I have almost 20 kid students at the English school I work for.
All of them are so good & adorable. I love them & they love me.
I always look forward to meeting them every week.
Yui, a kid from the first & second grader of primary school class, is one of them. She is seven years old.
She often writes a letter for me, and gives me glittering stickers. ( I don't know why, but that's the way how primary school girls show their loves to their friends...they think I'm a kind of their friends.)
Yui is a very clever, assertive girl.
When I met her for the first time, after greeting, what she said to me the first was...
"I've been coming this school since I was five, so I can speak English VERY WELL."
Yes, she is right! She is one of the kids who can get what I teach immediately.
One day, at her class, I had the kids practice the day's target conversations.
One of them was;
"Is this your pen case? Yes, it is./ No, it isn't."
I asked the question to kids, but Tsutomu, a boy in the first grade (6 years old,) answered vigorously,
"Yes, I do! No, I don't!"
I couldn't explain why that was a mistake to him because I am not allowed to use Japanese during class except for the cases of emergencies.
So, I tried to let him repeat after me, "Yes, it is! / No, it isn't!"
But he didn't notice.
Then, Yui became impatient & advised him in Japanese!
"Because we are talking about a thing, not ourselves, we should use "it!" Why don't you understand!? Keiko sensei, English teacher must be very hard work, mustn't it?"
...She was like my assistant. Tsutome finally got it, and I thanked her in my mind.
After the class, she came to me and asked.
"Keiko sensei, how do you say "便秘" in English?"
"What!? 便秘？ We say, "constipation." Why do you ask?"
She smiled brightly as usual, "Because I want my mom to be surprised how I know difficult English words!!"
I see...but why "constipation??"
I wanted to ask, but she was already leaving me, repeating, "Constipation, constipation, constipation..."
10 days later, when I met Yui, I asked her again.
"Yui, how do you say "便秘" in English?"
I didn't give her a memo, so I was sure she forgot the word.
But she answered to me without a pause.
"Constipation! You taught me so!!"
...I knew I loved her, always I was impressed by her...
But at that time, I actually felt a slight envy for her.
She is very cute girl, has a loving personality...and SO SMART and SO YOUNG!!!
Why did the God give so many gifts to a girl?
She must have a brilliant future!!
