tokyo ever since. I thought by my hunch that riding trains or busses is fatal, because I might encounter coronavirus carriers with no symptoms there. I drove all the way to my correspondence university campus, stayed at a non-smoking single room in Itabashi Ward (a northwest suburb from the metroplitan area) on the way, which cost me 3500 yen for speedway and 5500 for accomodation and light meals. Of course, I wore a (disposable) mask and an anti-virus necklace during the test time. Wearing a mask in early February is common in Japan before COVID-19 was introduced; Japanese often suffer from the flu or hay fever, so they tend to stockpile masks for health reasons. After finishing my accounting test, I felt my sink-or-swin battle with coronavirus has started. Teachers mustn’t catch it not only for themselves but also for public safety. I decided not to take trains, busses or any public transportation until the coronavirus pandmic ends.

My favorite drugstore has weekly sale on Mondays, so I usually buy tissues, toiletries in bulk. From January to April, I also get some boxes of masks there, but this year the situation was completely different. I scarcely bought the last boxed mask on February 3 if I remember correctly; I’ve almost never seen masks there ever since, except  small packages of ones (5 on average in a plastic bag) are alloted to 15 customers on average just occasionally. My family members even say getting surgical masks is like winning the lottery.

Too Contagious to Call a Virus

Two days after assessment tests at my correspondence university, more and more coronavirus patients in Japan were reported. At first, they were mainly Chinese tourists traveling by chartered buses, but about a week later, the local bus driver and the tour guide got sick and were tested positive for coronavirus. Since they lived far from my residence, I thought I was safe unless I traveled by a train or a long-distance bus, but the situation was worsened much more rapidly than I expected:  the endemic on a cruise ship named “Diamond Princess”. A few passengers got sick with pneumonia symptoms on the ship, which stuck in Yokohama to quarantine all passengers for the maximum of two weeks until hospitals and embassys got ready.

In the middle of February, new victims who got the virus by community transmission have been frequently reported. This means Covid-19 has spread as widely as common cold, in other words, a person with just one minor symptom such as sore throat, cough, headache, or exhaustion might be affected by coronavirus. It’s become tremendously difficult for experienced doctors to distinguish Covid-19 cases from other minor diseases like common cold and hay fever.

Some coronavirus carriers with no symptom tend to transmit their virus to other people and also to their pet dogs or cats, which makes the situation severer than other virus’ cases. On the other hand, there are quite a few patients who were tested negative but have been suffering from high fever, exhaution, and difficulty in breathing. It’s natural even for doctors and researchers to overlook how many victims there are precisely and fail to pinpoint hot spots. To make things worse, no effective medication for the virus hasn’t found yet.

Since then, I’ve started watching YouTube video clips about coronavirus warning because I feel it’s too late to wait for official announcements from the government. I was terribly shocked when I watched a couple of video messages from Japanese freelancers working in China and Italian professor teaching at a university in Osaka; both said “we’re in the warfare against coronavirus.” Their words really impressed me, and I decided to do my current best to back up medical staff in Japan; I’ve not gotten upset when I see “Masks sold out. TBO” signs at supermarkets and drugstores ever since. Using disposable masks less for citizens will lead to bring more masks to medical staff and hospitalized patients.

Evacuate Your Home

The more patients are reported, the more details of coronavirus have been revealed, which often threaten all people. These are said main traits of COVID-19:

Majority of the virus carriers show just light symptoms or no symptoms

No medication so far

Extreme longevity in the air or on the surface of products

Being transmitted by casual contacts such as hugging or handshaking

Other Asian countries’ police can arrest citizens who go out without masks, whereas the leaders of European countries strongly encourage citizens to stay at home. Compared to the higene policies of other countries, Japan PM seems to juggle “lowering the curve” and economic vitality, which lowers his reputation.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/world/corona-simulator/

The above is the most trustworthy article about how to address COVID-19 until effective medication and vaccination establish. Strictly limiting the number of people who work or study out of home logically works very well to prevent potential victims, which seems a bit unrealistic. The reason is keeping people healthy in the pandemic and giving up outdoor activities are trade-offs.

