先日日本人補習校のママさん達とお茶をしていた時、日本の小学生が書く作文のレベルとイギリス育ちで補習校で日本語を勉強している我が子のレベルの差に愕然とした、という事が話題に出た。
これは、、もうしょうがないのでは💦
近い将来に日本に帰国する予定があるなら、ちょっと焦った方が良いかもだけど、永住組は英語での教育が第一優先。
それに加えて日本語が話せるというだけで十分じゃない？！
言語は違えど、第一言語の英語で書く文章は日本育ちの日本人の子供が書く作文と年相応に同じレベルなはず。
というわけで、日本だと小学5年生、中学受験でロンドンのアカデミックな私立を目指していた息子の作文レベルはこんな感じ。
お題は「Golden Moment」
志望校の試験時間と同じく日々のトレーニングは、アイデア出し、文章構成のプラン、執筆、推敲を45分以内でする。
前述のJ先生のクラスを1年受講した成果でもある😌
THE GOLDEN MOMENT
As I stood there, bathed in the soft glow of the stage spotlight, my heart pounded like a drum. The school's STEM fair was weeks of sweat, tears, and late-night tinkering in my bedroom laboratory. My project, a miniature wind turbine that harnessed the energy of the breeze to power a small LED light, had attracted attention, and I had been chosen to present it before the judges and a packed hall full of parents. The excitement in the room was palpable, and the moment had finally arrived for me to take centre stage.
As I stepped forward, my hands trembled like a leaf caught in a violent wind and my legs wobbled like jelly. The spotlight felt like a blazing sun, and my hands were moist with nervousness. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. Every eye in the room was fixed on me, waiting for me to utter my first words. My breath came in short, shallow bursts. In that moment, I felt like a tightrope walker trying to compose myself before taking my first steps across a precipice. Would I conquer my nervousness and share my passion for STEM with the world?
But then, as I began to speak, a magical transformation occurred. The words flowed from my lips with a grace I didn't know I possessed. I described my project with passion and pride; my hands gesturing like a conductor guiding an orchestra through the rise of a crescendo. The audience listened to my every word, their faces illuminated with understanding and admiration. In that moment, I felt like a chemist, turning nervousness into confidence, and uncertainty into clarity. When I finished my presentation, the applause that erupted from the audience was like a thunderous ovation after a mesmerising stage performance. I knew that this moment - this 'Golden Moment' - was one of life's rare gifts, so I stood there basking in the warmth of their appreciation; a smile slowly spreading across my face.
I had done it. I had conquered my nervousness and shared my passion for STEM with the world - Or at least a collection of my peers' parents. It was a moment of happiness and excitement that would stay with me forever, a memory of triumph.
As I stood there, bathed in the soft glow of the stage spotlight, my heart pounded like a drum. The school's STEM fair was weeks of sweat, tears, and late-night tinkering in my bedroom laboratory. My project, a miniature wind turbine that harnessed the energy of the breeze to power a small LED light, had attracted attention, and I had been chosen to present it before the judges and a packed hall full of parents. The excitement in the room was palpable, and the moment had finally arrived for me to take centre stage.
As I stepped forward, my hands trembled like a leaf caught in a violent wind and my legs wobbled like jelly. The spotlight felt like a blazing sun, and my hands were moist with nervousness. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach. Every eye in the room was fixed on me, waiting for me to utter my first words. My breath came in short, shallow bursts. In that moment, I felt like a tightrope walker trying to compose myself before taking my first steps across a precipice. Would I conquer my nervousness and share my passion for STEM with the world?
But then, as I began to speak, a magical transformation occurred. The words flowed from my lips with a grace I didn't know I possessed. I described my project with passion and pride; my hands gesturing like a conductor guiding an orchestra through the rise of a crescendo. The audience listened to my every word, their faces illuminated with understanding and admiration. In that moment, I felt like a chemist, turning nervousness into confidence, and uncertainty into clarity. When I finished my presentation, the applause that erupted from the audience was like a thunderous ovation after a mesmerising stage performance. I knew that this moment - this 'Golden Moment' - was one of life's rare gifts, so I stood there basking in the warmth of their appreciation; a smile slowly spreading across my face.
I had done it. I had conquered my nervousness and shared my passion for STEM with the world - Or at least a collection of my peers' parents. It was a moment of happiness and excitement that would stay with me forever, a memory of triumph.
日本語に翻訳してみました。
自動翻訳なので、不自然な書き回しが多々ありますが、内容だけなんとなく理解して頂ければ。
黄金の瞬間
ステージのスポットライトの柔らかい光を浴びながら、私はそこに立っていた。学校のSTEMフェアは、汗と涙と、寝室の実験室で夜遅くまで作業に明け暮れた数週間だった。そよ風のエネルギーを利用して小さなLEDライトに電力を供給する小型風力発電機という私のプロジェクトは注目を集め、審査員と満員の保護者の前で発表することになった。会場は興奮に包まれ、ついに私が主役になる瞬間がやってきた。
一歩前に踏み出すと、私の手は激しい風にあおられた木の葉のように震え、足はゼリーのようにふらついた。スポットライトは照りつける太陽のように感じられ、私の手は緊張で湿っていた。会場中の視線が私に注がれ、私が最初の言葉を発するのを待っていた。息は短く浅く上がっていた。その瞬間、私はまるで崖の間を綱渡りをしているような気分だった。私は緊張に打ち勝ち、STEMへの情熱を世界と分かち合うことができるだろうか？
しかし、話し始めると、魔法のような変化が起こった。私の唇から、自分でも知らなかったような優美な言葉が流れ出したのだ。私は情熱と誇りをもって自分のプロジェクトを説明した。私の両手は、まるでオーケストラをクレッシェンドに導く指揮者のようだった。聴衆は私の一言一句に耳を傾け、その表情は理解と賞賛に輝いていた。その瞬間、私は緊張を自信に変え、不安を明瞭に変える化学者のように感じた。プレゼンを終えたとき、聴衆から沸き起こった拍手は、まるで魅惑的な舞台の後の万雷の喝采のようだった。私はこの瞬間、つまりこの「ゴールデン・モーメント」が人生における稀有な贈り物のひとつであることを知っていたので、聴衆の温かい称賛を浴びながらその場に立ち尽くした。笑みが徐々に私の顔に広がっていく。
私はやり遂げたのだ。私は緊張に打ち勝ち、STEMへの情熱を世界と分かち合った。少なくとも私の仲間の両親たちの集まりと。この幸せと興奮の瞬間は、いつまでも私の心に残り、勝利の思い出となった。
※ちなみにSTEMとはScience, Engineering, Technology and Mathematicsの頭文字を取った略語で、科学技術と創造力、問題解決力の結びつきを促進する教育アプローチ。
イギリスの小学校で学ぶ。