Final memories before it`s time to say bye bye

Post XXII

Today, I was really reminded that sometimes it is the most unlikely places that you have an effect on these children`s lives. One of my graduating 3rd graders is rather the quiet type. He doesn`t have a lot of confidence in speaking English. Nonetheless, a while ago he wrote me a letter saying he wanted to get a pokemon card (my reward system intended to get them to write to me). Since then, we had a few small conversations about pokemon, and eventually he wrote enough letters as to get one. I gave him his favourite, Pikachu.

All of the children wrote me a small message to say thank you. Some of the notes were laughably impersonal, but about half of them were personal. This child`s just said: "We are Pokemon friends".

I didn`t think much of it, but then I was told, that in his diary (which all 3rd graders have to keep, in Japanese), he had written about how lucky he was to have met me, and that he is glad to have a pokemon friend. Not only that, but he had written it in English.

Unassuming exchanges with this kid have seemed to resonate with him - perhaps because, being the shy type, the Japanese education system has spent most of its time overlooking him. Of course, I have time for all of my students, but it seems as though having a teacher take an interest in him has had rather a large effect. Memories like this are the best ones to make whilst I am here.