Hello everyone!

Recently, I have been helping my sons with their school homework more often.

Sometimes it’s simple. Sometimes it’s fun. And sometimes, to be honest, I have no idea what I’m doing.

My older son is in 4th grade now, so his homework is getting more difficult. Certain kanji can be especially hard for me. Even math can be confusing sometimes, not because the math itself is always difficult, but because the way it is taught is different from what I learned.

I was a 4th grader in a different country over 40 years ago.

That means school today feels very different from the school I remember.

So when I help my sons, I am not only teaching them. I am also learning with them.

That made me think about today’s topic: things I want to learn by the end of the year.

I want to understand my sons’ school life better

One thing I want to learn is how my sons are learning at school.

As a parent, I do not need to know every answer immediately. But I want to understand enough to support them.

For example, I want to learn:

• how they are practicing kanji
• how their math is explained
• what kind of homework they get
• what parts feel easy or difficult for them
• how I can help without taking over

This is not always easy.

Sometimes children do not want too much help. Sometimes they want help but cannot explain what they need. Sometimes they just want to finish quickly and play.

I understand that feeling too.

So I want to get better at supporting them calmly.

I want to keep improving my Japanese

Living in Japan for many years does not mean I know everything about Japanese.

There is always more to learn.

Kanji is a good example.

I can read and understand many things in daily life, but when I look at my son’s school materials, I sometimes realize there are still many gaps in my knowledge.

That can feel a little embarrassing, but it is also motivating.

I want to keep improving little by little.

Not because I need to be perfect, but because learning helps me connect more deeply with my family, my community, and my life here.

I want to learn more about how people learn

This is connected to my work as a Cafetalk tutor too.

Every student learns differently.

Some students learn best by talking.

Some students need clear explanations.

Some students need repetition.

Some students need confidence before they can speak freely.

Some students want correction right away, while others need a more relaxed style.

By the end of the year, I want to become better at noticing these differences.

I want to keep improving as a teacher so I can give each student the right kind of support.

I want to learn how to use my time better

This is a big one for me.

Like many people, I am busy with work, family, teaching, and daily life.

Sometimes I have many things I want to do, but not enough time or energy to do them all.

So I want to learn how to use my time more wisely.

That doesn’t mean I want to become busy every minute. Actually, I want the opposite.

I want to work well, teach well, spend time with my family, and still have time to rest.

Good time management should create more space, not just more tasks.

I want to keep learning from my students

One of my favorite parts of tutoring is learning from my students.

My students come from many different backgrounds. They have different jobs, hobbies, families, goals, and life experiences.

In our lessons, I learn about their daily lives, their work, their challenges, and the things they care about.

That keeps teaching interesting. It also reminds me that learning is not only something that happens in school.

We can learn from conversations.

We can learn from mistakes.

We can learn from children.

We can learn from students.

We can learn from trying to explain something clearly.

A small question for you

What do you want to learn by the end of the year?

It could be English.

It could be a new skill.

It could be something connected to your job.

It could be something for your family.

It could even be something small, like learning how to cook one new dish or explain your opinion more clearly.

You do not need a huge goal. A small learning goal is enough.

For me, I want to keep learning as a father, as a teacher, and as a person living between languages and cultures.

And maybe, with enough practice, I will become a little better at 4th grade kanji homework too.

Thanks for reading!