1. My first day at an English language school
At the age of three
I began to go to an English language school
A foreign teacher and 4 or 5 children in the class
We are almost same age
The teacher gives us some cards
We are playing games with smiles
Joyful and cheerful voices echo in the classroom
Everyone laughs,
I laugh, too
2. Getting 3rd prize
In front of audience
Eyes of judges,
Eyes of other speakers, and
Eyes of college students
Their eyes are pressing me
My head becomes completely white
I have no memory y during my speech
I have no idea whether I succeed
The next moment,
A MC’s voice echoes in the hall
“The third prize goes to …
Ren Sakurai”
Released from pressure and tension
Full of happiness and proud are in my heart
3. English club
In a classroom,
Which is usually silent,
Lively voices come out on Wednesday
3 or 4 students and a foreign teacher
Play some games like scrabble,
Talk about their grades
What is unusual is that
Sounds come out from the room are English
It is a place to practice English
It is a place to relax, too
4. Listening to American Music
In my mother’s car
American songs are what I can hear
Bob Marley sings songs
Michael Jackson sings songs
I and my mother become singers
We are Bob Marley
We are Michael Jackson
Joyful concerts are held there
5. Studying Semantics
Reading textbook, reviewing class
It’s difficult
Reading textbook, reviewing class
It’s complicated
Reading textbook, reviewing class
It’s understandable
Reading textbook, reviewing class
It’s interesting
6. Reading Books Written in English
Sometimes feel difficult
Sometimes feel confused
But usually feel interesting and fun
Sharing with my friends
Finding new interesting books
Trying higher level books
All of them improve my English skills
7. My first time to try speech contest
Practicing hard
Feeling heat of summer
Practicing hard
Feeling wind from fans
Practicing hard
Feeling anxiety that whether I will succeed
To live up to expectations of my teachers,
Practicing hard
8. Speech contest in high school
At the qualification of a city
I can get first prize
I can get the ticket to the next stage
I can get proud of my speech
One of the judges talk to me
“Did you live in the USA?”
I can get proud of my pronunciation, too
9. Studying for Eiken
Read, and write, and listen, and speak
Feeling sleepy
Read, and write, and listen, and speak
Inspiring myself
Read, and write, and listen, and speak
Finding difficulty
Read, and write, and listen, and speak
Improving my knowledge enough
To pass the exam
Read, and write, and listen, and speak
10. Studying the histories of English language
Perfectly different pronunciations
Pertly different spelling
Pretty difficult to read and speak
Beowulf, Canterbury Tales, Bible…
Like detective games to decipher them
Feeling interesting and fun
It helps me to understand English well
1
I started to go to English language school when I was 3 years old. At that time, I was really interested in English, but I had not touched real English, that means English used by someone to communicate with others, before I joined the school. Therefore, I was very excited to join the class and touch real English at the first time. This poem expresses my strong feelings that I felt when I touched new world for the first time. There was a wonderful world I had never felt. Everything and everyone in the classroom seemed to be blight, and my world suddenly spread.
2
When I was a second grade student in junior high school, I tried to make speech in English. I was able to be nominated for Takasaki Mayor Cup English Contest. This was my first time to perform such a big hall, so I was very nervous and felt a strong pressure. During my speech, eyes from audience made me become more and more uneasy. This poem expresses my feelings during my speech and closing ceremony. While I was in the hall, this event was only uneasy and uncomfortable. However, now, I think that it was a valuable and impressive event for me.
3
When I was a high school student, I belonged to an English club. It was a small club, it may have been the smallest club in my high school, and only a few students in each grade belonged it. However, weekly activities are very fun and enjoyable. Members of the club always played some games and talked with other members actively, with laugh and cheerful voice. For the members, it was a good place to try to communicate with other people, sometimes native speakers, in English. This poem expresses the cheerfulness and fun from an objective view. The time spent in English club was a good memory of my high school days.
4
Since I was a little child, I often listen to American songs that my mother really likes. There were many types of music in my mother’s CD, such as pops, rock, and reggae. She especially liked Michael Jackson and Bob Marley, so songs of these two artists were always played. Even though I was a little child, I gradually remembered the melody, and I sang something meaningless to the melody, as if I had been a singer. Because of this, I could have fun while I rode my mother’s car. This poem expresses that my mother’s car became a fun and exciting place, and I enjoyed the time in the car.
5
In my university, I studied semantics. This was my first time to hear the term semantics, and study English paying such a lot of attention to it. At the beginning of my study, it was completely difficult for me. However, the more I studied it, the more interesting it became. I could understand what I had not been able to understand and had just memorized when I was a junior and senior high school student. Through studying semantics, I could feel delight and pleasure to know new things. This poem expresses that how my opinions to semantics had changed through studying.
6
During my first year in my university, I read a lot of interesting books written in English. Until then, I had never read any book written in English. Therefore, it seemed to be very challenging for me, at first. However, soon after I began to read, I could find that reading in English was as fun and interesting as in Japanese. Sometimes, especially when I read Japanese stories written in English, I felt that reading in English was more interesting than in Japanese. This poem expresses my positive feeling for reading books written in English. This experience improved my English skills.
7
Before I was nominated for Takasaki Mayor Cup English Contest, I tried to another contest. To be nominated for the contest, I needed to pass a selection in my junior high school. I decided to try to speech contest because my teacher recommended me to try, so I wanted to live up to my teacher’s expectation. However, there were other students who had far better pronunciation or expressiveness than me. Therefore, I had to practice harder than them during summer vacation. This poem expresses my hard effort with my feelings. Even though I could not pass the selection, this experience was very valuable for me.
8
When I was a second grade student of my high school, I tried speech contest as well. As I had been a junior high school student, I made a script and practiced hard to pass a selection of the city. At the day of the selection, I didn’t feel so much nervous or uneasy, so I could performed better than when I practiced. At a closing ceremony of the selection, my name was called as a 1st prize. I could be allowed to go to next stage. After the ceremony, when I prepared to go back to my school, one of the judges spoke to me. She praised my pronunciation. She asked me ” Have you lived in the US?” She also said “It’s unbelievable that you haven’t been to any foreign country.” These words really encouraged me. This poem expresses my happiness to be able to pass the selection, and to be praised my pronunciation.
9
When I was in junior high school, I challenged to Eiken for several time. This poem describes when I tried to pre 2 grade when I was a third grader. For most of junior high school students, pre 2 grade is really hard. Therefore, I should study hard to pass. However, after club activities, I felt really tired and sleepy. It was also hard for me to beet the feelings of tired or sleepy, and concentrate to study. This poem expresses my straightforward feelings that I felt when I studied for Eiken. In the conflict between the emotion to pass and the sleepiness, I struggled.
10
When I was a freshman of my university, I studied the histories of English language. This was my first time to know that how English had become the present style. In the class, I touched many types of English language, such as Old English and Middle English. The older style they became, the more difficult and unfamiliar I felt. In the textbook, there were a lot of literature , written in older days. I felt discomfort, and I could not read correctly. This poem expresses that I felt that it was difficult to study, but it is interesting. Through this study, I could understand English itself well.
