My Student Was a Magician

 My mother ran an English school for children in our house. I didn’t succeed at it, but sometimes I held English classes for adults.

One of my students was a magician. He needed to study English to perform his magic abroad. His magic was not the Western style. His magic was the traditional Japanese style. I didn’t know there were magic traditions in Japan. He was popular in English-speaking countries.

He needed a very specialized form of English for magicians. He was a professional magician, and his magic was great. We searched for and studied the most effective expressions for his magic together. Yes, I am a good teacher!

One day I asked him a question: “How do you do this magic?”

However, he didn’t answer. Why? Students need to answer teachers’ questions honestly. He said he didn’t have a choice. Magicians have a strict rule. They can’t tell the secrets of their magic except to other magicians. Even a teacher can’t be told these secrets. If I really needed to know these secrets, I had to be his pupil. I needed to be a magician myself.

Teachers always play losers’ parts. We just teach something. In most cases, teaching materials are not secret.

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TGIS

When I lived with my mother, who had Alzheimer’s disease, I always looked forward to the day I left her for the short stay.

One day, after I saw off my mother’s ride to the short stay, I did a fist pump and shouted, “Yahoo!” One of the neighbors saw it. I was embarrassed.

Sometimes I hated myself. I should not have been happy because I left my mother, but I changed my mind. Even a person who studied hard and got an ideal job might look forward to the holiday “TGIF.” Japanese people call it “floral Friday.” Everyone loves a holiday.

Caregiving to my mother was not my ideal job. I didn’t have a choice. I loved and respected my mother, but it didn’t mean I could give her unlimited caregiving. I could enjoy my vacation. I should enjoy my holiday. “Thank God it’s short stay.” TGIS.

Dear friends who are giving care to their families, you need vacations. You are doing a great job. You should be proud of it. You should confidently enjoy your holiday.

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Picture by Kawashi