５月号

　ゴールデンウイークは有意義に過ごせましたか。どこかへ旅行でもしたくなるような気分にもなりましたが、コロナウイルス感染症まん延防止のため、外出もできない我慢の日々だったと想像します。私も自宅裏の畑で、タマネギとソラ豆の収穫作業、そして新たにキュウリ、ナス、トマトなどの夏野菜のために土づくりをして、それらの苗を植えました。早いもので、新学期が始まってもうひと月がたとうとしていますね。新たな環境にも慣れましたか。中間考査ももうすぐですね、連休モードを切り替え、学校生活のリズムを取り戻して頑張ってください。 

　先月、コロナ禍のいやなムードを一瞬忘れさせてくれるような出来事がありました。　一つは愛媛出身の松山英樹選手がマスターズ・トーナメントで優勝し、日本人男子で初のメジャー制覇を成し遂げたことです。彼はこれまで数々の失敗や負けを経験し、壁にぶつかり、自分の弱点や短所を克服しようと頑張ったようです。「自分はまだまだだ」と思うことで人間的にも大きく成長したと思います。大会中は最後まで緊張したと語っていましたが、夢や目標を大きく掲げ、それに向けてさまざまな困難をはねのけて頑張った末につかんだ勝利です。彼の偉業は、部活動をやっている生徒はもちろん、それぞれの夢や目標をもって頑張っている者に、勇気とエールを与えてくれました。 

　それからもう一つは、オリンピックの聖火リレー到着式のイベントに参加予定であった吹奏楽部のことです。昨年はコロナで中止、今年こそはと練習してきたのですが、県内特に松山での感染者が急増したため直前で中止となりました。しかし、聖火リレーのスポンサー企業から当日の演奏で着用予定であったＴシャツを寄贈してくれることになったのです。当日、体育館前で、夕日を背に受け、吹奏楽部全員がＴシャツに身を包み満面に笑みをたたえながらパレード用特別車両に上りました。シャツの赤色と車両に書かれてある東京五輪の文字が一層鮮やかに見えました。その企業の代表者から、生徒の応対のすばらしさや礼儀正しさを誉めていただき、この企画を思いついて本当に良かったと言ってくれました。実はその代表者が、私の若い頃の教え子であるということもわかり、このイベントは私にとっても思い出深いものとなりました。 

　コロナで先行き不透明な日々が続きますが、大きな目標を掲げて頑張りましょう。 

　When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

　Did you have a good time during the Golden Week? The week may have made you want to travel somewhere, but I imagine you had to endure days of not being able to go out to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. As for me I harvested horsebeans and potatoes in the field behind my house, prepared the soil for new summer vegetables such as cucumbers, eggplants, tomatoes, etc. and planted those seedlings. It's already been a month since the new school year started. Have you gotten used to your new school environment? The midterm examinations will be coming up soon, so I hope that you will change your life style from the holidays, and get back into the rhythm of your usual school life and do your best. 　Last month, there were two events that made me forget the unpleasant mood of the Corona disaster for a moment. One of them was golfer Hideki Matsuyama from Ehime winning the Masters Tournament, making him the first Japanese man to win a major. He has experienced many failures and defeats, gone through difficulties, and tried his best to overcome his weaknesses and shortcomings. I think he has grown a lot as a person by thinking, "I'm not ready yet as a man as well as a golfer." He said that he was nervous until the very end of the competition, but he had set a big dream and goal and worked hard, overcoming various difficulties to achieve this victory. His achievement gave courage not only to the students who are doing club activities, but also to those who are working hard with their own dreams and goals. 　The other is related to the brass band club which was scheduled to participate in the Olympic torch relay arrival ceremony. Last year the ceremony was cancelled due to Corona, and they had been practicing for this year's event, but it was cancelled at the last minute due to the rapid increase in the number of infected people in our prefecture, especially in Matsuyama. However, a sponsor company of the torch relay said it would donate the T-shirts to be worn during the performance. On that day, in front of the gymnasium, under the glow of the setting sun, all the members of the brass band climbed into a special parade car wearing the T-shirts with big smiles on their faces. The red color of the shirts and the words "Tokyo Olympics" written on the car looked very vivid. The representative of the company praised the wonderfulness and politeness of the students, and said that it was really good to come up with this event. Actually, the representative was a student of mine when I was a young teacher, so this event became a memorable one for me. The future of Corona will continue to be uncertain, but let's set a big goal and do our best. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.