Hiroko’s Diary

Let me appologize for not writing on this blog for a long time.   I’ve been so busy for a couple of months.  

Yesterday, I participated in a “Jazz Chants Seminar”,  for studying English teaching methods using Jazz rhythm.    I had to give a presentation there.   I showed a lesson plan using a song in one of the Jazz chants textbooks.  All the participants were English teachers.  And most of them were very talented teachers.    Can you imagine how nervous I was during the presentation before those teachers?   When I finished it, I was relieaved.   But one of the lecturers pointed out several things that I have to think about more.   Those points are what I also noticed wrong but didn’t know how to change.   After that I felt a little blue, but just before leaving the place, another lecturer said to me “It was a wonderful presentation”.   At that time I was so happy that I felt as if I were walking in the sky.    

Jazz Chants was created by Carolyn Graham, an American English teacher.   While she had been teaching English at University, she also worked as a Jazz singer at a Jazz bar.   One day she thought that Jazz rhythm would help teaching English.  Since then, she has published many Jazz Chants series.

On November 18th, I met her for the first time.  She was a lecturer in the Jazz  Chants seminar that is held in Osaka once a year.    It was wonderful, no!, more than wonderful.   I don’t know how to express my feeling in English, but anyway, I was moved. 

One year and 8 monthes have passed since I started to teach English.   Teaching English to kids is very encouraging.   Though there are so many things that I need to learn, I want to do my best in teaching English.