- Full name: Fergal Bell
- Former university: University College Cork, Ireland
- Major in Univ.: M. Phil. Australian History, B.A. (Hons.), English & History
- Birth date: June 8th, 1974
- About hometown and family
I am the youngest of four children and I have one brother and two sisters. I grew up with my family in Cork, which is on the Southern coast of Ireland. I had a happy childhood and my parents worked hard to provide for us. My dad worked as a dentist for children and my mum worked at home, with some part-time nursing.
- Comments to students
Successful students possess characteristic such as: willingness to listen to the language as well as desire to experiment with the language, and willingness to ask questions and desire to learn. Teaching is exciting as well as rewarding, especially when students learned something from the teacher and able to absorb and use the language in their daily lives as application of what they’ve learned. Let’s learn! It’s a lot of fun!
My parents encouraged my brother and sisters to study hard and the four of us all went to university. My eldest sister became a dentist like my dad, and my brother and other sister qualified as accountants. I studied English and History and then completed a Masters in Australian History. All four of us went to the same university. It first opened in 1845 and is one of the oldest universities in the country. It has beautiful limestone walls, is situated on a river and is very pretty. My hometown of Cork is a great place to live and people from the region are very proud to have grown up there. Every year it has an international jazz festival and musicians from all over the world come to play there. Cork is very famous for having tasty food like oysters, mussels and cheese. Eating is never a problem! When I graduated from university, I moved to London where my sister and brother lived, together with my best friends. I worked in recruitment in the City of London and enjoyed the bright lights of the big city. It is so big and fast-paced that it was a great changed from my hometown. I loved it! In the last few months I have moved to Manila in the Philippines. It is very different to London but I am learning more about it all of the time and am really enjoying the experience.
- Comments to Students
When I was in university, I spend time at a school in Spain teaching students the English language. There were classes of up to 15 students and they really enjoyed the lessons. I think the discussions were most interesting for them and the grammar and dictation, less so!
I believe the interaction between teacher and students is very important and it is a two-way street. Students learn most when they are interested in the class and are prepared to talk and interact with the teacher. It is about active participation for both of us. I hope I can give my expertise to help my students learn and that they enjoy the experience. As a native English speaker, I am looking forward to helping students to improve their English and feel confident about their skills.
- Favorite TV program and its contents
There are lots of TV programs I really enjoy but one of my favorites was Frasier. It is an American comedy that was set in the city of Seattle, USA. The show was about the relationships between two brothers and their father and how they behaved with each other. All of the characters had strengths and weaknesses and these would sometimes help them and sometimes get them into trouble. It’s a really funny program and also very touching at times.
- Goals & Dreams as a Teacher
My hope and objective is simply to improve my students’ level of English. If there are areas that are weak, then I would like to work on those and make them stronger. This can be in the areas of vocabulary, conversation, grammar, pronunciation or a variety of other ways. Everyone can improve and I would like to help students – hopefully in a fun and enjoyable way.
- About Japanese and Japan
I understand that Japan is a densely populated country and has a great many islands. It is similar to the Philippines, in this way. The culture is a very old one and it has a combination of the old and the modern. I have often heard of technological innovations from Japan, particularly in cars. Fish is very popular in the Japanese diet and sushi, sashimi and maki come from Japan. Maki is my favorite!
I have met some Japanese people while traveling and am still in touch with them. I met one in Spain, who was from Nara and another in Boston, who came from Kyoto. I would love to visit Japan some day. My sister visited Japan last year and she spoke very nicely about the country and the people. I can’t wait to go there!
e英会話先生紹介 Fergal先生
