Foreign Friday

By -
English-speaking Competition Officials
Autumn 1979
Misawa, Japan
The first year I was in Japan, I had the honor of judging an English-speaking competition at an off-base high school. The students recited and/or read selections of literature in English. Some students were highly proficient, and others painfully struggled with the simple readings. The contest took most of the day, and the school officials were most gracious and presented each volunteer judge with a gift.

Americans were commonly approached off base by Japanese teenagers and young adults, wanting to improve their English skills.


Comments

  1. Tracy BatchelderJanuary 20, 2012 at 5:20 AM

    I admire people who are able to speak more than one language. That's something I never learned. It would be helpful where I live, to be able to speak Spanish.

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  2. SusanB-knitsJanuary 20, 2012 at 8:44 AM

    I was asked but never did teach English in Japan. I had too many other irons in the fire, lol.

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  3. SissySeesJanuary 20, 2012 at 10:13 AM

    Neat!! I can read Latin, French and some Spanish, but I speak only Southern English. ;)

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  4. kathy bJanuary 20, 2012 at 10:58 AM

    That's so admirable. I always approach Spanish speaking patients with the same interest...

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  5. hakuchoJanuary 20, 2012 at 12:19 PM

    Competition is good :)

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  6. KatherineJanuary 20, 2012 at 3:30 PM

    So interesting! The schools were doing something similar when we were in Germany. They urged the children to approach Americans and start conversations in English. Most of them, even the very young, spoke excellent English.

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  7. BevJanuary 21, 2012 at 4:29 PM

    What great experiences you had!!

    ReplyDelete

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