Daily lives during lockdown look like an endurance competition, which no one can tell how long will last.

“Severe restriction of our freedom by a centralized government is neccesary for the sake of people’s lives”

would be the new world’s commonsense after this pandemic ends.

[shibashouse]

Self-study of English (2) ーHow the Internet Has Changed Learning Styles

* writing in red: learning tools or styles which emerged in the Internet era

Before the Internet prevailed, self-study of foreign languages was monotonous sometimes and often took discipline. I still remember I was given lots of penmanship assignments, such as writing every new word 10 times each in my notebook, which I thought time-wasting sometimes.

When my eldest daughter entered junior high school, there was at least one computer at average families in Japan. My husband and I used an e-learning app for TOEIC Test on our (old Windows XP) PC from 2003 to 2006. Preparing for the TOEIC test with a computer was extreme fun compared with my Eiken preparation in the 20th century:  the computer app responded to me right after I answered the questions, which was as if I were playing a computer game. 

Faster Internet Has Made the World Smaller

In 2007, I upgraded my laptop to Windows Vista and gave my old one to my eldest daughter. I kept on learning English using a computer; I started reading out my blog entries in English, recording my reading and attached the audio clips when posting them. At that time, there were just a few online English schools for practicing conversation, and I failed to activate Skype in my Windows Vista laptop. Learning English for me then was solving vocab drills on the Internet, zapping International radio shows ( actually, I subscribed to BBC radio, which cost 1450 yen per month ), and occasionally writing blog entries in English. Until 2008, I was an introverted housewife being devoted to learning English in front of my PC. I preferred learning English alone with my PC to hanging out with PTA staff members at my children’s elementary school; it was all because of saving money.

Since 2009, I went to work again. At first, I worked for a company cafeteria, which is about 10 minutes from home by bike. Unfortunately, I left there just for 5 months; I was too poor at cooking. Next year, I started teaching English at a franchised cram school. About half of the students there were 9th graders (the 3rd year in junior high school ), so teachers needed to handle them really carefully, especially one month before their first high school entrance exams. Personally, the times teaching English and preparing lessons at the cram school were my treasure, because I could study English deeply and check how precisely I understand grammar and word usage at the same time. 

In the days I worked as a cram school teacher, my son studied at a cram school to prepare for his high school entrance exams. I attended parents' day meetings there and listened to the school owner’s lectures a couple of times. Luckily I hadn’t preached by the school owner about my son’s studying attitude, but he didn’t agree with my English-learning style making the most of the Internet; he wanted me to study traditionally, using printed materials.

In my 2nd year as a cram school teacher, I got my first smartphone, which was Android 2.1. I have bought less printed drill books since I got a smartphone; I prefer digital ones, especially English vocab books. Digital drill books (actually apps) have audio clips recorded by professional narrators, which are really effective for practicing pronunciation. Moreover, they told me whether my answers were right or wrong by the sound, took my study log and sometimes praised me with cute gimmicks.

I had to leave the cram school in March 2012 because of the management tactics change, in other words, the board preferred younger teachers. (I learned that later by the cram school’s website) Moreover, my mother wanted me not to work as a cram school teacher anymore, so I needed to look for a daytime job to relieve her. I promised to work during the day, but I had to wait for more than a year to teach English again. I went to a few factories as a temporary worker on weekdays and proctored the TOEIC test several times a year on Sunday then.

Eligible Skills for English Teachers in the Internet Era

In June 2013, I found my teaching license would expire in March 2014 unless I attended the intensive training to renew it. Signing up for the teaching license renewal training doesn’t take much time for teachers as long as they’re at work, but I needed one more step to apply for the training. I wrote the registration form for a temporary or part-time teacher bank and submitted it to the education ministry, and waited for the grant. I joined the 5-day intensive training in Hitachi City in August 2013, and two weeks after the training, I got an offer as a substitute teacher for 7 months at the longest. My workplace then was a public high school in the countryside, and just a few students liked English. Colleagues in the English department advised me to entertain students during lessons rather than teach the language, which was really helpful during my lessons and gave me a new perspective.

