Today, I had a beginner student. I thought that it would be a nightmare again. As usual, I checked the student's records to know some general information about her. She was 80 years old. Her English level was beginner 2 and there was an important note about her:
Please make sure to send a contact request to the student. If you are not yet added by the student, instruct her very carefully. She has a concern with the materials sent to her because she cannot see the messages on the chatbox. So please make sure she is added on your contacts.
I thought, this could be interesting. I spent the whole afternoon bracing for the dreaded lesson to start. Luckily for me, I had time to compose my self and prepare since there was no lesson before the said the lesson. I crossed my fingers and prayed that everything should be well. I called on time and my call was immediately answered by a sixty-year-old-looking grandmother instead of an 80 year old. She looked really young. She was all smiles and she looked very enthusiastic. So, this is really interesting, I thought again to my self.
The student had broken English, which was understandable because of her level. She's very polite and very cooperative. There was eagerness in her. She was also very talkative and she didn't mind answering some questions about her family. I thought that it was a bad idea but she obliged and did not feel a bit invaded.
I found out that there were four sibling in her family. She's the third and the only girl. Her siblings already died before her. I thought, Ohmigosh, I shouldn't have asked about it. But I was able to avert the topic and started another one. I asked her if she had pets and she did have one but passed away two years ago.
How sad!, I thought. I tried to change the mood but it was to no avail. She went on to tell me about the story of her dog.
She said that her dog was hospitalized when she was away abroad to visit her daughter at the U.S. Her other daughter who was left with her dog called her to come back immediately to Japan because her dog was in serious condition. She was able to come back to Japan on the third of her dog's hospitalization. She went immediately to the hospital. She said that her dog was inserted with many tubes and one even for her urine. ( I thought that maybe her dog had an IV drip and a catheter but I was unable to interject since she might lose her momentum.) She said that she patted her dog and see her pee . She even congratulated her dog for doing so. And after a few minutes, she said, her dog died. She broke into tears.
Ohmigosh, I thought. I made my student cry. I apologized to her, she apologized too for creaking into tears. I did not mean to make her cry and I did not thought that a question like that means a lot to her. Some students are just so random with their feelings when I ask them about their pets and what not. But for this student, it was a nostalgic topic that maybe she didn't want to share with.
Still, she did not mind and continued to talk about her dog. She said that she had her dog cremated and she kept the ashes in her house. And she tried to fight back the tears and composed her self.
I was saddened, of course. I felt really sad of asking her those questions, though she did not mind. All I could do was apologize to her and sound really apologetic. I tried to console by telling her to not to be sad and that's what just I could only do.
She really did made my Easter Sunday very interesting. I thought it would be hell but it was not. It was meaningful. It was sad and there was nothing I could do for her but my English teaching.
This was meant to be posted last Easter Sunday. ^__^
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