More Than Ability - Former Students I Remembered at the Age of 68 - July 13, 2026 (Monday) R8

## A Day When I Unexpectedly Remembered School

Today, something unexpectedly brought back memories of my former students.

I have already left the classroom behind.

I have no desire to return to the world of schools, and to be honest, I was never very fond of that world.

Because of that, I rarely think about my years as a teacher.

But once the memory of one student came back to me, the faces of several others followed.

After teaching for 33 years, there are many students I will never forget.

Today, I found myself remembering a few of them.

## The Student Who Taught Me the Weight of Words

One of them was a girl who still remains in my heart.

One day, I reminded her about a school rule concerning her hairstyle.

She did not argue.

She simply replied, "Yes," fixed her hair, and that was the end of it.

Or so I thought.

On her way home that very day, she was killed in a traffic accident.

The entire school was overcome with grief, and all scheduled events were canceled.

Even now, I sometimes wonder whether I could have added just one gentle sentence.

Instead of simply correcting her, could I have said, "It looks nice on you, though"?

Of course, no one could have predicted what would happen that day.

Yet the experience stayed with me.

From then on, I became much more thoughtful about the words I chose when speaking to my students.

Even small words can remain in someone's heart for a lifetime.

## The Student Who Made Me Think About What Real Learning Means

Another student was a girl with remarkable language ability.

She had grown up overseas and was a true bilingual.

However, what concerned me was not her exceptional English ability.

One of her teachers decided that she alone should use a different textbook from the rest of the class.

She sat in the same classroom, but instead of participating with everyone else, she was expected to work independently on more advanced material.

I often wondered whether that was really the best approach for her.

Is simply giving an advanced student a harder textbook truly good education?

Could there have been another way, using the same classroom and the same lesson while allowing her to learn more deeply?

I believed that good education should not separate a student from classmates simply because of ability.

It should help that student grow while preserving the value of learning together.

Later, she discovered her passion for theater and found a clear direction for her future.

Looking back, I believe what mattered most was not her talent itself, but that she found something she truly wanted to pursue.

## The Student Who Made Me Think About Ability and Responsibility

Then there was another student.

He was a returnee student with exceptional English ability.

Having spent many years overseas, his English was far beyond the level of his classmates.

Many people expected him to enter a special English program.

Instead, he chose an ordinary class.

I respected that decision.

Because of that, I treated him exactly like everyone else.

The same textbook.

The same assignments.

The same classroom rules.

Yet he never submitted a single assignment.

Whenever there was a test, he earned almost perfect scores.

If grades were based only on academic ability, he clearly deserved the highest mark.

But I struggled with that idea.

Should school grades reflect only test scores?

Should someone who is highly capable be exempt from responsibilities that everyone else shares?

At one point, I gave him a grade lower than the highest possible.

I also explained exactly why.

He simply smiled.

He did not become angry, and neither he nor his parents complained.

In the end, considering his future academic record, he received the highest final grade.

Still, I believe I conveyed what I wanted him to understand.

Ability and trust are not the same thing.

## What I Learned as a Teacher

During my long teaching career, I met many different people.

Teachers with excellent English skills who could not build relationships with their students.

Teachers with deep knowledge who hurt students through harsh words.

And teachers who, despite being imperfect, earned trust because they genuinely cared.

English is a subject in which ability is often measured by numbers.

Test scores.

Qualifications.

Entrance examinations.

But in the end, what supports people is not ability alone.

It is the way we relate to others.

The way we see and treat the people around us.

That is true for teachers as well as students.

## Looking Back After Leaving the Classroom

Today, I unexpectedly found myself thinking about school again.

But I have no wish to return.

I am no longer a teacher.

Still, the students I met remain in my heart.

Children are precious.

That alone is enough.

The successes, the regrets, the struggles, and the lessons were all part of my life as a teacher.

Today was simply a day when I quietly revisited a classroom from long ago.

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