U for "Use It, or Lose It."

Use it, or lose it.
This is very true, especially when you are talking about language. I've seen so many returnee kids who are losing their English ability. I'm now in the environment which I rarely use English as a communication tool. (I speak English in the lessons, but that is not really the communication I mean. I'm talking about the situation which English is essential for everyday life.) Am I going to lose the ability to understand this language some day? Thinking about that scares me. If I lost my English and couldn't understand what my friends say, I would feel like I had left valuable assets behind. So, I really appreciate my friends who talk to/chat with/write to me in English. This journal is one of my effort to keep my language skill present.

Speaking of kids' English, I regret to say as a teacher but it is impossible for kids to be able to speak a foreign language with just taking a lesson twice a week, however long they keep studying. Many mothers, and even I would if I had a child, expect their sons and daughters to be able to communicate fluently in English after a year or so, but in reality, that doesn't happen. Well, they may be able to read, write, and understand what the teacher says, but speaking always comes last and requires lots and lots of input and determination. Adults might be able to achieve the goal by their patience and passion, but for young learners, they must be put in the environment where there is no choice but using English to understand mutually with instructors and pals.

When you learn a new language, this question always bothers me: whether you should learn it through your mother tongue or immerse yourself in that language. My former work place in Canada has an English Only policy in teaching, so I used to believe in it. But now, I'm kind of in between, especially for adults. This is probably because I learn new vocabulary with Japanese translation, and it works quite well. But I'd like to add that I have spent more than 10 years to learn not to translate English directly to Japanese, or vice versa.