A Proud Moment

My proudest moment in teaching so far was the English debate tournament last week. After working with my second year students (Mirai, Naoki, and Shogo) for over two months, staying after school until 6:30 or 7 every day, and not allowing anything less than perfection, our efforts paid off more than I or the Japanese coach, Kondo Sensei, could have imagined.

I felt the first round of the contest, which included 18 teams from all over Miyazaki prefecture, was not indicative of our actual abilities, because we competed against two weak teams. So, while we made the next round and did very well (and we were very excited about this, don’t get me wrong!) I also had this nagging feeling that if we had been against the other teams who made the next round, we would not have made it. The first year team, who I also coached, did very well, but they happened to be pitted against the team who went to the all Kyushuu tournament last year and which had two girls who had lived in America and thus had excellent English. So, they did not make the semi-finals (and, disappointingly, lost by only a few points).

So, the day of the semi-finals arrived. Six teams from Miyazaki prefecture would be competing against each other for the coveted top two spots, and these two teams would go on to the all-Kyushuu contest. (For those of you who are wondering what Kyushuu is, that is the Southernmost island of Japan, where I live, with nine prefectures. So to make the Kyushuu contest is the highest honor). I felt confident in my students, but also knew how good the other teams were, so I was trying not to set my hopes too high. We had the first round of debates in the morning, with two groups of three teams. The top team from each group would go on to Kyushuu, and then in the afternoon the top two would compete against each other for the first prize of the day. I was soooo nervous watching my kids, probably more than they were. They did very well, but so did the other teams, and I knew it would be a very close contest.

While waiting for the results, we had lunch together, and as we did, I really felt close to the students and Kondo Sensei. We really felt like a team, and I felt nothing but pride and happiness for the kids. I knew that, no matter what happened, we could go home happy for all of our hard work. Finally, it was time for the morning results to be announced. We all sat there, hoping. My heart was about to leap out of my chest and I felt physically sick. After waiting to hear the judges make their comments, which of course took an excruciatingly long time, they announced the results…Miyazaki Omiya!!! I let out an audible gasp and felt a rush of pride for my students. We were going on to the tournament!

But that wasn’t even the best part of the day. After we heard the results, we practiced for about an hour while waiting for the final round between us and the other high school (the same school who went to finals last year…definitely a formidable opponent) going to Kyushuu. The final round was held on the stage in the college auditorium, in front of all of the teams, teachers, and judges. I will never forget how awesome it felt to see my kids on stage in front of everyone, ready to take on the debate. And take it on they did. Everything we taught them, all of the hours of practice, all of the kids’ spectacular talent seemed to come together, almost magically. The constructive speech by Mirai was fantastic. Her English was nearly perfect and she put such passion and emotion into it! Then she did a phenomenal job of answering questions from the other team. She calmly answered every one of them intelligently. They asked really good, difficult questions, but she answered them without any sign of faltering. Then, the questions that Shogo asked the other team were excellent. He really attacked the weak points of their argument. Finally, there was Shogo’s rebuttal…all I can say is that I sat there in utter shock and amazement as he tore apart the other team’s argument and then delivered a fantastic closing speech as if he were a native English speaker. I actually got goosebumps watching him! When they announced that we won first place, I thought about how wonderful it can be to teach and to see your students reach their fullest potential. 

We got a lot of compliments after the debate. The head of the English teachers in Miyazaki prefecture (I think?) called the team the “Fantastic Three.” A teacher from one of the best high schools in the prefecture asked us what our “secret” was. I had some high school boys come up and say to Mirai that they knew she would win, because she was so cute.  One of the judges talked to us for a good ten minutes, saying that it was “heaven” to watch us and that we would be a force to be reckoned with in Kyushuu. The other judge, my friend Nick, told me that he put his pen down during Shogo’s rebuttal because he was so caught up in watching him make his speech. But, the best part of the day was when Kondo Sensei told me what Shogo said to her…that they could not have done it without me. That made everything, all of the hard work and late nights and frustrations, worth it ten times over. We came back to Omiya with our heads held high to an ecstatic reception from the teachers and principals.

Here we are! This is why I teach…for moments like this.