Hello!イーオン日立校ブログをご覧下さりありがとうございます♪

今週から金曜日はTucker先生ブログの日になります！

今日はTucker先生の高校外国語教育について説明します◎

Dear readers,

Today I'd like to tell you about the foreign language classes in an American high school. High schools often require at least 1 year of foreign language study in order to graduate. The languages offered can be different depending on the school district. When I was in school, the most common classes were Spanish, German, and French. My school district, however, offered Japanese, so of course I chose that!

My first Japanese class was in 8th grade, the year before high school actually starts. This class was taught by an American teacher who had lived in Japan and was fluent in Japanese, Mrs. Borstad. She taught us hiragana and katakana from the Genki textbook, and helped us remember them with mnemonics and drawing aids. Genki also covers very basic grammar in its early chapters, and we learned how to say things like これはペンです。

With the basics out of the way, we were ready to start learning more difficult grammar. For the rest of high school we would study the remaining chapters in the Genki I textbook, as well as the follow-up, Genki II. These classes were taught be a native Japanese teacher, Ikeno sensei. Class activities were designed to help us practice speaking Japanese, but instruction was almost all in English. We were tested on the grammar, vocabulary, and kanji from the different chapters, with both listening and reading sections.

Many of my classmates did not take the class as seriously as I did. My friend Keiji, who is half-Japanese, and I were the top of the class. During our junior year Ikeno sensei encouraged us to take the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, or JLPT. She gave us extra instruction specifically for the test, and we were both able to pass the easiest level with her help. I was proud at the time, but looking back it was not a very big accomplishment!

Thanks for reading! The foreign language classes in American high schools are quite basic. In order to keep improving I needed to study a lot harder on my own. Even so, I enjoyed the lessons and made lots of friends, so it was time well spent. Next time, I'll talk about some TV shows I watched when I was growing up. Look forward to it!

＝日本語要約＝

今日はアメリカの高校における外国語学習についてお話します。たいてい高校生は卒業要件として、1年間外国語学ぶことが必須です。スペイン語・ドイツ語・フランス語が人気な中、私は日本語を選びました！

私の初めての日本語クラスは8年生（14歳）の時。日本生活を経験したことがあるアメリカ人教師から学びました。"The Genki（元気）"というテキストでひらがなやカタカナ、基本的な文法を教わりました。

その後"The Genki Ⅱ"にレベルアップして、少し高度な文法を学び始めました。このクラスを担当してくれたのは日本人のイケノ先生。説明は英語でしたが、話す練習もたくさん取り入れてくれました。テストの時には文法・語彙・漢字から出題され、リスニングとリーディングのスキルを評価されました。

たいていの生徒があまり真剣ではなかったので、私と友人のケイジ（日本人とのハーフ）はいつもクラスのトップでした。イケノ先生がJLPTという日本語能力検定を勧めてくれて、受験をサポートしてくれました。私たちは初級に合格し、とてもうれしかったです。この時の達成感は何事にも変えられません！

アメリカの高校の外国語学習は基本中の基本を学びます。もっと力を磨くには自分で努力をしなければいけません。それでも私は、高校の日本語クラスで得たものがとても貴重だったと感じています。

最後まで読んでくれてありがとうございます！次回は私が幼いころに見ていたTV番組をご紹介します！