バンクーバー時代、生徒さんたちに日本で「お米作り」をしたいと話したことがあります。ついに、今年、家庭菜園を始めました。水やりや雑草取りは大変ですが、愛情とエネルギーを注いだ甲斐あって毎日みずみずしい野菜が食卓に上ります。大きく育っていくのを楽しみに待つという点で、野菜を育てることと教育の共通性を見出しています。
When I was teaching in Vancouver, I told my students that I would grow rice upon my return to Japan. Finally, my dream came true. Originally, I was planning to grow rice, but I quickly realized that I did not have enough space for it. So I decided to grow vegetables instead. I planted seedling tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, eggplant, zucchini, and okra and tended to them every day. Now I have started to harvest them everyday. They are so fresh and tasty. I have to water them and get rid of weeds almost everyday, but it’s worth the effort. I find teaching and growing vegetables to be quite similar; I pour all of my energy and love into these plants, just as I do with my students, and then I wait and watch them grow!
