日々のTVニュースでお分かりの通り、今のLLの子供たちが大人になるころ、一番必要な「生きる力」の一つが、「A: 協調性に支えられたB: 交渉力」であることは疑いがないでしょう。

As you understand through daily TV-news programs, it must be “individual power of negotiation supported with cooperativeness” what LL Future Adults need to learn the best now; that is not doubtful.

Aを学ぶところは多いのに、Bは…？…お寒い限りですね。

Though your kids have got many opportunities to learn A, how about B? – There are very poor educational measures as of these days, don’t you think so?

「LLスピーチコンテスト」練習では、「発音と、人前であがらない度胸」をつけましょう。

Yoshy wants you to learn “better pronunciation and guts not to get stage fright in front of people” through “practicing recitations of “LL SC”.

「英語でコント」では、上記に加え、「自分が感じた、考えた表現力」を楽しみながら身につけてゆきましょう。

Yoshy also wants you to acquire “your own expressions from your own feelings and thoughts” through enjoying practicing “English Cont”.

この二つの企画が、みなさんの将来に必須な「英語での交渉力の基礎」となるよう、一緒に頑張ってゆきましょう。

I believe these two special activities will help you to gain “the basic powerful skill of negotiation in English” for your future English life. Let us do our best!

山と川と生きる私たち：Humans Living with Mountains and Rivers

台風18号一過の朝、妙高山は何事もなかったかのように悠然と青空に聳えていました。

In this morning just after the typhoon No. 18, Yoshy saw Mt. Myoko standing sedately like everything was normal in the blue sky.

夕方レッスン前に、友人からパソコンの不具合を見てほしいとの電話があって、ご自宅へ10分ほどの距離を歩いて行ってきました。

One of Yoshy’s friends called me asking me to fix the problem of her PC in this afternoon before my lessons of LL Shihoya Arai School; I visited her house in about ten minutes’ walk.

簡単に修復できてほっとしながらの帰路、頸南病院の東側を流れる渋江川を撮影しました。

Fortunately I could fix it more easily than I imagined. On my way back home feeling refreshed, I took a picture of Shibue-river near Keinan Hospital.

遠くに見える丘陵は、船岡山です。新井中高生時代のスキー授業はそこまで歩いて雪踏みばかりして1回滑り降りるだけのしんどい授業でした。でも、そんなものだと不平不満など感じませんでした。雪の下を流れていた湧き水の美味しかったこと！

You can see lush and green hills far away in it. It is called Funaoka-yama, where we used to ski in skiing lessons when Yoshy was in Arai J/S High School. We walked there with our skiing-sets. As soon as we reached there, we had to make the slope by treading up to the top of the hill, skiing down only once or twice. No one complained of such a sweltering exercise. Yes! What a good taste the water rushing spring under snow was!

当たり前のことですが、日本海へ注ぐ河川の源は山林ですね。

There is no wonder to say; the water flowing into Japan Sea starts from mountains with TREES, doesn’t it?

山に森林があるから、台風18号のような豪雨で決壊する事があっても、通常、その山は「天然の貯水池」です。

As long as a mountain or a hill has TREES, it is worthy of being called “natural water supply reservoir”; even though such a natural dam sometimes breaks by unexpected heavy rain like Typhoon no. 18.

水は程よく流れ下って、田畑を潤してくれます。日本人は治水をしながら、神に祈りながら自然との調和を大切にしてきました。または、していたのです。

In general, water is slowly floating into rice field. We Japanese have taken care of changeable rivers by often praying various Gods in our long history; so to speak, we have lived in harmony with nature or we DID.

LLの庭では、今、オクラの収穫期です。このちっぽけな地面の下でも、土とオクラの根っこが絶妙なバランスを保って「保水」しています。

Yoshy was harvesting okra today in LL Garden. Even under this small garden, the soil and the roots of okra are “reserving its necessary water” in a fine balance with each other.

ご存じの通り、近年、「熊や猪の町中への出没」がテレビ報道で話題になっています。

As you know, “bears and wild bores, etc. are often seen in town” these days; which we watch on TV.

この小さな妙高市でさえ、大きなゴルフ場が3つもあります。日本全国では一体いくつあるのでしょうね？

There are three big golf courses in this small city, Myoko. How many ones on the earth are there all over Japan?

