Gunma Language Center & Language Academy Christmas Party 2010
Gunma Language Center & Language Academy Christmas Party 2010
Masakatsu Horiguchi
Twenty years have passed since Gunma Language Center was founded on April 1, 1990. I would like to thank everyone who brought their children to GLC for language lessons, in addition to all the organizations that have requested foreign language instruction for their employees. The organizations, such as local government offices, private companies, and multinational groups, so far have totaled more than 150. We were encouraged by these organizations to expand our selection of languages offered and deliver quality language instruction.
The word Gunma in Gunma Language Center meant Gunma Town at first, but it was our hope that it would eventually come to represent all of Gunma Prefecture. In the beginning, there were only two teachers, five students, and five companies. Our living room was the school’s office.
1990 marked the abrupt end to Japan’s economic boom in the ‘80s and the beginning of the lost decade. However, we managed to succeed during our first year. In 1991, due to increased nrollment, we constructed a small facility in our own private front yard that had two classrooms and a teachers’ room. In May 1994, the present-day building commonly referred to as GLC was constructed and everything was moved to that building. GLC was designed to resemble a house like those found in the suburbs of Boston where we often visited. In April, 1997, Maebashi Language Academy and Shibukawa Language Academy were added. Simultaneously, we started to serve people from all of Gunma Prefecture and even parts of Saitama Prefecture. We also began to accommodate the demand for teaching other foreign languages, such as German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Chinese, Koreans, Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese, and Arabic. Two main reasons for teaching foreign languages other than English were the Plaza Agreement in 1985 and an increased interest in learning languages other than English. In the case of the Plaza Agreement, companies in Japan started to branch out overseas and their employees were sent to non-English speaking countries in addition to English speaking countries.
From 2001 through 2010, the number of students fluctuated, but we adapted to the situation and continued to operate offering a wider range of services, not only teaching but also editing, translating, and dubbing. I believe internationalization and globalization will advance steadfast. Therefore, a good command of English, a foreign language, or foreign languages, as well as an understanding of different cultures, will continue to be a necessity for years to come. Our mission at GLC-LA is to help people reach their goals studying foreign languages and cultures. We hope to serve the community for another ten years or more with this vision at the forefront of our efforts. It is my sincere hope anyone who wishes to learn a foreign language will come visit GLC-LA.
Masakatsu Horiguchi: The president of GLC-LA
Gunma Language Center & Language Academy Christmas Party 2009
Khristian Punzalan
フィリピン、フィリピン女子大学卒、心理学B.A.
Hello. My name is Khristian Punzalan and I come from Manila, Philippines. I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the Philippine Women’s University. I have worked as a teacher for 3 years while getting a Professional Teaching Certification from the University of the Philippines. I am eager and energetic with regards to teaching children and my experiences have confirmed my desire to teach. I came here in Japan in March 2008 as a student of nippon Language Academy in Maebashi and at the same time I have worked as a part time teacher in different English schools.
I am currently a full time English teacher at Gunma Language Center and Language Academy. I have loved the experience of being here in Japan and I ‘m looking forward to meeting people and trying new things. Photography, studying Japanese, listening to music and reading books are the things that keep me busy during my free time.
Gunma Language Center & Language Academy is looking English native EFL teachers
Position: EFL instructor
Starting date:
Required qualification:
BA, TESL/TEFL certification or MA TESL, International driver's license,
Contract: One year:
-Contracts may be extended for another year at Gunma Language Center's discretion.
John Tillson
アメリカ、ノースイースタン州立大学卒、心理学B.A. TESL
Hello, My name is John Tillson and I am from the Northeast part of Oklahoma, and I am very excited to be working for Gunma Language Center and Academy. I have a bachelor's degree in Psychology, with a minor in English, and a TESL certificate awarded by Northeastern State University (NSU), in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. For those of you who do not know where Oklahoma is, it is located in the central part of the United States, just above Texas. The idea of teaching English in Japan is something I started to think about as a freshman in college. I had the good fortune to become acquainted with many of the the international students from Japan at NSU, and my friendships with these students sparked my interest in coming to Japan. This is my first time living in a foreign country, and I look forward to growing as a teacher and a person during my stay here.
