The Reality

At this time a lot of the students are thinking about returning to Japan. For a lot of them this can be quite a difficult and challenging time. This is because when the students first come here they have expectations of being able to speak English fluently when they leave. For many, this is quite unrealistic and I think that students are now starting to realise this. The students also base their English ability on the TOEIC test. Again, students have expectations of getting very high marks at the end of the year. Although, last Friday's test had the best average for the class so far (561) it also emphasised that what students expected their scores to be by the end of the programme is beginning to fade into an unrealistic goal. Consequently, some of the students will be feeling down. However, this is part of the process that the students go through into trying to (unconsciously) readjust or reacculturate themselves back into their Japanese culture.
I intend to have individual interviews with all of the students over the next week as well as discuss some of these issues in class on a more general basis. If your student is feeling a bit disparate at this time, then the reason above may be why. It would really good if you have any concerns about your student to inform Anna, Keiko, Yoko, or Yvonne. I will also try my best to address these issues.
Talk to you soon, Michael