Doing ordinary things everyday with plain mind is extraordinary

Everyone tries to achieve success. However, getting quick results from discovering an accelerated path to achievement is rare. Doing ordinary things every day is harder than it sounds. It is actually an extraordinary talent to be able to continue a consistent effort every day.
“If we call a person who can achieve something without effort a genius, I am not. If we call a person who achieves something due to his or her effort a genius, I think I am. If you think I can hit a ball without much effort, that is wrong.” So said Ichiro, who is a genius of hard work.

A huge change in teaching style in school! The educational reform front line 2018

I will provide information about educational reform, which has been going on in schools in Japan, from an NHK information program “Asaichi”. Please take a look at this video on You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bo-E-a75t0E&t=29s

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While we can find anything if we search on our smartphones, the government started the educational reform to focus on raising not only an ability to gain knowledge, but also an ability to use knowledge. Actual reforms will be introduced in 2020. However, many schools have already started their own reforms. The learning style for the parents’ generation, such as “sit and listen to the teacher,” is going to be “the past”!?

What is educational reform?
The government curriculum guideline will be revised for the first time in 10 years. Starting in 2020 for elementary school, 2021 for middle school, and 2022 for high school, a new education curriculum will be introduced. The last revision was so called “pressure-free education,” which focused on adjusting the volume of knowledge.

This time, acquiring the ability to use knowledge is added to the goals of education. They are focusing on teaching useful abilities to live in the society, such as ability to think, ability to judge, and ability to express.

How will the school classes change?
What kind of class will provide the ability to use knowledge? A technique called “active learning” is the one that has gotten attention. It is not “sitting and listening what teachers tell you,” but “children playing a leading role,” including presentation and /or discussion by children.
Entrance exams will change, too!  The education reforms include changes in entrance exams. Private middle school entrance exams contain more questions that require more than just memorized knowledge. Besides, the National Center Test for University Admissions will be discontinued in 2020, and the new University Admissions Common Test will be introduced. In order to assess “ability of thinking” and “ability of expression,” essay questions will be added in Japanese and Math.

Reading “Yokozuna” are born

Congratulations for your achievement of becoming a reading Yokozuna! I believe all these readers gained courage, adventurousness, gentleness, and kindness in their heart. I would like to praise their efforts to read many books with my words of “Congratulations! Well done”.
Preschool
P1 Ema Kato (7th)
Middle school
M3 Hikaru Inaoka
Inherit Japanese
J2 Misha Kai

Announcement

From Library

Request for children’s books donation
Please donate your used books in your home for the bazaar on February 17th. Usually there are not enough children’s books for sale in the bazaar. We appreciate your donation of books or DVDs for children from preschooler to upper grades, either in Japanese or English. Children love comics that were published in last 2-3 years; however, please contact us if you would like to donate some old comics, either by (yokoprice@msn.com), or in person at the library. We also accept study guides and sub text books (such as kanji drills, hiragana practice notebook, etc.).
Request for books donation for adults
We always appreciate your donations for adults; however, please note below.
• We cannot accept specialty (medical, laws, science) books, and magazines older than 1 year.
• We may not accept very old books depending on their condition, so please check with any of us.
Process for donation
Please contact us by e-mail between Jan 20th and Feb 10th if you’d like to donate any books. We will take them at your convenient time and place. Also, please bring your books to the bazaar on February 17th and hand them to the one of the library committee executives.