Student Voice

I live in Hawaii and took the Intensive English Course for a total of 32 weeks using the Kamaʻāina Special.
At first, I couldn’t understand what my teachers were saying, but after about a month, I gradually began to understand them and was able to
communicate more comfortably. As the weeks went by, I became more confident, and I made an effort to speak English with people outside of
school as much as possible.
I’m not very good at grammar, so I would like to continue learning English and improving my skills.

Before coming to Hawaii, my English was basically at zero. I was amazed by how much I was able to learn simply by being surrounded by English and actually using it every day. While I was in Hawaii, I made an effort to talk to as many people as possible and use English whenever I could. By the end of the program, I was able to understand what people were saying and communicate with them in English. I was honestly surprised by how much I had improved in just two weeks! This experience made me dream even bigger about traveling abroad and continuing to learn English in different countries. I also really enjoyed performing on stage again for the first time in 10 years! Being able to connect with local dancers and build friendships with them made the experience even more special.　It was an incredibly fulfilling and unforgettable two weeks!

This time, I decided to travel to Hawaii for 75 days because I wanted to take my dog with me while he is still young and also enjoy my hobby of
surfing. I came to Hawaii Palms because I wanted to study English to communicate smoothly with friends from other countries. My impression of
Hawaii Palms was that it is very small group classes, which gives many opportunities to speak and express yourself, which I really liked. I also joined school activities and made friends!

I previously attended a language school in California, but at Hawaii Palms, the classes are small, and there are plenty of opportunities to practice speaking during lessons. They also offer many school activities, which allowed me to interact a lot with my classmates!

I really wanted to improve my own English skills, so I had been planning this parent-child study abroad experience for about a year. My son was
able to take English lessons at the same school, and since I also have a one-year-old daughter, I felt reassured knowing that babysitting
services could be arranged through the same place.　My class was small, which felt really spoiled having such a personalized class.　I was able
to learn English at my own pace, and whenever there were grammar mistakes, they were corrected on the spot. From there, the teacher would
expand on the topic and help me explore it more deeply. Although I have studied English before, this was the first time I genuinely felt that
learning English was fun!
In my son’s class, he learned new English words he had never known before and became able to use simple greetings, which allowed me to
really see his progress. I would love to come back again.

The level of this class was just right, but if I were able to stay longer, I would like to challenge myself with a higher level. Since I
was here for only one week this time, I was still able to have a great time because both my classmates and the teacher were wonderful. Next time, I would like to come and stay a little longer.

It was great that I could book classes online according to my schedule with the Elective ticket classes that allowed me to freely choose my classes. In addition, I took hula lessons at the school and also attended a yoga class that was introduced by the school. I became
friends with PALMS students I met through school activities, and we even went to a café together. I’ve decided that I want to study English properly, so I will obtain a visa and come back to Hawaii again!

When my child first joined the Summer Kids Program for one week, they came with absolutely no English ability at all. Since the summer program had many participants, my child felt a bit scared at first. However, little by little, they began to say on their own that they wanted to try ordering pizza in English.　After that, my child participated in the Autumn Cultural Exchange Program, followed by five weeks in the Winter Kids Program. During the autumn program, my child admired an older boy from Korea and even became interested in learning the Korean language.
Because the autumn and winter programs had relatively small class sizes, there were more opportunities to speak English. The teachers also took the time to have meaningful conversations with the children, and I feel that my child’s English ability improved dramatically. At the same time, my child continues to study Japanese, and with a naturally sociable personality, their interest in English has grown even more. We would love for our child to participate again if given the opportunity.

This was my second time taking the intensive English course. I was the only student in the class this time, which allowed me to ask many questions at my own pace and spend a lot of time practicing conversation. As a result, I became able to understand English much better, even outside of school.　I visit Hawaii several times a year, so next time I am considering taking private lessons as well. Because the teachers also explain natural English expressions used by native speakers, I was able to learn very practical, real-life English.

The week went by very quickly, and I really enjoyed my homestay, which offered a comfortable balance of privacy and time together. On Friday, I even went to see the Hilton fireworks with my host family.
I was able to walk to school every day, and I had many fun and meaningful experiences there as well. It was a very memorable and enjoyable time overall.

I really enjoyed studying at Palms. I came three times over the past year, and every time was a great experience. I liked the classes mainly focused on conversation, so there were many opportunities to speak and use the expressions I learned. The class style was similar to my university classes, which made it easy to follow. The content and level were appropriate for me—maybe slightly easy at times, but I was still able to learn new things. Overall, it was a really great and rewarding experience.

