南山中高男子部同窓会 Nanzan Boys' High School Reunion

 南山中高男子部同窓会　　

南山男子部の同窓会に出席した。教え子は五十一歳。総勢８０人ほど。先生方は宮本、澤田（拡）、中川、上田、と私であった。既に三人の教え子が亡くなっており、黙祷。彼らを中２から高３まで五年間持上り、よく知っている教え子ばかりであった。

ショックを受けたのは寺田先生が亡くなっておられたことである。全く知らなかった。

３０人ほどの生徒と、入れ代わり立ち代わり話したが、実に愉快であった。

教え子は私の授業をまだ覚えており、私がカンカンになって「こんなに怒ったことは教員になって初めてだ」と叱ったとか。全然覚えていない。

或る教え子たちには、私が新任の年に高二の、英語の「できないクラス」（当時は英語は能力別クラス）を受け持たされて苦労したことや、当時は生徒をバンバン殴る学校で、暴力学校に来たかと思ったことを話した。

彼らが覚えていたのはオロナミンCの教材「小瓶と大格闘」（この文の最後に復元）と、Mattanという単語を接頭語、語幹、接尾語に分解して覚えるプリントで、役に立ったという教え子が何人かいた。それから「MATの目」という日英バイリンガル通信も覚えていた。「えー、まだやってるのぉ」という反応もあった。６５歳で退職以来、８３歳の今日まで、月二回更新してブログに載せている。

近況などを話すことになるだろうと思い、尿が止まって苦労した話と、英語の格言Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.を用意しておいたが、その機会はなかった。教え子同士大いに語り合って、旧交を暖めたことだろう。

次回は還暦にというから、あと９年間もある。それまで、元気でいたいものだ。ボケてはおられぬ。

Nanzan Boys' High School Reunion

南山中学校　３年　日英バイリンガル通信　NO. 14　October 2, 1989

 

小瓶と大格闘 （上）

暑い夏の午後、私は大垣駅にいた。電車の発車まであと５分あった。のどがかわいたのでオレノマンCを買った。ふたの金具を引っ張ったが開かない。力を込めて引っ張ったが駄目だった。前に何回も飲んだことがあるので開け方はわかっていた。もう一度思いっきり引っ張ったがびくともしない。電車が到着した。あせってきた。金具を引きながらねじった。すると、あれまあ、金具だけ取れてしまった。ふたは瓶についたままだ。こいつをどうせよというんだ。爪でひっかいたり、歯でかんだり、鍵でふたの端を何回も突っついたりした。電車は今にも出発しそうだ。手は汗でぐっしょり。無念。瓶を鞄に入れて電車に乗った。中は満員でうだるようだった。
　家に着いて瓶との格闘を再開した。ふたの端を何百回となく突いたが、一滴たりとも出ない。瓶を割ってしまおうかと思ったその時、ポン!　と音がして、ふたが飛んだ。やれうれしと思って飲んだら、なんと、そのなまぬるいこと。

 BATTLE AGAINST A BOTTLE　(1)

　　It was a hot summer afternoon. I was at Ohgaki Station. I had five minutes before the train started. As I was thirsty, I bought a bottle of Orenoman C drink. I pulled the flap of the cap to open it. But the cap did not come off. I pulled the flap hard again, but in vain. I knew how to open it, because I had often opened the bottles. Once again, I pulled it with all my power, but nothing happened. Then, the train arrived. I was desperate. I pulled the flap hard and moved it both ways. Alas! Only the flap came off. The cap was still tightly fixed on the bottle. What could I do with the darn cap? I used my nail and teeth. I hit the edge of the cap with my key many times. The train was going to leave at any moment. My hands were wet with sweat. I gave up. I put the bottle in my bag and got on the train. It was crowded and hot.
　　After reaching home, I started the battle against the bottle again. I hit the edge with the key hundreds of times, but not even a drop came out. I got angry. I wanted to break it into pieces. Just then, with a big noise, the cap flew high into the air. How happy I was! I drank it. But it was lukewarm.

Nanzan Boys' High School Reunion

I attended the alumni reunion of Nanzan Boys’ High School. My former students are now fifty‑one years old.  About 80 of them attended the reunion. The teachers present were Miyamoto, Sawada, Nakagawa, Ueda, and myself. Three of my former students have already passed away. We offered a moment of silence. I had taught this group continuously from the second year of junior high through the third year of senior high school—five full years—so I knew them very well.

What shocked me was learning that Mr. Naohiro Terada, an English teacher, had passed away. I had had no idea of his death.

I spoke with about thirty students as they came to see me. It was truly delightful.

Some of them still remembered my English classes. One of them told me how I once became furious and scolded them, saying, “I’ve never been this angry since I became a teacher.” I have absolutely no memory of that.

To a few of them, I talked about how, in my first year as a new teacher, I had been assigned the “low‑level English class” in the second year of senior high school (English classes were ability‑grouped at the time), and how difficult that had been. I also told them how the school back then was one where teachers usually hit students, and how I had wondered whether I had ended up teaching at such a “violent” school.

What they remembered most was the Oronamin‑C essay, “A Battle with a Bottle” (see the end of this text), and a worksheet called Mattan, which broke difficult English words into prefix, root, and suffix. Several students said it had been useful. They also remembered MAT’S EYS, my bilingual English–Japanese newsletter. Some reacted with, “What? You’re still doing that?” Since retiring at sixty‑five, I have continued updating it twice a month on my blog, all the way to today at age eighty‑three.

Thinking I might be asked about my recent life, I had prepared to talk about my struggle with urinary retention and to share the English proverb Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. But the opportunity never came. The former students were busy talking among themselves, no doubt happily rekindling old friendships.

They said the next reunion would be at their sixtieth birthday, which means nine years from now. I hope to stay healthy until then. I must not let myself grow senile.