For a very long time, I heard from other parents and teachers that it was "inevitable" that returnees would lose the English skills they had gained living overseas once they returned to Japan. Once I started BIG BOW English Lab and had many classes of returnee students, I realized that this wasn't always true.

After attending a presentation by Dr. Joy Taniguchi on returnee students, I began reading and doing research on the attitudes and habits of returnee students and their families. I was curious as to why the students at BIG BOW English Lab were able to not only maintain their English skills, but also build on them.

I was very pleased to have an article published in the latest issue of the Japan Journal of Multilingualism and Multiculturalism. I hope my findings will be helpful to other teachers of returnees in Japan.