Leomante R. Tamaray
フィリピン、フィリピン工科大学卒 機械工学B.T
Mabuhay!
I’m Leomante Tamaray, I come from Laguna, Philippines. It’s just one hour south of Manila. I graduated from the Technological University of the Philippines. After college, I was assigned as an assistant supervisor of Directric Coil Industries, an air conditioning company which specializes in manufacturing air handling units ( AHU ).
I’ve been here in Japan for 14 years. I first came as a trainee of Gunma-Machi Chamber of Commerce and have worked in various companies like NSK Needle Bearings. In August 2007, I worked as an office manager of Every Nation Ministries in Nishi-Waseda, Shinjuku, near Waseda University. Our goal is to reach students to become future godly leaders.
I teach English and Tagalog at Gunma Language Center and Language Academy. It’s a privilege for me to be a part of the teaching force of this school. The Takasaki Schools Division Office of the Ministry of Education has also given me the opportunity to teach Filipino elementary students with basic Nihongo and interpret their lessons in Tagalog or English.
I now live in a house on top of a hill of Kannon Yama, Takasaki. I am enjoying a beautiful overlooking view of Gunma where I can have peace and feel relaxed after hours of work.
I also serve as a team leader of Couples for Christ, which can be found in 169 countries.
God bless you!
Heidi Heringer
カナダ、ブリティッシュコロンビア大学卒ドイツ語B.A., TESL
Heidi comes to Gunmamachi, Gunmaken from Vancouver, British Columbia. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in German from the University of British Columbia. She received her TESOL certification from the Canadian Global TESOL Training Institute in Calgary, Alberta.
She has six years of German-English translation experience. In 2001, she received credit for her research and translation work on the documentary film, Leo’s Journey: The Story of the Mengele Twins (Infinity Films Entertainment Group, Inc. Vancouver, British Columbia).
She currently teaches English as a Foreign Language to children, adolescents, and adults at Gunma Language Center and Language Academy.
Yoko Oyama
大山 謡子(おおやま ようこ)
武蔵野女子大学卒 英米文学B.A.
My name is Yoko Oyama. I grew up in Maebashi, lived in Tokyo, and enjoyed a year abroad in Wales, U.K. My hobbies are watching English films, listening to English music, e-mail exchange with native speakers. This is a good way to improve my listening ability and to learn about other cultures. I also like snowboarding in the winter.
I graduated from Musashino Women’s University and my major was English and American literature. It has been about over 5 years since I started working for Gunma Language Center. I really enjoy working here very much. I teach English to students from elementary school to high school. All the students here are very energetic, motivated and they each have unique personalities. I’m really impressed by their enthusiasm in taking English proficiency exams at such early ages, their independence in study, and so on. They help motivate me, as well. And every day I discover new things that I had never learned while I was a student. I would like to continue to grow with my students and make use of this precious experience!
Gnma Language Center
Adress:1243-16 Munedaka, Takasaki-shi, Gunma-ken 370-3521
Tel :(81)27-373-2310
Fax :(81)27-373-0846
Gunma Language Centre(GLC) & Language Academy(LA) is a school for everyone, from preschoolers through adults.
We provide class lessons at each school, GLC,Maebashi Language Academy(MLA) and Shibukawa Language Academy(SLA) and we send teachers to other institutes and companies as well.
The school also provides special lessons for people who will go oversea for business, translation services and counseling for oversea study.
Principal Kimiko Horiguchi
Welcome to the homepage of Gunma Language Centre & Language Academy!
In 2010, we are celebrating our 20th anniversary. In 1997, the Language Academy was added to the school to offer a wider range of languages such as French, German, Spanish, and Chinese in addition to English.
Yoko Kamo
加茂 葉子(かも ようこ)
米国セントマイケル大学院卒 MATESL
My name is Yoko Kamo. I am from Gunma. I have been teaching at Gunma Language Center since 1992. I earned my master’s degree in MATESL program at St. Michael’s College in 1996. My teaching interests are teaching children and English education in a public elementary school in Japan.
My hobbies are spending time with my sons and playing the piano.