飢えて町中に出没する熊、樹木が伐採された丘陵が簡単に土砂崩れや地滑りする被害は、果たして100%、「自然災害」でしょうか？

It is natural that such very hungry bears should step down to try finding their foods. It is also natural that hills and mountains without TREES should easily touch off mudslides. Can we call such disasters “100 % natural ones”?

やれやれ…ゴルフ好きな友人に又叱られるでしょうね。こんな「頭隠して尻隠さない」例は山ほどあります。例えば…

My, my… golf lovers are sure scolding Yoshy again, aren’t they? This is like an ostrich burying its head in the sand, which we know a lot! For example …

「在来線廃止反対！」と言いながら、マイカー通勤。

The lots of people saying “No taking off the conventional railway lines!” are driving to their offices.

「原発反対！」と言いながら、「スマホで日本中を電磁波津波にはだんまり！」ヨッシーは持たないことで有名ですが、困れば人の携帯をつい借りています。

Though crying “No atomic power”, the most of them are intentionally or unintentionally, usually shutting their eyes during using their smartphones; they still know that “Japan is already full of electromagnetic waves of Tsunami!” Yoshy is famous for a strange person without a mobile phone, but ashamed I sometimes use others’ in need.

私も含めて、「保身」という「心の鎖国」に慣れっこになっている今の日本人の在り方にメスを入れなければ、教育者はもちろん大人たちは、子供たちに胸を張って教育など出来ないと、私は思います。

Including me, if we Japanese do not carefully watch our “national isolation in mind” called “SELF PROTECTION”, I think we adults including educators cannot do educate our children to live in the future, can we?

健康とは、スポーツだけ？心の健康を考えたら、…「古里の山を大切に！」

最初の写真は、1973年 (昭和48年)10月撮影の「旧新井小・職員玄関」です。その年は100周年でした。

The first picture tells “The Entrance for Staff of The ex-Arai Elementary School” taken in October, 1973, that was the year of its 100th anniversary.

LLシホヤ新井教室から、徒歩1分です。勤研センターの東隣です。

It takes only 1 minute’s walk from LL Shihoya Arai School. It once stood at the next site, the east of present Kin-ken Center.

教室はヨッシーの家の敷地内にありますので、小学生時代は、近すぎて、よく遅刻しそうになりました。

You know, since LL Shihoya Arai School is in the site of Yoshy’s residence; I used to become about to be late for school, because they were very near at hand.

左に、「健康日本一・石碑」が写っています。

You can find “the stone-monument of winning the best health in Japan” on the left of the first picture.

2枚目からが、現在の新井小学校・野外運動場です。3月21日(木)、撮影。

The present play-ground of Arai Elementary School can be seen from the 2nd one taken on Thursday, March 21st.

石碑の茶色い背景は、文化ホールです。見えませんが、その向こうがLLシホヤ新井教室です。

The brown-colored background of the stone-monument is Myoko Cultural Hall. LL Shihoya Arai School, not seeing, stands behind it.

3枚目の左端が新井高校。右手前から、児童体育館、公民館、市民体育館、市民温水プール、そして間もなく完成の新・市民体育館。

The third picture shows Arai High School on the left edge; on the right side, from the front, Gymnasium for Children, Community Center, Citizen’s Gymnasium, Citizen's Swimming House and New Citizen’s Gymnasium that’s going to be used.

体の健康維持と増強施設は、もう充分です。さて、心の健康は？…

That’s enough and enough! To build new facilities for keeping and improving citizen’s physical health; well, how do you think of our health of the condition of mentality?

中央はるか遠くの丘のスロープが、今は見向きもされない、大駐車場完備の「新井スキー場」です。この無駄だった山林伐採を見るたび、やはり、日本にはゴルフ場はもったいなく、贅沢過ぎると思います。

The big slope with no trees seen far away in the center of the picture is actually “Arai Ski Slope” with its big parking lot, to be sad; no one is now interested in at all. Whenever Yoshy sees the needless deforestation, I cannot help saying, “How waste or too luxurious in Japan it is to deforest for enjoying golf!”

「旧新井小の桜」は、You can see The sceneries of ex-Arai Elementary School with cherry blossoms by clicking：HERE:ここをクリックなさってください。