“Enjoy reading high school English textbooks as materials for myself, and entertain students with trivia about English words, phrases, or topics presented in the textbooks”

I memorized the word “hibernate” in a textbook for 11th graders (2nd year in high school), and the most difficult word for me in the textbooks I had taught with was “ventriloquism”, which I still need to google.

I taught English totally for 1 year and 7 months there and truly enjoyed giving lessons and learning English for myself at the same time, but I had been worrying about one thing:  my TOEIC test score has not so much improved. I often heard a rumor that those who teach English should hold the 1st grade on the Eiken test or AT LEAST 900 on the TOEIC test (holding both is preferable), and I had neither of them. Ironically, company workers who hold both Eiken 1st grade and the full mark ( 990) on TOEIC test without the national teaching license are more welcomed as (private) English teachers or coaches than (licensed) schoolteachers without Eiken 1st grade or higher TOEIC test scores, because Japanese has been taught English as an entrance exam subject, which means English skills are gauged by test scores. Since I failed Eiken 1st grade twice so far and have never reached 900 on the TOEIC written test, I thought I was not eligible for teaching English in early 2015. Actually, I got only 815 in January 2015 and had come to want to see another world.

I think it’s natural that higher test score holders are respected more than schoolteachers who haven’t taken the Eiken test and TOEIC test since test scores are objective to everyone. Nowadays is not only the Internet era but also the AI era, young English learners can practice English 100 times more efficiently than in the pre-Internet era thanks to the Internet and digital gadgets. That means some highly advanced students can be over their English teachers in test scores, in other words, English teachers at schools with average test scores might be discounted easily even though they are nationally licensed.

I Stopped Teaching English to Enjoy Using It

In March 2015, I accepted a transfer to teach computing instead of English. Being a computer teacher, I don’t have to worry about rumors or criticisms of my English test scores anymore. I simply enjoy learning English, that means at the same time I’ve become a lazy learner compared to the past :) Zapping articles about the newest smartphones or computer software is really fun, although the words there are not listed in vocab books.  Reading breaking news in English is also useful for me to enhance critical thinking since news articles reported in Japanese often seem biased or partly exaggerated to conceal the truth.

[shibashouse]

Self-study of English (1) ---Before the Internet Prevailed

I’m feeling that self-study is more interesting than taking lessons from teachers when it comes to learning English. It might be the first time in 40 years to feel so. Even though I have chances to try my English to non-Japanese people every day, I prefer reading news articles and calculating my reading speed.

English learning in the 20th century

When I was a teenager, there was no Internet in Japan. Computers were used just among programmers, engineers, or analysts who belonged to big companies. English learners in Japan in the 20th century had slim chances to take lessons from non-Japanese teachers due to expensive tuition. Cheaper alternatives to hands-on lessons by non-Japanese teachers (especially by native speakers of English) were practicing with TV programs, radio programs, or drill books with audio clips.

* Kiso Eigo series is supervised by University professors or teachers at prestige schools

I practiced English with the radio program Kiso Eigo (currently Kiso Eigo 1) at the age of 12, which was made for novice learners. I had tough times learning with it since it contained 10 times more difficult grammar points than my junior high textbook, but I stuck to it. Even though I didn’t understand grammar points in Kiso Eigo textbooks, I really enjoyed practicing English with the narrators, which was like music sessions without any instruments to me. I still remember the (old) Kiso Eigo textbooks had notes about how to read each sentence with lines like the ones used for Chinese four tones.

Thanks to these pronunciation notes, I really enjoyed learning English even when I couldn’t understand grammar points. Frankly, I just focused on mimicking the narrators on the radio.

