We, at Mattison English, would like to extend our thanks and gratitude to each of you this Thanksgiving.
This year has been full of even more challenges due to the pandemic. We all have been able to work together to grow and expand your students’ English abilities and awareness.
Thank you for your cooperation and resilience with the changing guidelines. With effort, we can get through this if we continue to care for and communicate with each other.
We’ll keep doing our best to create a strong connection with our students, so they can find their place in the world of English. That bond is important for their confidence and interest and makes for productive lessons whether online or in person.
We feel blessed and lucky for our health, family and friends. Our hearts go out to all of those who are suffering from sickness and hunger this year. Please take care of yourself and each other.
We believe, when people enjoy doing something, they will naturally become curious, more motivated, and get better at it. 楽しんで取り組むという事は、興味を刺激しそれがモチベーション向上となり、自然に上達に繋がると思っています。
We are using the photos from our “Photo Challenge” in our lessons. Students are creating videos out of the pictures in which they can be descriptive and creative with their English by writing captions and in some cases even poems. この夏に行ったアクティビティ”Photo Challenge”の写真を日々のレッスン内で活用をしています。ハンズオンアクティビティとし、生徒さんと一緒にビデオを作製をし、叙景的でクリエイティブな英語表現、また詩のようなキャプションを完成させる生徒さんもいます。
Each photo is displayed only for 10 seconds, so it is a challenge to read each caption within that amount of time. Try it and then try it again. Let’s see if you become faster at reading. 1コマの写真には10秒しか時間が取れまず、1コマのキャプションを10秒で読み取るのはチャレンジです。何度もトライしてみてください。速読の力も一緒につけましょう。
During this summer, we had a *remote* activity which every one could participate in from anywhere in the world. The rule was very simple. We gave a list of things to take pictures of. Just like scavenger hunting, but with taking pictures of objects. For example we had these in the list; *A picture of a food of you cooked *A picture of you frozen in the air *A police officer waving *Something that looks like it has a face *Water etc….
Thank you for submitting so many photographs for the challenge! We are amazed at the creativity of everyone. Over 500 pictures were submitted from many students. We have reviewed the entries and decided on who will be getting awards for their participation! Some pics are at the bottom of this blog. Students will be notified during their lessons about the results. 皆さん, Photo Challengeへの沢山の応募をありがとうございました。今回は500枚以上の写真がエントリーされました。参加者の創造力のすばらしさに驚いています。すべての写真に目を通し、Award受賞者を決定しました。このブログ下にいくつか写真を載せます。結果は参加者にそれぞれレッスン中にお知らせします。
The photo challenge is an event that serves a purpose in our students’ development of their English skills.By taking the photos, learners have hands-on experiences they can learn about their surroundings and their communities.Together, we can develop vocabulary, grammar, and conversation skills by describing, commenting on, and talking about everyone’s pictures.As many of those who have experienced living in foreign countries before are experts in communicating in English, this kind of activity provides an emotional attachment which should lead to better memorization of any new language that comes up, so they are prepared to instantly utilize those skills whenever needed.
Mattison English used to hold annual Speaking Contests and Writing Contests. However, under the COVID19 circumstance, we were seeking an event that both student and family members can join while improving their English skills. We are so grateful that so many students participated in Japan and the US. We hope this has been an enjoyable experience for you and your family.Thanks again.
Here comes the sun! As you begin a new school year, we hope you build new trails and seek new horizons.
NY is ready for students to start a brand new school year. Every student is excited yet anxious to see what is about happen. The schools have their own unique learning styles to keep their learners safe and provide the education they need.
We, Mattison English stand by our students and support whatever challenges they may have to face this time of the year.
Stay curious, surround yourself with wisdom…..and let’s accept a new culture and language! No matter what, it’s going to be a great year. Let’s hop on the boat and start the journey!
Beaver Pond at the Mattisons, Richland, NY – Photo credit Patty S.
After 2 weeks off due to cancelling our summer program, “Mattison Farm Stay”, we are ready to get back to work fully charged!
During our 2 weeks off, we got a lot done and were able to relax some. It was a great time to think about our students and how we want to provide the best way to improve their English skills from kindergartners to college students as well as business clients.
We appreciate our students’ trust and hard work even through this pandemic. As NY opens up, we will continue to welcome students as well as newcomers in a clean sanitized environment and online.
