Parting words for junior high school students: My last chance to mold young, impressionable Japanese minds!

Advice for Life!

1. TRAVEL-TRAVEL-TRAVEL!

Don't take group tours. Go by yourself, or with your friend (like Saruganseki!). Be adventurous! And wherever you go, take time to talk to the local people. This kind of travel is the best education in the world.

2. SMILE-SMILE-SMILE!

Even when you're not happy, if you smile, you may make someone else happy. And you may start feeling happier yourself.

3. THINK-THINK-THINK!

Don't live your life the way everyone else does. Think about what kind of person you want to be, what kind of world you want to live in, what kinds of things are important to you...and life your life the way you really want to. In school, don't always wait to be told the answer. THINK for yourself!

4. SPEAK YOUR MIND!

In Japan, it's hard to speak out, or state your opinion. But don't be afraid to speak up if you feel strongly about something. If people laugh at you, or disagree with you, remain firm in your beliefs. They will respect you, and maybe they'll learn from you. Of course, listen and learn from other people as well. There's nothing wrong with changing your mind about something.

5. FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS, and DREAM BIG!

Marriage is not a dream. Getting a good job is not a dream. Doing what you really enjoy doing, being the person you want to be-those are dreams. Then marriage or getting a good job are like "icing on the cake". May all your dreams come true :-)

Advice for English!

1. With any subject, with anything you do in life, if you really want to learn it, or be successful at it, then you can, and you will. If you don't really want to, of course you won't. Attitude is everything.

2. Learning a new language requires a flexible mind. RELAX, look for similarities to your own language, and don't struggle with rules and differences. Just accept them.

3. In communication, it's not necessary to understand everything someone says. If you really listen carefully, and you understand a few words, then you can probably understand the main idea.

4. Never say "I can't..." if you're trying to learn something. Words are very powerful, and if you say "can't" all the time, then you probably never "can".

5. Since I've been in Japan, I've met a lot of Japanese people who hated English when they were younger, but now they speak English well. So don't give up now-you may want to use English some day!