From Kids Classroom to Cram School: A Personal Tale of English Education

When I was in first grade, my father purchased English learning material in the form of a card game accompanied by English audio for my siblings and me. I was greatly fond of it, and as a result, I acquired basic English vocabulary such as "pencil" with precise pronunciation. One day, our homeroom teacher had to embark on a study tour to the US and Europe that would span several weeks. Upon learning about this, I approached her and confidently demonstrated my English skills by pronouncing "PENCIL" for her. However, to my surprise, she corrected me, stating, "That's incorrect. It is pronounced as 'pen-shiru'." I was taken aback. I was astounded to discover that it had a different pronunciation in Japanese-accented English. Although I had previously come across the term "pen-shiru," I had never associated it with the English word "pencil." It was at that moment when I first realized the existence of two versions of English: the Japanese-accented variety.

Recently, I have been thoroughly examining current English textbooks and teaching materials used in elementary schools for a specific purpose. I find that this endeavor has significantly challenged my sense of identity. Allow me to provide a concise account of my personal experience with learning English. During my own elementary school years, my sister, who was two years older than me, and I attended a local children's English school. Around that time, LL ("Learning Laboratories") classes, equipped with language learning facilities, were being established nationwide. When one of these institutions opened in our town, my mother decided to enroll us there. While attending this English class for children was quite enjoyable, my mother eventually grew dissatisfied, saying that attending alongside kids younger than us would not provide us with a high-level education. Additionally, she realized that the language learning facilities did not live up to the promises depicted in TV commercials. Most likely, my sister expressed this concern to our mother. Consequently, my mother insisted that I attend another English school for children, one reputed to offer a higher level of instruction. My sister did not accompany me, perhaps due to having outgrown the age for such little kids' classes. The new English-learning school I enrolled in did not have the learning laboratory facilities. Instead, the floor was divided into several small classrooms, each led by a Japanese instructor and comprising a few elementary school students, grouped according to their ages or level of English vocabulary. A sign on the wall boldly proclaimed "Japanese language strictly prohibited," although no child seemed interested in abiding by it. I believe this was around fourth grade, and I attended until fifth grade. Apart from learning to transcribe Japanese into alphabet letters using "Romaji" and gaining some proficiency in reading English spellings, as well as the unique experience of attending classes twice a week with students from different elementary schools, either in the same grade or higher, I do not consider it particularly beneficial to my English learning.

When I entered sixth grade, my mother enrolled me in a renowned English cram school known for its impressive track record of producing successful applicants to prestigious local high schools every year. This specialized cram school focused exclusively on English education and offered sixth graders classes equivalent to the first year of junior high school. During each session, we were assigned the task of memorizing ten English sentences, and we were not allowed to leave until we could recite them while consulting their Japanese translations. This endeavor posed a significant challenge for me, especially when it came to the rule that verbs required an "s" at the end when the subject was "He," "She," or "It." This fundamental rule of English grammar, known as the conjugation of third-person singular verbs, perplexed me as I couldn't recall learning it in my previous children's English schools. I devoted the entire sixth grade to attending this cram school.

Incidentally, I had also been attending another cram school solely for mathematics since the fifth grade, which also included English classes from the first year of junior high school. Consequently, my mother decided it was unnecessary for me to continue attending both schools, and I focused solely on this cram school. Throughout my time there, spanning to the end of my junior high school days, I encountered a multitude of experiences, the majority of which were not particularly pleasant. That cram school boasted the highest number of successful applicants to the top prestigious high school, yet the English taught there could be described as nothing less than that "pen-shiru" English.

Learning English was a profoundly transformative journey for me during my teenage years, filled with a combination of impactful and bitter experiences. It, as a result, molded my childhood dreams and aspirations into something that compelled me to become a warrior, navigating the complex battlegrounds constructed by adults, society, and our nation. It is a battlefield where the belief was that adapting to that "pen-shiru" English would determine the victors and losers. As I reflect upon the contents of the current English textbooks and teaching materials designed for elementary school students, a flood of memories from my time in English schools and cram schools rushes through my mind. These recollections evoke echoes of my challenging adolescence, leaving me with a lasting restlessness deeply ingrained within me.