Good morning everyone. Once again I am very glad to speak with you today. The topic I want to talk about is English. I’m an English teacher and I love my job. I think that English is something that is very important and something that every student in Otemae should study. It is my hope and my wish that every student at Otemae becomes a very good English speaker. I hope that every student at Otemae has great success in taking the Eikan examinations. I hope that every student at Otemae can read and write and understand English at a high level. I really like English.

But, do I think that English is easy to master?

No, English is not easy to master.

Do I think that English is so very fun and exciting and wonderful?

No, English study is not fun. English study is not exciting. English study is not wonderful.

But you need English. You really need English.

Maybe you are thinking, “No Mark, I do not need English. I don’t like English. I don’t want to study English. Yes, my English teacher at Otemae is very lovely and very kind, but I don’t like to study English. So, I do not need English.”

But you do really need English. You need English for your “something”.

Something? What is this something?

The “something” is the something that you love to do. Everyone has something that they would love to do in the future. Some people love sports. Some people love music. Some people love working outside. Some people love nature. Some people love dancing. Some people love art. Some people love talking to other people. Everyone has a “something” that they love to do.

English can help you with the “something”.

Because you are a student you might be trying to discover the thing that you love to learn about. It might be in computers. It might be in history. It might be in books. It might be in sports. It might be when you are communicating with friends. Somewhere in your Otemae study you will find the something that you want to choose as a future job or career.

And then you must do the thing that you love to do. You must do your “something” as much as you can. You must be the master of your something. You must be the owner of the position of your something. When you find your something, and you master your something, you will be the most important thing about the something you choose to do for your life.

And then you need English.

English can help you do your something all over the world. English can help you take your future job, the thing you master, all over Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America. English is the multiplying force to make you a multi-master of the something you love and do best.

For example, if you become an expert on dogs you can be an animal doctor, or animal trainer, or take care of dogs, or know the most about some special kinds of dogs. And then, when you have strong English you can share your expert work all over the world. You can be in newspapers and magazines, and on television as an expert from Japan about dogs.

If you become an expert in cooking or art or engineering or science or Japanese stories or computers, when you add English to it you can use your expert knowledge everywhere, and people from all over the world can talk with you. You will have a very, very unique position.

So, take some time to think about your something, the thing you love most to do, and then let’s work together and make your English strong, and smooth, and beautiful.