EBspeakLynda

Parents

Lynda (American, bilingual - English,Japanese)

English Blast has helped our daughter feel secure about speaking up or out in
groups. She seems to have the typical "shy Japanese girl mentality" when in a
Japanese environment. She prefers to not be noticed or to do anything that
makes her stick out more. English Blast has allowed her to explore what it’s
like to stick out and still be accepted.

Sharing the teaching with others has reduced the tension between my daughter
and myself. With English Blast, refusing to do her English homework is not a
fight to establish her independence from me. With my son, who was not in
English Blast from an early age, English homework and mother had been
synonymous, and when faced with this fight, I often just gave up and let the
homework slide in order to preserve some harmony at home.

I love the parent participation! I often forget the class is for the kids and get
carried away with asking my own questions. I didn't get to study science at
school until junior high and I have big holes in my science education, so I
particularly love those units. I learn so much as the teacher that I often suggest
units that I know nothing about, like music.

A non-language issue which has played a tremendous role in my daughter's
positive self-esteem is being around other children who are as large as she is.
At English Blast, her feet and body size are normal, and very little time is spent
talking about "Oh, you’re so big!"