We hope everyone is well and staying safe during these hard times. コロナウイルス感染拡大によち長期的なロックダウンが続いていますが、皆さんにおかれましては毎日規則的な生活を続け、健康を維持し、学校や地域の再開を待ち望んでいらっしゃることと思います。
Mattison English has been conducting our lessons online. Of course we would prefer to have everyone come over to our house for classes but we all have to work through this together. 感染拡大によりマティソンのレッスンは3月半ばより全てオンラインに切り替わりました。受講生皆さんと直接レッスンができない事は残念ですが、皆さんの健康、地域機関の回復を願い、マティソンも一丸となり皆さんと一緒にこの状況を切り抜ける覚悟でいます。
At this time, our students have fewer chances to be exposed to live English since everything is shut down. We are glad to offer the opportunity for them all to have the chance to speak to a live person albeit online. It is important for them to keep their conversation skills oiled and ready for action so when they do go back to school or back into public they won’t be so rusty. 毎日家の中で過ごす事が長期化する中、家庭内で英語を使う機会が少なくなり不安に思い始めている方が多い中、オンラインでのレッスンをご提供できることを嬉しくまた光栄に思っています。今まで打ち込んでいた目標を維持し、学校、その他の機関が再開した時の準備を整えておくことは大切な事の1つであり、こんな時だからこそ目標を定めコツコツと努力したい、英語力を維持したいという方々を広くサポートしていきたいと思っています。
Something we noticed during online lessons: Students that are used to coming to our lessons feel safe and confident being with us . They are more themselves when they can have privacy when they talk to us online. They can completely focus and be more involved in the lesson if they are not distracted by other people in the room. They need to take chances when they speak English and can depend on us to correct them when it is important or ask us questions. オンラインレッスンを快適に受講するには… 元々2013よりオンラインレッスンを行っている私達にとってオンラインレッスンはあまり難もなく切替える事ができましたが、通学レッスンで講師と快適な信頼関係で結ばれていた受講生がオンラインに切り替わり、レッスン環境の変化に動揺してしまう傾向がみられる場合があります。それは受講生によっては、講師とプラベートな空間を確保できる事でより自分らしさを発揮でき、失敗を恐れず発言でき、結果レッスンに集中できると感じている為だと思います。受講生がお子さんの場合は出来るだけ受講生と講師のプライベートな空間を確保してあげれるようお願いします。
What can you do? As well as talking with us, students and their families could make times when they speak English to each other by playing games, cooking together, looking at art online or just chatting. おうちでできる事 これは通学・オンラインに関わらずいえる事ですが、ご家庭内で「English time」と家族みんなが英語を話す時間を短時間作ってみたりするもの変化があってお勧めです。英会話をしながらボードゲームや料理をしたりするのはいかがでしょう。またEnglish版のオンラインゲームや洋画、洋楽、youtubeなども効率的に用いるのも良いでしょう。
We are all in this together and get through this together. マティソンはこれからもみさなんと共にいます。不安に感じる時は何時でも声をかけてください。一緒に乗り越えていきましょう。
This farm stay provides many mind opening experiences that give a deeper grass roots understanding of the world around us. People from elementary school through college can develop strong English and problem solving skills by being part of real working American farms. The many different people they meet help them to understand the connection between environmental issues, economics, social awareness, food culture and their own futures.
Aim; “Improve English skills, Environmental awareness, Observe economic system from an agricultural viewpoint, Food education”
Please send us an email for more information. Email: chris@mattisonenglish.com
=Happy New Year 2020= We see ourselves reflecting on the past years and those who have helped to shape Mattison English. The year 2019 was quite a year for us! It is in this spirit that we say thank you and we hope that 2020 will be just as memorable for you and your loved ones. We look forward to seeing and supporting you for years to come.
An international couple — unique upbringings that support others’ learning English language using both English and Japanese made so much sense for us to keep it going for 20 years. Now we know for sure that we’re making the right decision to keep doing what we love and are good at.
Thanks to many students who have trusted us and enjoyed the moments in the lessons with us. We’ll keep on going doing our best.
Whatever we experienced and enjoyed with you is unforgettable experiences. Thanks to Chris-san, Mio-san and your sons, we could have fulfilling days in NY! We are looking forward to hearing good news again and we hope that we can go to Harrison again. Y.N
アメリカでは小学生低学年からFirst, Next, Then, Last といったように英文の書き方を習い始め、中学生辺りから本格的にEssayの書き方を指導されます。 基本的なEssayの習得は現地ニューヨークの学校では勿論、日本での検定試験、入試、面接にも対応できます。
Which season do you like best?
