I have two daughters and since me and my wife are Japanese, my daughters are also Japanese. Right now, they are going to kindergarten school where all their teachers are Filipinos but their conversations are all in English. Seeing my 4-year-old daughter speaking halting English with her teachers and classmates (multinational) and yet understanding each other really amazes me.

        However, when they are talking with us in Japanese, they mix English words like roux large brushwood. They talk to us like “Two hoshii”, “Nee, Papa, Kore fix shite”. Recently, I have been teaching them Japanese language properly to stop them from speaking this way. I can’t leave them in that state. Soon I have to choose which language they should be studying.

        Which educational language will I choose? Will I send them to a Japanese school? Or will I send them to an English school?

        If Japanese school.

        Basically, I have high regard for Japanese schools in Manila. I just have some worries though. A friend went back to Japan after several years of staying in the Philippines. In particular, those who are in their fifth grade or sixth grade in elementary would go back to Japan to take junior high school entrance examinations. What to do after junior high school in the Philippines is really a big problem on their part, considering there is no high school here.

        If English school.

        International school fees are foolishly expensive. It is 1,500,000 yen a year. But looking at my daughters, I think the foreigner’s way of speaking fluent English seems suitable to their personalities.

        But in the first place, I am a Japanese and I also want to raise my daughters as real Japanese people. People say various things like “Lately, Japan’s economy is ruined”, “Japan’s economy is declining”. But whatever they say, I am still very proud being a Japanese. Not only for our economic standards, I think we have a wonderful culture that we can be proud of.

        Then what do I worry about? I have the reasons to send them to a Japanese school. But these are selfish reasons of a parent. And I also consider the fact that since we are in the Philippines, my daughters should grab the opportunity to have a good command of the English language.

        A certain pediatrician of a Japanese clinic said this to me before. By the way, he also came from Japan.

        “You should choose only one language for the educational language of your daughters. You can learn the National language to be able to speak and understand. But for reading and writing, you have to choose which language you want for your daughters. If your daughters were like Ichiro who is a genius, then that is a different case. But certainly, they are not like Ichiro. If you don’t decide the language that you want for them, they will not be able to learn either of the languages completely.”

        Indeed.

        I came across a book entitled “Don’t teach the children English language”.

        The title seems to contradict the English language education at an early age but the contents of the book are entirely different. “A cram school instructor had taught 800 Japanese people in America the national language” is about the education of the children of the resident employees, giving them very deep considerations. This is a book I really recommend you to read.

        I only came across the volume 1 of the 20 volumes of the book I recommended to you. But I think it is explained in volume 1.

        So try to order the book from Japan and read it. It will help avoid your children returning to their home country unhappy.

        There are lots of very interesting topics written on Mr. Hayashi’s blog.

        Try to visit 　http://www.offshorecad.com.ph/blog