Seiritsu International Education

In China, we did not school travel, so this is my first time to travel. I went to Hokkaido with my classmates. Hokkaido's weather is cooler than Tokyo. We went to the three city of Sapporo, Hakodate, and Otaru.

We tried many DIY production. We fired glass, made the music box, sausage, caramel and cheese.The seafood in Hokkaido is especially fresh. The Japanese seem to like eating sea urchin very much, but I can't accept it easily.

Our school also arranged boating, snorkelling, fishing and other activities for our choice. Travel is very fulfilling and interesting, it makes everyone feel relaxed.

Plink is a second-year student from China studying at Seiritsu (cc)

writer: staff  date: 2:27 PM | Life at Seiritsu

This was our last school event while we are in high school.
I joined in 4 activities
And I was able to take a lot of pictures which are good memories for me.
Me and my friend Kaede injured our feet during one of the events called twelve people thirteen feet.
It's an activitie where we tie our ankles with some clothes and run to the goal.

Because of that injury my friend was unable to join the rest of all the events.
So someone else did the rest of it for her.
Our yellow team ended up as 2nd place.
I have a lot of fun and I think our classmates are more close thanks to this event.

writer: staff  date: 9:03 AM | Life at Seiritsu

From this May, my role as an English teacher expanded! How you may ask? Wonderful question! In addition to teaching English classes, I am now a Seiritsu student. Specifically, I am now a Seiritsu art student!


In Seiritsu, we want to expose our students to more English-speaking opportunities and environments. We are tackling the first part with the introduction of native speakers and the revamp of conversation classes. Even so, Seiritsu made a jump towards the overall goal of supporting English fluency by having me join their classes as a student.


Teresa's work!


Teachers are always trying to keep an eye on about seven things at once in class, so having a proper one-on-one conversation for more than three minutes with students is difficult. As a student, an art student in particular, I am seated with a group for the entire class and we chat leisurely while sketching and painting flowers. Nothing is forced and grades are not factored in. There’s no pressure and English just becomes a means of communication, rather than a means to graduate.





The students I am classmates with are now more open to speaking with me compared to other students. In the morning, they loudly greet me with a smile and “Good morning.” In and out of class, they would happily shout some combination of English and Japanese, and they are not at all nervous or made fun of for doing so.


Overall, I am having a lot of fun talking with students about many things, like their recent sports day as well as their weekends, etc. I can see how my students have grown comfortable with using and learning English through conversation. Personally, I really enjoy getting to know more about my students.


Cheers,

Teresa

writer: staff  date: 11:45 AM | Life at Seiritsu

Hello everyone, Jet teacher Laurence here.

For me, June has been all about getting as much studying done as I can before the JLPT test in early July! What is the JLPT? JLPT is the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. To get certain jobs in or outside of Japan, you need to show how well you know Japanese. The best way to do that is to show your JLPT certificate.
The proficiency levels are from N1 to N5. Each level has a different test attached to it. N1 is the best grade you can have. Personally, I signed up for the N3 test. It’s my first time taking the JLPT and I’m very nervous about the results.
The test takes place only twice a year, so you if you fail the test once, you should try to get ready for the next test as soon as you can.
We won’t get the results until September, but I plan on studying this summer for both my current and for the next level, the N2.
Wish me good luck!!

Laurence

(for more information, please go to the JLPT official website: https://www.jlpt.jp )

writer: staff  date: 9:08 AM | Life at Seiritsu

The school year is going fast! Incredibly, it's June already. Seiritsu has already had its first set of exams, Sports festival, and the second year high school students are now away on their week long trips to Okinawa, Hokkaido or France. Two international students have also gone to Okinawa with the school, and we are looking forward to hearing about their time there.


Outside of Seiritsu a major event for foreign residents who are studying the native language is the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, or JLPT, which will be held on Sunday July 2. We always encourage our international students to take the test as it is a government recognized exam and a good benchmark to how much your Japanese has improved. In Japan, the test takes place twice a year, but there are annual tests in centers across the world.





This year not just the international students, but interns staff too will be testing themselves! JET teachers Laurence and Teresa are challenging their first JLPT, while Peter will be trying N2 for the first time.


For those studying for the test we recommend daily bursts of kanji testing (a great thing to do on the train!) then a longer period of study for reading, listening and grammar. Take a quick break after every hour of study and drink water, instead of sugary drinks, to keep your concentration.


Good luck to everyone taking the exam!


Peter Williams
International Department Coordinator

writer: staff  date: 11:31 AM | Life at Seiritsu