I like summer best. – 結論 ＜introduction＞
I can swim at a beach. – 理由１ ＜topic sentence＞
Day light is longer. – 理由２ ＜topic sentence＞
I don’t have to wear a heavy coat. – 理由３ ＜topic sentence＞
Summer is my favorite season. – 結論 ＜conclusion＞
これはThe 5-sentence Personal Essayというとてもシンプルで分かりやすいエッセイの書き方指導です。 あのJohn F. Kennedy もこの用法を使いハーバード大学へ入ったとあります。 下がそのオリジナルー Via JFK Library and Museum
ℚuestion “Why do you wish to come to Harvard?” Here’s what a young JFK had to say:
The reasons that I have for wishing to go to Harvard are several. I feel that Harvard can give me a better background and a better liberal education than any other university. I have always wanted to go there, as I have felt that it is not just another college, but is a university with something definite to offer. Then too, I would like to go to the same college as my father. To be a “Harvard man” is an enviable distinction, and one that I sincerely hope I shall attain.
★I believe–/ In my opinion, / I agree with–/ From my point of view, / I support the idea that –/ ★ Firstly, / To start with, / One reason that / First of all, / The first reason is that / ★ Secondly, / In addition, / Next, / Moreover, / Furthermore, / ★ Lastly, / At last, / Additionally, / In comparison, / On the other hand, / ★ In conclusion, / To conclude, / For the reasons above, / In summary, / To sum up, / As I have stated above, /
Topic Sentence(1st piece of support the thesis) 主題をサポートする論点 – Elaborate the topic sentence 論点の詳細 – Provide an example/ evidence/ quotation 例、証明、引用 – Explain the importance of the example/ evidence/ quotation 上の詳細
Topic Sentence(2st piece of support the thesis) – Elaborate the topic sentence – Provide an example/ evidence/ quotation – Explain the importance of the example/ evidence/ quotation
Topic Sentence(3st piece of support the thesis) – Elaborate the topic sentence – Provide an example/ evidence/ quotation – Explain the importance of the example/ evidence/ quotation
Conclusion – Rephrase your thesis フレーズに変化させ主題を再主張 – Summarize your 3 topic sentences ３つの論点のまとめ
Mattison Farm Stay 2019 has started. A little update between our sessions while we are back to Harrison, NY for a few days.
Our first group was from all different ages and backgrounds. It’s great to see them work hard together and get along so well. Our focus on this program is to let them experience wonderful North-eastern American farms while we teach practical English,agriculture economy, environmental issues and American culture.
As each day went by, we saw changes in them.
They were able to see what was happening to take responsibilities independently, but still work together. There are so many things we would like to tell you. Since we’ll start another session on 7/31, we are focusing on preparation now.
We’ll be on the farm without internet for a while again, so we apologize if we can’t get in touch with you quickly. The whole new 2019 farm stay experience will be updated in August! Have a great summer everyone!
Look at their smiles! It’s hard not to be excited about launching rockets into the air. This activity was a success. Everyone built their own rocket from scratch and each of them left the launch pad and flew high up into the air! Each of the participants were so into building their rocket they lost track of time.
We studied about the 2 processes used in launching the rockets. The chemical reaction between baking soda and vinegar took a bit longer than using the air pump but it was great to hear the screams of surprise when the rocket blasted off.
These TPR activities are perfect for getting everyone involved, speaking and learning new vocabulary and natural expressions!
We visited our family farm over Memorial Day weekend. Although it was a short stay, it was productive as we could talk face to face to most people involved. Topics: Activities, educational content, safety and food😊 Seeing their faces and talking about it gave us a great vibe. The time has come again.
We turned on our switch‼
We appreciate everyone who cares about this growing program and supports us!
Farm Stay 2019 is SOLD OUT, THANK YOU! Again, we get to introduce a whole new world to 10 of our great friends. We are so excited for both A and B Mattison Farm Stay sessions. During our farm stay, participants will learn and experience about;
☆sustainable farm living in modern society(economy)
☆American culture and manners(sociology)
☆building strong English communication skills（English Language）
We can hardly wait to see them! Please keep your eye on our upcoming program. Thank you for your support!
We are enjoying our annual Easter egg coloring throughout the week. We love to pull out each student’s interest to make it into a deep conversation while we color eggs. Seems like they are more comfortable talking about their lives when we are just chatting like this.
今年の感謝祭はとても遅く4/21です。マティソンでは毎年好例のエッグカラーリング週😉まったりとした自然な雰囲気があるからこそ話したい伝えたい…と思える。片言の英語で必死に伝えようとする生徒さんがとても愛おしく、癒され、教える側が逆にパワーをもらっています💖
January… is a tough month right after holidays for students who are about to take exams regardless of whether they are in the US or Japan.
Entrance Exams from private middle schools to universities, Eiken tests or NY local school’s Midterm exam&SAT test… We hear their scream, fear and some confidence. We take it seriously and get anxious as well. But we believe their efforts that they put into for a long time for their tests will pay off. Hope to see their big smiles with great results. We will continue to work with them and support anyway we can. You…WE are almost there!!
