Traditionally its a quiet time of year...

Monday 14th August 2006.
The peak of O-Bon holiday break.Trains are reported as being packed to 120 per cent capacity.Not only dangerous but to my mind logically impossible.Yesterday 16 people drowned in Japan.The result of water accidents.Rivers,lakes,oceans,pools.

A busy week at work.The large number of students and the lack of instructors gives lie to the badly scrawled notice on the teachers room wall.."Traditionally August is a quiet time of the year...
Been a surge in the number of students wanting TOEIC classes.There are four tests each year.The next is at the end of August.Hence the demand.I had five of my eight lessons yesterday related to TOEIC.

TOEIC classes make a pleasant change from regular Nova lessons.For one thing they are organised and well thought out.They have a point.A bit more nuts and bolts.Hands on.You can help students differentiate between "Im boring" and "Im bored".Present participles..got to love em.TOEIC classes give the oppurtunity to explore and examine grammar.Something Nova doesnt address in its teacher training or lessons.To the detriment of students.In fact teaching grammar is not exactly encouraged or frowned upon by the powers that be.One could suggest that would require more training and upskilling than Nova is prepared to provide rather than its current policy of recruiting any English speaking native fresh out of university....