Students, Specific

This is about my 5 students that realy do seem to want to learn. They are what I wish all Japanese students would be more like. They are outliers. Rebels. The nail that sticks out, daring to be hammered down.

1. Kyoko Kawagoe. Name sound familiar? That's because this is Kyoko-sensei, who has partially-employed me to assist in many community events and classroom English activities, for which even with poor pay or no pay I am plenty willing to help for the sake of those in her classes (willing participants that are almost all there entirely of their own individual free will). She's one of my best students in the Screen English class with Gerald. She doesn't really count though, since she's a "sit-in" student. She's great, but sometimes she assumes that there are fewer meanings than actually exist for a word's definition.

Minor problem? Yes, but remember that she is easily one of the most influential women in a town the size of C'dA, so when she speaks, students WEIGHT what she says. We have to be very very careful when correcting her. Her reputation and the future of English in this community could be very quickly damaged by an sign that she is less than an expert in her field. From her high-point on the jagged peaks of professional life, a precipitous path she does walk. No one who shares her selfless goals of community service through teaching would wish her reputation to be marred, and let's face it, Japan loves rumor, and there are surely women and more than a few men than Kyoko must make feel entirely inadequate that would use this against her.

2. Junichi. This guy is old. Sweet old man, from what I could tell. He studies English entirely willingly, and with enthusiasm. He's what you might call a "non-traditional student." A really really non-traditional student! He too, is in Screen English.

Has great stories about life in Japan, and he loves English. He told me about how his marriage was arranged, and how he and his wife didn't really make any special attempts for the first few years to get to know eachother, but, before he knew it, he had come to love this woman, basically not much more than a roomate for years. When he realizes this, he went regular husband to Super-Junichi mode. Came up with his own style of classical romance from what I can tell. And just when he was worried about whether she would ever really like him, after months of devout dedication to her after falling in love, she confessed her feelings to him in earnest, something that can't be easy when you've been forced to be together with a stranger. He claims the last 50 years of his life could not have been any better, like a fairy tale, all because of their wonderful life together and the fact that they are so perfectly matched. An arranged marriage for political reasons, ending in true love? I would pit 1oo-1 odds against it. But in this case, I'm just teary-eyed.

3. Jun. Jun is a kinda cofused-looking guy. He is in Screen English. Good language aptitude, and a drive for understanding and growth. He finds English interesting. I suspect Gerald suspects that he is possibly thinking of becoming bisexual. Yes, I stand by that statement, haha. Doesn't get into the nitty-gritty with personal details, but I see him come in with glossaries and all kinds of odd lists for his own learning. He has his own personally crafted strategies and methods for learning that I would suspect might not be great for everyone learning in his position, but that I am sure he feels work best for him.

4. Kenji. Middle-aged non-traditional student in Screen English. As far as looks go, he's getting absolutely nowhere. However, he is a pretty sporadically poetic guy. He loves talking about English, and like the others, he like hypothesizing about the features of English in discussion, a dominant trend I've noticed in all the best students I've met here.

5. Ken. Looks like: A 50 year old Ryu, from Street Fighter II. Smart and smartly dressed like a jazz musician, he exudes coolness in a totally approachable and non-exclusivist way. He's friendly, willing to help with my mentally disabled student. Nice guy, eager to learn, but in a very traditional Japanese way. No spunk to it, just intent. You just "feel it." I think most people would just see another student. I can't put my finger on any detail about him that makes me feel certain about this, besides working diligently. Great guy though. I can feel that about him too.