LETTER FROM HAPPY ENGLISH SCHOOL　　Jan. 26th 2026

Hello.　How are you doing in this cold weather? I hope you are staying healthy.

I would like to inform you that I will be hospitalized from February 9th to 12th for a minor operation to remove a tumor. A polyp that has a high risk of becoming cancerous was found during a medical checkup, so it needs to be removed.

For this reason, I will not be able to give lessons during this period. I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience, but I would like to cancel all lessons from Monday, February 9th through Thursday, February 12th, except for Wednesday, February 11th, which is a national holiday. Thank you for understanding.

As a next step, I am planning to offer make-up lessons during the spring vacation on Tuesday, March 31st; Thursday, April 2nd; and Monday, April 6th. To be honest, I have received requests for Happy English School to offer more programs in which students can interact with people from different countries and cultures in English. I often tell students that they should take every opportunity to use English, but I have realized that I haven’t provided enough opportunities to truly motivate them to try using the language.

I am hoping to invite some foreign students who are studying in Osaka-ideally in the vicinity of Happy English School-to talk about their own countries and interact with our students in English. I was shocked to learn that a high school student who had studied English with us since she was in elementary was unable to properly order food at a restaurant in England. “Oh, my goodness!” This experience made me strongly feel the need to create an environment in which everyone is required to speak and practice English more in class in order to be able to communicate effectively.

For my part, I will further encourage students to use English for things they would normally say in Japanese. For example, phrases such as “May I have some water?”, and “May I go to the bathroom?” are now expressions that students use automatically, without thinking. That is exactly the point I want to emphasize.

When students are required to use English, they gain more opportunities to practice speaking. It is truly a pity that some students cannot express even simple ideas after studying English for many years.

With this in mind, I have decided to create more opportunities for students to speak English out of necessity and to interact with people from other cultures. While it may may be difficult to recreate a wide range of real-life situations in the classroom, I believe it is essential for each student to use their full potential and “survive” in English. In doing so, students must learn from their mistakes. Just as babies acquire a language, learners need to speak, be corrected, and grow through that process. This is a natural and necessary part of language learning.

言語は、人が使って初めてその役目を発揮します。使わないと何のために学習するのかその目的がなくなってしまいます。もちろん語彙やフレーズ文法を覚えることは大切です。しかし、とにかく口に出して言おう。そして思うことを書こう。そういうアウトプットをすることでしか、語学の意味を全うさせることができません。とにかくアウトプットして間違いから学ぶ姿勢を持たないと、コミュニケーションのツールとして語学を使うことはできません。

HAPPY EGNLISH SCHOOLは、話したり書いたりして間違いから学ぶところでもあります。英語の学習を何年もしているのに英語で何も言えないというのは悲しいではないですか。覚えたらそれをアウトプットする。そうすることでより記憶にとどまり、より英語の言葉が自分のものになり、身に付きます。果敢にいろんなことを言ったり書いたりしてみましょう。赤ちゃんが言葉を覚えるように、間違える過程は必要です。

間違えるのは恥ずかしいのではなく、挑戦しないのが恥じるべきことなのです。

数も英語で数える、曜日も月も英語で言う。知っているだけでは役に立たないのです。すぐに反応し、単語だけでも使う姿勢が大切です。HAPPY EGNLISH SCHOOLではもっと英語使うことに、また使うための環境づくりに力を注いでいきたいと思います。