おばんです。
Jeanです。
今夜のあなたへの英語レッスンは、たまには、こんないい話を英語で読んでみますか。
長くて、いやーーと思うかもしれませんが、単語はそんなに難しいことない。
そして、とてもいい気持ちになれる話。
自分は中級以上かなというみなさん、さ、がんばって!
An 87 Year Old College Student Named Rose
The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t already know.
I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder. I turned round to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me
with a smile that lit up her entire being.
She said, “Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I’m eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?”
I laughed and enthusiastically responded, “Of course you may!” and she gave me a giant squeeze.
“Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?” I asked.
She jokingly replied, “I’m here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids…”
“No seriously,” I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.
“I always dreamed of having a college education and now I’m getting one!” she told me.
After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake. We became instant friends. Every day for the
next three months, we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this “time machine”
as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.
Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went. She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.
At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I’ll never forget what she taught us. She was
introduced and stepped up to the podium.
As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor. Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, “I’m sorry I’m so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I’ll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell
you what I know.”
As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, “We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop
playing. There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day.
You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die.
We have so many people walking around who are dead and don’t even know it!There is a huge difference between growing
older and growing up.
If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don’t do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old.
If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight.
Anybody can grow older. That doesn’t take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change.
Have no regrets.
The elderly usually don’t have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those
with regrets.”
She concluded her speech by courageously singing “The Rose.”
She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives.
At the year’s end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. One week after graduation Rose died
peacefully in her sleep.
Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it’s
never too late to be all you can possibly be .When you finish reading this, please send this peaceful word of advice to your friends and family, they’ll really enjoy it!
These words have been passed along in loving memory of ROSE.
REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS
OPTIONAL.
We make a Living by what we get, We make a Life by what we give.
すっごくいい話だからさ、英語きらいな人は、最後の2文だけ読んでみましょう。
REMEMBER, GROWING OLDER IS MANDATORY. GROWING UP IS
OPTIONAL.
We make a Living by what we get, We make a Life by what we give.
(覚えておいてください。年を取るということは必然的なことなのです。 ですが、成長するということはそれぞれが選べることなのです。
私たちは、自分が得たもので生活をしています。 そして、私たちは自分が与えたもので人生を作っていくのです。)
納得・・・
はいはい、さてさて。
本日、金曜日。
とってもやりきった感あり、の本日。
というのも、金曜日は高校生クラス4つ、英検・TOEICクラスから始まり、高校生英会話クラス、高校3年生受験クラス、高校生基礎英語クラス。
使うテキストも広範囲にわたり、コピーしたりなどの準備も結構かかるのだ。
寺小屋的なうちの教室、それは私がやりたいことなんだけど、高校3年生、受験目前になって駆け込み寺的にうちに入ってきてくれたんだけど、それは、私が大手英会話スクールで英会話講師をしていたときに高校生だった教え子ちゃんの教え子ちゃんで、
なんだかややこしいけど、まぁ、教え子ちゃんの教え子ちゃんは、私の教え子ちゃん
さらに、ややこしいことになってしまいました。
とにかく、短期間で、センター試験対策、英文を読解を含め、詰め込み詰め込み、いかにレッスンを楽しくするか、ということが最優先な英会話とは、ぜんぜん違ってねぇ、
どうやって受験レッスンを楽しいレッスンにできるかなぁ
と悩みつつの日々が、今日で終わり。
大学受験ももうほとんど今月で終わりです。
毎回、読解の宿題、単語覚え、英作文、って、あんまり楽しくないよなぁ。
でも、センターの試験が
「英語だけよかった」
と聞くと、
「楽しくなかったけど、よくがんばったね。ありがとね。」
と思う。
日本の高校生はがんばってます。
今年度の受験は、もうすぐ終わりです。
来月は、うちを卒業する方への farewell party (送別会)。
https://jeansenglishclass.com/event/index.html
カナダへ長期留学する大人の方2名、鹿児島を離れるフランス人1名 + 高校生3年生たちも主役。
「イギリス人がやってるバーでパーティやるから、制服で来ないでね」
、と念をおしたら
「卒業式の次の日だから、大丈夫です!」
と言っていた。
大人への階段を一歩。
参加する大人のみなさん、べろべろに酔っ払って、
「こんな大人になりたくない」
と、高校生に思われないようにしましょう!
おやすみなさい・・・