We want to wish everyone a blessed and peaceful New Year.We entered 2019 with a stronger commitment to teaching English and our summer farmstay program.
We feel that people are more and more serious about learning English every year and that communicating with others is the key to peace and understanding in the world.
We want to continue to be involved in the process of those who put their strong efforts into becoming great communicators.
We thank everyone for their support of Mattison English for 19 years and look forward to seeing everyone in this new year.
Last week, our students asked, ” When do we make ornaments this year?”
Today, we have officially started making ornaments in our classes.
We write our names and the date on the back of each ornament to help remind us later of the struggles and accomplishments we had throughout the year.
Holidays like these are times to remember and make even more special memories. We hope to share our family traditions with all of our students as well.
Amazing how creative kids can be when given the opportunity. We created animals combining 3. They sculpted them and made up stories to go along with them.
Wow! We are so excited that two groups attended our Farm Stay this year. We’re so happy to offer these experiences that so many people have never experienced! We feel it is so important to experience these things first hand and not from a textbook.
今年も怪我もなく無事ファームステイが終了しました。初めてトライすることを沢山経験し参加者のみんなは色々と感じ、考えたことでしょう。Mattisonならではの充実したプログラムを振り返ってみます。
Our focus in this program was for students to use English in everyday situations on and off the farm on the following 3 topics:
プログラムで注目した3つの柱は…
1. Environment+Social+Economic⇒ Sustainable development
2. Strong English conversation skills
3. American culture and manners
These experiences added depth to our students’ characters and wisdom about the world around them. It wasn’t always pleasant for all who joined because they were immersed in the local culture. It was a totally new way of life for them. Because of that, each individual stayed focused on English to learn to understand and respect others and their culture.
今回の経験で自然と生き物は環境の中で大きな役割を果たしてくれている事を感じてくれたと思います。参加者に年齢差はありましたが地球上の生命は、人間のために存在しているのではなく、人も地球の生命の一員であり、豊かな自然や生物の多様性がなければ生きてゆくことは不可能だとゆうことを5つ日間の家畜の世話やりや、マティソン家の家族やアーミッシュの人々と接したりすることでそれぞれが心の中でしっかりと感じてくれたと思っています。
<English Lessons>
☆How to prepare fishing pole-Total Physical Response/casting practice
☆Ecological footprint-Ecological footprint calculator/presentation
☆Table manners-proper way to eat and communicate at the table/presentation
☆Nature/Agriculture relations to modern life-what to be careful of in the wild/respect and observe nature
☆Creative writing-review the week and write an essay
<Program activities>
☆Taking care of pigs in the barn every morning-feeding/cleaning/bedding
☆Fishing at the beaver pond-Rowing the rowboats/observing beavers
☆Setting and checking infrared camera in the woods
☆Visit Amish family next door
☆Meeting Mattison family, relatives and friends
☆Horseback riding/carriage riding
☆Fossil hunting
☆Egg hunting
☆Night Hiking/Stargazing
☆Build Bonfire/Marshmallow roasting/drumming
☆Tie-dye T-shirt making
☆Cooking meals together
☆Swimming&kayaking at the lake
☆Ordering at the shops and ice cream shops
☆Collins Farm Tour-over 2000 cows
☆Locust Hill Dairy Farm Tour-over 4000 cows
One week was a short time, yet all of our students accepted the challenge to different degrees and that was one of the fun parts of such a program. Please look through the photos and ask us lots of questions.
We truly loved our farmstay2018. Thank you to our Mattison family and friends who were part of us and to support our program!
1週間は本当に短いものですが、参加者一人一人が自分と向き合い大切な事をつかみ取ってくれました。このブログを読んで興味を持たれた方、どんどん質問してください。
メール→chris@mattisonenglish.com
今年も更に充実した内容でプログラムを進めることができたのも家族である息子2人、マティソン親族のおかげです。
この熱い情熱が爆発している間に前のりになって、更に来年の事を話し始めているChrisと私です。皆さんありがとうございました。
Farm Stay2018 started on 7/21. For this session, the biggest thing we worried about was “rain”….
Good thing we were very flexible with our activities and kids were so up to everything we scheduled. We ended up doing pretty much everything we planned to do!
We love the feeling that everyone starts to open up and be themselves to soak up the new experiences. By the end of the program, we were just like one big family. Even the Amish were surprised to see such a big family!
A student from Japan promised to come back as she headed back to Japan with a lot of great memories today.
