A few years ago, I had a student who often told lies. As his new teacher, I worried about how to help him. No one knew what to do.
At that time, I was studying Spanish. I read many Spanish books, and one day I found something amazing. I was reading Gabriel García Márquez’s books, who won the Nobel Prize. When he was young, he also told many lies! Everyone was worried about him too.
But one person saw something special in young Márquez. This person said: “When children tell lies, it shows they have a great imagination!”
I decided to talk to my student and his mother. I told them this story:
“In Colombia, there was a boy who liked to tell stories that weren’t true. At first, people enjoyed his stories, but later they became worried. The boy felt sad. But one kind doctor said, ‘You are good at making up stories! This shows you have a wonderful imagination. The important thing is how you use this gift.’ Later, this boy became a famous writer and won a Nobel prize.”
The student and his mother were surprised. His mother thought I would be angry, but instead, I showed them that her son might have a special talent, just like the famous writer.
After our talk, the student slowly stopped telling lies. I learned something too: sometimes what we think is bad (like telling lies) can show us something good (like having a great imagination).
I hope this story shows you how learning a foreign language, English, in your case, can help you understand and help others in special ways. Keep studying English – you never know when it will be useful in your life!
Until next time,
Jiro
私立学校に英語教師として勤務中、40代半ばに差し掛かったころ、荒れたクラスを立て直す策として、生徒に公言して英検1級に挑戦することを思い立つ。同様の挑戦を繰り返し、退職までに英検一級（検定連合会長賞）、TOEIC満点、国連英検SA級、フランス語一級、スペイン語一級（文科大臣賞）、ドイツ語一級、放送大学大学院修士号などの成果を得る。
アメリカで生徒への対応法を学ぶ為に研修（地銀の助成金）。最新の心理学に触れた。4都県での全発表、勤務校での教員への研修を英語で行う。現在も特別選抜クラスの授業を全て英語で行っている。「どうやって単語を覚えればいいですか？」という良くある質問に答える為、印欧祖語からの派生に基づく「生徒には見せたくない語源英単語集」を執筆中。完成間近。常日頃洋書の読破で様々な思考にふれているが、そうして得た発想の一つを生かして書いた論文がコロナ対策論文として最近入賞。賞品の牛肉に舌鼓をうっている。元英検面接委員