生徒が先生を育てる！

多読支援というのは不思議なものだと、ある児童英語教室の先生から届いた
メールを読んで思いました。

もちろんおなじような思いは何度もしてきたのですが、
今回は、そうした思い全部が集まったような気がします。

古来－－古来といっても孔子くらいの昔からの古来ですよ！－－先生と生徒の間に
あると知られていて、けれどもまるで麒麟や鳳凰のように珍しいと思われていた
師弟関係が（本当はこのことばを使ってはいけないのです。Aちゃんによれば、
「上に師なければ、下に弟なし」というのが、Aちゃんとこの先生の間柄で、
それこそが古来麒麟や鳳凰の如く希少なわけで・・・）ある！

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あまりにおおげさな導入で、辟易した人もいることでしょうね。

でもね、わたしは「快読100万語　ペーパーバックへの道」の「はじめに」で、

　　　いまぼくの教室で「小さな奇跡」が起きています。

と書いたのですからね、この程度の「大風呂敷」はお手の物なのです。

けれども、実は「大風呂敷」なんかじゃないのだ、これは！

酒井せんせい、こんばんは！
Aちゃんからも酒井先生にどうぞ～だったので。
今日は、I大に進学した教え子のAちゃんが、帰省したと訪ねてくれました。

学校での課題、Definitionのエッセイでテーマが自分の理想のGood teacherだそうです。私の事を多読支援3原則を交えながら書いたそうです。

自分の自慢話みたいで恐縮なのですが、

いえいえ、知らせてくださって、うれしいかった・・・

彼女は英語のプロになる英語で食べていくと決意がはっきりとしたお嬢さんで
私もそこまで真剣な依頼も初めて、一緒にレッスンを作り上げた感じ。
彼女のお陰で私の多読支援の方向がはっきりと定まった。
レッスンの内容を彼女が引き出してくれた。
彼女が私を引き出してくれました。
彼女の情熱でしょうか。

↑　これも多読を巡る「師弟関係」の不思議です。

生徒が先生を育てるのですよ！

そういうことはこれまでにもあったのだろうなあ・・・
でも、多読支援ではそういうことの起きる頻度がきわめて高いような気がします。
これとそっくりの例は愛知県からも報告があります。

多読支援には上下関係がないからこそ、こういうことが頻繁に起こるのだと
思われます。下に引用されているessayの中で、Aちゃんは何度も　
「師弟」が平等な立場にいる　
と書いています。

これを読んで、
ここまで私のメッセージ、伝えたい事を
ちゃんとキャッチしていてくれたかと感動の嵐でした。

本当に大事な事をわかっていてくれる。
私の思いを受け継いでくれているんだな～と
こういう感動、成長があるから多読のHappyなレッスンはすばらしいと思うのです。

自分でどんどん追及していくのであって、
学習が学習でない、好奇心の追及ってAちゃんの名言ですが、
本当にその通り！

もう、私の方が色々と教えてもらっています。
このビッグなプレゼントをありがとう！

片方がもう一方を育てるということはないのではないかな？
どちらかが育つときにはもう一方もかならず育っている？

これからもそのままAちゃんらしく突き進め！

以下はAちゃんのエッセイです。

ゆっくり読んでください。そうするとAちゃんが英語だけでなく、good teacher of
English とはどういう人か　ということまでしっかり学んだことがわかります。
その冷静な眼には感心するばかりです。

時間のない方は最後の段落に全体のまとめがあります。
essay の conclusion の書き方ですね。
ですから最後の段落だけ読んでくださってもよいのですが、
最初の段落から順に読むと、この「師弟」の交流と、Aちゃんの現実を見る眼が
伝わってきます。

What is a good English teacher?

When I met her for the first time, I was a high school student. I didn’t like my English class at that time. I believed that English which was taught at high school was just for entrance examination for universities because all I did was translation, complicated grammar, and difficult vocabulary which I would never use in daily conversation. However, what I wanted to learn was not English for examination, but English as a communication tool. My goal as an English speaker has always been to be
able to have natural conversation with native speakers. One day, I realized that my speaking skill couldn’t reach this level just by
studying at school. I needed my private English teacher who could teach me real language. Then, I met her. She completely changed my idea toward teachers.

Now, I know teachers are one of the most important aspects when students learn a language. My private English teacher showed me how teachers should be. Many English teachers in Japan don’t have enough experiences to teach. Good teachers need many experiences and extensive knowledge,
and even more importantly, teachers should be always on equal footing with students.

Good English teachers don’t push. For example, one teacher might believe that singing English songs is the best way to memorize vocabulary. Therefore, her class involves singing time. However, one of her student is very shy, so he rarely sings in her class. She gets cross at his attitude, so she tries to make him sing. Good English teachers never push their ideas to students, but they suggest what they expect them to do. They always ask for student’s consent. Good teachers ask students first even when they decide textbooks. These teachers can respect
student’s characters as well, so they are good at expanding student’s personality.

Good English teachers don’t give quizzes. In many Japanese high schools, students have to take vocabulary quizzes. Even though the purpose of these quizzes is to enlarge their vocabulary, but students memorize words just for the quizzes. Therefore, they can’t expand their vocabulary as a long term, and it’s very easy to forget vocabulary which is crammed just for quizzes. Without the test, they actually acquire a large number of words, and someday these language abilities will explode by chance. For example, imagine that there is a girl who was poor at English at first. However, she met a wonderful teacher, and she found
that reading many picture books was the most suitable way for her to learn English. She continued to read, and she enjoyed it very much. When she met a foreigner after this process, she enjoyed talking with him for a long time. She could talk with him more fluently than before. If students enjoy the language and continue to learn, there is no need to take quizzes.

Good English teachers don’t teach, but they support. When students learn a language, they certainly require basic vocabulary and basic grammar. However, they surely reach enough level to learn by themselves without teachers although the periods they need is up to each student. Therefore, the job for teachers is to lead students to discover how to learn by themselves. They support their students by suggesting some materials, which should be suitable for their level. For example, it’s dangerous to assume that picture books are so easy to read that they’re for beginners. Picture books are not always easy because vocabulary that is used in books is for native speakers, so they are sometimes difficult for Japanese. Good teachers should recognize the actual level of the materials, and they should be able to suggest materials of the right level to students based on their ages and their level of English. Therefore, good teachers who can support suitably can motivate students well. Students realize that the harder they work, the more they improve their abilities. Teachers don’t teach, so student’s improvement depends on their motivation.

The most important thing when students learn a language is to enjoy learning and to continue. The subject they are interested in is easy to remember, and hard to forget. If you continue, there is another discovery every day. Good English teachers can back up the students efficiently to make them continue and enjoy English. In this way, my teacher completely changed my ideas toward teachers. Before I met her, I had believed that teachers should teach. However, she showed me that the most important thing was to be always on equal footing with students. Therefore, she didn’t teach me, push me, and she had never given any quizzes to me. She tried to keep equal relationship with me, and she
always tried to learn from me as well. This attitude toward students builds good relationships, and it connects student’s motivation to continue to learn.