Thank you so much for the past week. I feel truly lucky to have met such wonderful teachers and lovely students. This was my first time studying abroad, and for my son, his very first time overseas. Because of that, I was a little tense both before and after we arrived. But the moment we stepped onto the Palms floor, all my worries turned into excitement, and
everything suddenly felt fun. Every day my son said, “I want to go to school early! I want to see my teacher!” Hearing that made me so happy, and I was deeply moved to see how much he was growing. My English is still not perfect, and I can’t fully express everything I want to say yet, but Principal Javier and Tomoko always waited patiently for my words to come out and tried to understand me. I was truly grateful for that. It reminded me how important it is to keep practicing and speaking. We definitely want to come back again—just the two of us! Our days at Palms were without a doubt the best school life we could have imagined.

We took the opportunity for me and my son to attend the 3-4 days program. My son who loves to learn new things had a great time going to the Hawaii mission house and experiencing an American birthday party at his Summer Kids Program. Other hand for me, I felt my English skills are dropping despite need English at my work.

Tristynn is a brilliant teacher. She is very kind, very easy to talk to.
I sincerely enjoyed the course. Even though the classes are long, I
never got bored. I’m so grateful that I could take this Intensive
Course, even if it was just 1 week.

Every time I attend Hawaii Palms, I am impressed by the quality of the teachers and how motivated the students are. The supportive and encouraging learning environment really helps me stay focused and inspired. Studying at Hawaii Palms is a wonderful experience for seniors.

At Hawaii Palms English School, learning went beyond language. The teachers genuinely cared about each student, helping us see the best in ourselves—qualities we might not have even realized we had. From school events to post-class adventures around the island, I formed deep connections with people from all walks of life.

I was going to go to a different school, but I decided to study at Palms　because my English teacher had studied in Hawaii and knew about Palms.
When I started, I only had 2 – 3 classmates, so I had to speak English　for 4 hours a day during my 3-week stay. At first, I was very tired and　there were a lot of things that I didn’t understand, but the teachers　and staff at Palms were very kind and they answered my questions all the　time. They were willing to understand me. It made me want to do my best　again! In the end, it was a great choice to study here at Palms. I’ll be　for sure to come back again.

My major at university requires a TOEIC score of 800 to graduate, so I signed up for 7 weeks of TOEIC test preparation. A lot of my friends studied abroad in Hawaii and had a great experience, so I decided to study in Hawaii and attend this school. The daily lessons were very efficient, with weekly practice exams. I was able to learn a wide range of real-world English skills with native speakers. My teacher was very kind, easy to understand, and enthusiastic. I saw my scores on the practice exams improving! 7 weeks went by very quickly and I now have the confidence to return home and get a passing score on the TOEIC test.
I am 100% satisfied with this school!

The school is always filled with welcoming atmosphere as if I’ve been a student for a long time. The level of lessons are really fit for our daily life, so I learned necessary vocabularies and useful phrases through the lessons. My teacher’s ceaseless support has helped me a lot to improve my English skills. In addition to that, the presentation was a great experience to boost my motivation for keeping to study English.

I decided to study English because I always regretted not studying when I was younger. I was nervous when I first joined Hawaii Palms, but the teachers were so nice and made me feel comfortable. I really like the fact that Hawaii Palms offers many school activities, one of them being Yoga. I joined Yoga Wellness Class every Friday during my stay here. I practice yoga in Japan and I also take yoga classes in a studio in Honolulu, but doing park yoga under the blue sky is so comfortable and gives me happiness. Kayoko’s yoga suits me and Hawaii Palms gives me happiness. Thank you so much.

When I enrolled at Palms, I couldn’t speak English at all. In the beginning, I was so nervous, but my teacher was great, so it helped to ease my tension. Often times, Japanese people are not good at comprehending English, but I was able to overcome that weakness. The atmosphere of the school is so nice, and I liked the fact that we get along with teachers and classmates right away.

I studied in English Intensive for 3 months. It was a fun learning environment, so, it didn’t take time to get along with my classmates and teachers. This time of my stay, I chose to study in Elective classes. I’m glad that I’m gaining more vocabulary word, expressions as I enjoy taking classes. Through joining fun school activities, it gives opportunities to make friends even they are in a different class. To me, Hawaii Palms English School is a precious family – ohana, and broadened my world.

I love this school, all the employees are so nice! And during my 3 weeks I have learned a lot. This school is like a big family and I think it’s very important to learn English. If I could I will absolutely come back!

Big “Mahalo” to my teacher, classmates and all the other person I met at school for the amazing time we spent together! I recommend this school without a doubt!

Thank you, grazie, mahalo!