月: 2020年6月

Next week on Sunday many students in Kagawa will have the Eiken examination. Maybe you are one of them. I hope so. It is very important for you to have success in the Eiken examination and to try to take the test as often as you can. Studying for the Eiken examination is a lot of trouble, and it is not easy to pass, but it can help you a lot in the future.

Why do so many students have to study English? Maybe you are thinking about this question. Speaking English is not so easy. Studying English is not so fun. The grammar is difficult. The rules change often. The English of Australia is different from the English of America. The English of Scotland and Ireland is different from the English in Jamaica. The English of Canada is okay, but maybe it sounds very boring, and flat, and is not interesting to hear.

I am very sorry to tell you, but the most of the world speaks English or has English as a second language. England, New Zealand, America, Canada, many countries in the Caribbean, and Australia have English as their first language.

Many countries in Africa, like Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa have English as a second language. India and the Philippines have a lot of English media and write their laws in English. Singapore, Pakistan, and countries all through South-East Asia have English as their official second language. More than half of the world uses English every day. English is a very important language between many countries. English is needed for travel to any place in the world.

But English is not only important to travel. English is not only important for a vacation to Europe or to do a homestay in another country. English is very, very important for many professional careers in Japan. I am lucky to have many friends in Kagawa who are doctors, business owners, and high level people in companies. Everyone needs English for their work. Many times they ask me to help check their documents and their writing. I am always happy to help them. Many professional people need to talk to other people in English about their work, or their research, or their business. English is the connection for many people in their careers.

But how about you? You are not a doctor? You are not a business owner? You are not going to an airport to travel to another country now? So, why do you need English?

That is an excellent question. I hope I can give you a good answer.

You are correct. You do not need English so much right now. You study Math and Science and Social Studies. English is only something in your textbook. But English is something that you will need to use more when you go to university. English is something you will need more when you have a job in a company. English is something you will need when you want to make a career. Many top level business people or career people can speak English. You need to join that group in the future.

So, you need English. You need to practice and prepare for the Eiken tests when you are a junior high and high school student. English skill and an Eiken kyu level can help you enter a university. English skills will help you in your future job, in your future company, in your future career.

Learning English is a long road. It is a long and hard and terrible experience. But you can do it. Here at Otemae you have the BEST English teachers in Kagawa. You must listen to them very carefully and work very hard in their classes. They can help you have a great future. So, please continue with English study. Never give up. Please try to get the next Eiken kyu level. If you can do it that is great. If you do fail, you must try again and again. You can do it!

If you are watching the news these days you will see that there is a lot of trouble in America. The trouble between white Americans and black Americans has a very long history. But the recent news is actually not so recent. In truth, this is very old news. Black people in America have had a very hard time to live in the United States. This trouble has continued for many years. Now we are seeing a lot of people in America, and in many other countries too, tell governments that we need to make some changes. They are telling the leaders that we need to make a better future. They are telling the leaders that the current conditions are not acceptable anymore.

The year is 2020. It seems so unbelievable that in our modern world we have such troubles between white people and black people. But this is not the only problem. It is not only with white people and black people. It is also with white people and Asian people. It is also with white people and Mexican people. It is also with white people and Indian people. It is also with white people and aboriginal people. In America, and Canada too, there is not complete equality between different groups of people. These things need to change.

The problem has a name. It is called racism. Racism is when one cultural group thinks they are more important than another cultural group. And even though America and Canada have many different racial groups in the same country there are some very big problems between these groups. Recently we see this more clearly with the Black Lives Matter movement.

The Black Lives Matter movement is very important because it teaches the world that people need to be equal. Of course we can be different in many ways, but the value of human life must be the same for all humans. Humans have the same color of blood. We have the same shape in body. Most people have two legs and two arms. We all have eyes and ears. We all have fingers and toes. We all have noses. We have hearts. We all have hair and skin and teeth. We have many things that are the same for all humans.

As humans we also have the same feelings. All humans need to be safe. All humans need to have food and water. Humans need to have homes. We all need schools and education. We need to have music and art and sports. We all need to have a chance to work. We all need to have careers and a future. And we all need to have family too.

Humans need to have the same value as humans. We all should have the same chances to learn and to have success. We should all have the freedom to move, to travel, to write, to think, to create, and to make a dream.

Of course we can have many differences too. Different cultures can have different food, and music, and art, and stories. Different cultures may have different ideas, different feelings about nature, and different ways to think. Many cultures have unique and special languages and customs. But these differences are not dangers to us. These kinds of differences can be chances to learn and explore and to understand. Differences can be wonderful experiences. Differences can be our inspiration to travel and to see the world.

But at this moment in history, Black Lives Matter is showing that the situation is not fair and equal for black Americans. As humans we have a duty to work together and to make a world that is equal with all. We need equality and fairness. We need justice. We need to make changes together so that the racism that has been with us for so long can finally end. A better future is needed, and we need to make that together with ALL humans. As students we need to learn more about the problems of racism and we need to discuss how we can remove it from our world. It is the year 2020 and we need changes now. Let’s make some change.