We are looking forward to starting the next session on 8/1! We’ll organize and update all of the pictures and details after both sessions are finished! So please stay tuned!!
We’re excited to be starting our Farm Stay next Sunday.
Everything is all set. We’ve got the Kayaks, boat, and fishing poles ready to go! We’ve spoken to everyone involved and they are also excited to see us all.
Our groups will be heading to 3 working farms as well as Mattison Corner Farms.
1. Mattland Farms: Lodging and Morning chores on a daily basis.
2. Collins Farm: Cow milking experience
3. Alford Farm: Tour of the modern farm that has over 2000 cattle.
We will introduce our students to a wide variety of American Farm lifestyles including a visit to our Amish neighbor’s homestead. It’s going to be a fun-filled time packed full of activities and opportunities to learn and communicate using English. Please stay tuned for our updates.
Empty shelves. After 4 years of teaching English in Harrison, NY, we are relocating Mattison English to our new home in Harrison, NY.
We appreciate all the opportunities we had that led us to where we are about to start.
From next week on July 2, we will start our lessons from our home in Harrison, NY.
We are looking forward to having lessons as we had back then in Japan; outdoor, cooking, and weekend activities.
We are so looking forward to starting from our home.
A student we haven’t seen for 12 years came to visit us for a few days this spring. We were really happy to welcome her. She was one of the students that attended our 1st FARM STAY in 2006.
She is going to research agriculture at the University of Hawaii this fall.
We are very proud of her that she is following her dream and improving English communication skills. This is a purely happy moment for us as English professionals. We would love to hear from our students and for them to come to visit us.
Seeing her was very motivating for us to concentrate on this year’s FARM STAY2018.
We hope to see her again.
この春12ぶりの再会となる日本の生徒さんがNYのマティソン宅へ訪ねてくれました。嬉しいですね！彼女は2006年のマティソンファームステイ初回に日本からNYの牧場へ連れて行った子です。
見事に成長していた彼女はこの秋からハワイ大学で農学の研究をするらしいのです。目的を持ちそれを追い続け英語上達にも努力をしている彼女の姿を見、とても誇らしく思いました。これは英語を仕事としている私たちにとって生きがいを感じる瞬間です。
これからも色んな生徒さんからの連絡や、みんなが遊びに来てくれることを楽しみにしています。
今年の夏のNYファームステイ前にこうやって初回のファームステイ参加の生徒さんと再会でき、私達は益々この夏が楽しみになりました！
彼女とまた再会できる日を楽しみにしています。
This spring, we had special guests from Japan! Currently, they are our online students taking lessons every week from Japan. They flew from Japan using their spring recess.
It was so nice to see them in person!
Mattison English is so proud that many students stay connected with us and visit us from halfway around the world.
We believe the strong teacher and learner connection is one of the really important keys to improve toward anything they want to achieve on any level.
We get to introduce a whole new world to 10 of our great friends.
We are so thrilled that both Schedule A & B sessions of Mattison Farm Stay are full! I can’t wait to show and teach them all about nature, wildlife, American culture and natural foods!
Hope everyone is enjoying getting ready to celebrate this holiday season.
Last week and this week, Mattison English is making salt dough ornaments with our students as a holiday activity.
While we’re making ornaments, we talk to students about the good things and bad things that happened this year, places they went, new things they tried, friendships and families etc… really festive!
But even during fun activities, we still challenge our students to talk all in English. Being able to tell their feelings in English isn’t an easy task to most of our students. It takes a total balance of a creative thinking, grammar skills, and enough vocabulary.
But what we really focus on the most is “the relationship” between each of our individual students and us.
That is the feeling which makes them want to talk to us.
Nobody wants to talk or share their feelings with someone they don’t like.
Luckily, our students had so much to talk about and the time just flew right by. We love our students and we want to continue keeping these great relationships with them.
Mattison English will be closed from 12/24~1/2 for holiday season.
What a bunch of laughs!
We cut out words from magazines, and this is what we came up with?
The more outrageous the better.
It’s so cool to see personality and imagination!
One of my favorites by a 2nd grader was, “Pay $400 for my gold mashed potatoes.”
Try it!
2006年に初めてこのファームステイを開催した私達は、元々は日本から子供たちを連れてきて牧場体験をしていましたが、2013年に私達がJapanからNYへ移住したことをきっかけに今回の参加者は全てNY在住の子供達ばかりでした。
日本からお問い合わせくださった皆さん、ありがとうございました。
来年以降は日本からの参加者の受入れもできるよう準備が整えれたらと話しています。
ご質問、お問い合わせはchris@mattisonenglish.comまでよろしくお願いします。
See you all next summer!
