Teacher Owned | High Academic Standards, High Enjoyment | 4 Skills Approach | Nurturing English and Japanese | Belief in Talents of Each Child | Lots of Social programs| The Best Teachers and Staff

... so the teaching comes a long way before every other consideration. We aim to look professional and do things professionally but we do not aim to become a big business. We are first and foremost a school and we consider our first and foremost job to be the education of your child, not only in English but in the development of a love of learning and a love of life.

We have high academic standards and expect a lot of our children; however we do not believe a choice has to be made between working hard and having fun. We aim to take children on a learning adventure where they discover for themselves the thrill of learning and thus don't separate learning and fun. As such, we have a wide range of resources that appeal to all different kinds of children and a huge selection of books to borrow and read at home. All of our children love to read or to be read to!

We believe a 4 skills approach incorporating reading, writing, speaking and listening is necessary for children to develop strong English language skills, and one short lesson a week, as offered by many "Eikaiwa" schools, is not enough. Therefore we offer beginner classes only in our full-time kindergarten and our after-school program up until age 8, and from the start we encourage a love of reading and learning. Elementary school children must take at least three hours of classes a week at the beginner level. In this way, we hope all children enrolled with us will develop strong English skills.

We are not an international school. Most international schools nurture only English skills and certainly, as English is a minority language in Japan, our program is weighted towards the development of English skills. However we also believe that whether children are of Japanese, foreign or mixed nationalities, an understanding and celebration of the country we live in is important, and speaking and learning English should complement development of Japanese language skills and an understanding and appreciation of Japan’s culture. Thus our Kindergarten program includes at least one Japanese immersion day, and from April 2009 we will open a Japanese juku style after-school program for older children based on our philosophy of learning and fun.

Children develop at different rates and have different talents. Therefore although we accept children at specific ages and make references to grade levels, an individual child may well be working at, above or below their grade level at different times during their school career . We do not consider that a child who is working below their grade level is failing. Some children take longer to develop academic skills. However we do believe in the academic potential of every child and we are confident that your child will fulfill their academic potential while studying with us, and will enjoy doing so.

We offer a range of projects, parties, holiday courses and social events for children in our program, that parents and siblings are encouraged to attend to. English is a language and should be used for communication. So we offer lots of chances for children to communicate naturally in English while playing.

We hire only the most enthusiastic and dedicated teachers and staff. We love what we are doing and we are doing what we love. This enthusiasm and passion is communicated very clearly to you and your child and encourages a similar enthusiasm and passion in them.

 

Janina
Janina graduated from Keele University in 1991 and took a University of Cambridge/Royal Society of Arts teaching certificate course before coming to Japan in 1992. She has taught in Osaka and Kobe at language schools, kid's schools, in company, online and at university. She is co-coordinator of ETJ (English Teachers in Japan) Kobe and an active member of the Japan Association of Language Teachers. In 1995 she took the University of Cambridge diploma in Teaching and later became a local trainer for the course. She speaks regularly at teaching conferences and workshops in Japan and is constantly updating her teaching skills with online and distance courses in subjects related to teaching and technology. She lives in Kobe with her husband and two bilingual children.

Mana
Hi, I'm Mana. I LOVE spending time with children!! I finished up my degree in early childhood education at university, and got kindergarten and primary school teacher certification.

I believe that any situation is a chance to learn something in a child's world (and also for us!). I love to encourage a child's curiosity and creativity using all their senses... reading, art, music, sports, etc... I think children are amazing!

I have been to a lot of countries and met a lot of different people. I really enjoy meeting new people and learning about different cultures. In New Zealand and Norway I worked as a volunteer at day care centers and primary schools and in Japan I have worked as a tutor, child care assistant, and primary school teacher. I have loved all of my teaching and learning experience with children.

I also love traveling, watching movies, sports (volleyball, tennis, ballroom dancing, and also I can run fast!!). I enjoy crafting and sewing, and, of course, hanging out with my friends... a lot!! Everything is interesting for me. Meeting new people is always wonderful, and I look forward to meeting you.
 
Oku
Oku graduated from Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology (formerly Nelson Polytechnic) in New Zealand in 1994. She has taught at and managed language schools here in Kobe for nine years. She has a bilingual daughter taking classes at KOBILS! She manages the day to day running of the school (a difficult job!) and will help us out with park patrol and crafts and so on during summer school.




Lucie
Lucie will join the program too! Meg and Joji's cousin, she's visiting us from the UK this summer!