Speaking skills assessment in the pre-Internet era

English learners who belonged to major English schools could take skill tests gauged by specialists, at least by native English speakers, which really cost a lot. City education ministries hired just a few non-Japanese teachers who visited almost all schools for special lessons, whereas private high schools have at least one regular teacher from an English-speaking country. For junior high or senior high students then, participating in regional English speech contests or recitation contests was the cheapest way to measure speaking skills. The Eiken test was more popular compared to now because the TOEIC test was known only among trading company workers. The Eiken test for students was one of the handiest ways to check English skills in total. English clubs at school were great alternatives for English schools,  Especially in universities, English-learning activities are based mainly on public debate, panel discussion, drama, and public speaking, and members practice really hard for their competitions or productions.  When I was a university student, I was in the strictest English club and involved in the drama production team. I experienced lots of practices not only for improving English skills but also theatrical skills, which have helped me communicate with people effectively and broaden my perspectives. Some of my friends from rich families were chosen as exchange students by the university faculty, or they went abroad via student exchange agencies. Studying abroad is the simplest way of gauging speaking skills in total; it’s available for limited people though.

Financial divide in English education in Japan

Not having enough money means financial limitation when someone is struggling to achieve his or her future goal. He or she might have to give up on his or her efforts or compromise about his or her training circumstances. ESL Japanese who haven’t been abroad and practice English only in Japan are called “Jun-Japa” (domestic English-speaking Japanese), who had been sometimes inferior to those who experienced living abroad in job hunting. I’m one of that “Jun-Japa” because my parents are both xenophobias. They allowed me to major English in the university and supported me even after-class activities, but they didn’t firmly want me to be an international person, which means abandoning family tradition. To relieve my parents, I promised I will not go abroad or work abroad and use English staying in Japan. I started my business career as a junior high teacher in Chiba prefecture. I taught English then, and the reason for becoming an English teacher is another story, so I’ll post another entry for it later. Unfortunately, I got completely burned out there; I found that the teaching strategies I’d been taught at the university were not effective at all. I could have kept up my career only if I’d had a habit of learning English after work then.

Workers at smaller domestic companies welcomed “Jun-Japa” candidates as long as they were polite enough and capable of completing their tasks, but they had slim chances to share about learning English with their colleagues at work. After work activities (learning English is one of them) should be done in secret, so teaching English looked really attractive in a way of earning money from my favorite thing. In the pre-Internet era, people in Japan were 1,000 times more work-oriented, so housewives then called themselves “golf widows” and “weekend school activity widows”. A couple of English-learning housewives who acquired extraordinary English proficiency translated popular books and magazine articles into Japanese and achieved getting income staying at home, which was considered one of the ideal lifestyles of married women with work-life balance.

When it comes to English teachers at schools, international experiences were not so superior in giving lessons to students. That means “Jun-Japa” English teachers can be as competitive as those who have studied abroad, on condition that they have excellent reputations from students, students’ parents, and the managers. Even in the first year in junior high school (7th grade), students’ learning skills have already been categorized based on their underground knowledge about other subjects. When English lessons at schools start, students’ English-learning traits tend to be divided into four types below.

I was educated at my first university (note:  I’m a distant learner of business management at another university in Tokyo) that an English teacher must be an entertainer in his or her lessons. Later in 2013, especially after I restarted teaching at high schools in Ibaraki prefecture,  I recognized this message contains a couple of tips for teachers to stay mentally healthy:

(1) Spend some time as a student

(2) Teaching is the climax of learning

(3) Students’ happy faces come first

Time has passed and we’ve been living in the Internet era. We can choose how to learn English from more choices than in the times without the Internet, but I still believe that it’s impossible for technology or AI to streamline all foreign language learning methods.

[shibashouse]

When Is Your Samsung or Motorola Phone Getting Android 10?

Android 10 is here, but there’s an important caveat—just because Google released Android 10 doesn’t mean that you’re going to get Android 10

My Android phone made by Motorola freezes often these days.

[shibashouse]

Autistic Adults Start Campaign to Put an End to This ‘Harmful’ Behavior

"What message are we sending autistic children when we tell them that the natural way they are isn’t good enough?"

I wonder how non-autistic people UNDERSTAND autistic ones. Generally, people tend to think adapting themselves to the circumstances is easier than accepting diverse traits. This article taught me that being eccentric, surreal or bizarre needs to be considered something cool or attractive. Every “ordinary ( non-autistic ) person” has a couple of strange secrets in him or her such as a niche hobby or particularity about food or properties, which he or she shouldn’t shame but embrace.

To enjoy differences from others is the first step.