明日は国公立大学入試の前期日程。私は今年2年生を担当しているが、1年生で一度残留しているので、今年の3年生の多くを1年間教えていた。

　学年を離れてほとんど関わることは無かったが、多くの生徒が推薦、センター入試や私立大学で早々と合格を決めて遊び始める中、妥協せず最後まで頑張りぬく彼らには心からエールを送りたい。

　国公立大学の入試は本当に厳しい。科目数が多く、しかも2月の最後まで、場合によっては3月の後期日程まで頑張りぬかなくては合格が得られない。早めに準備を始めた生徒にとっては1年以上もの間受験勉強に励むことになる。それでも合格が保証されるわけではない。「人生とはそのように厳しいものだ」と私は思わされて育ってきたのだが、いつしかそのような姿勢で指導をする教師は煙たがられる時代に入った感じがするのは、私の気のせいだろうか。

　努力を重ねてきた生徒達は誰でも良い結果をつかんでほしいものだ。努力した者が報われる、そういう時代に戻らないと、誰も学ぶ意義を見い出さなくなる。それが今の学校病理の原因となっているのだから。

　   Tomorrow is the day when high school students take an entrance examination for a national or public university.  I taught the current 12th graders for a year when they were in the 10th grade though I am teaching the 11th graders now.       

     Since I got in charge of different students, I have not worked with them very much.  However, I really wish them good luck; they are still pursuing their hope from the beginning despite that most of their friends have already secured their school from next April through other types of entrance examinations.  

     The entrance examinations for national or public universities are really hard for students in terms of the number of subjects and the length of time they are exposed to the study for exams.  "Life is difficult like that," I think I was taught by teachers with such an attitude, but I am wondering such teachers are not getting along with students well recently...  Youngsters nowadays do not seem to accept such an idea.

     I, again, really want students who have made lots of efforts to pass the examinations.   We need to make the society where we can say "It is those who made efforts that win the victory"; otherwise, nobody could find the reasons for learning.  And now this is why we have many problems and concerns at school.