On Responsibility

　以下はちょっとした出版用に書いたエッセイです。以前、『約束のバトン』でも紹介したMaxine Greene と Thomas Sobol という二人の偉大な教授について書いたものです。また、これまた以前に紹介したResponsibilityという日本語エッセイの英語翻訳版でもあります。

The following is what I wrote for AERA-GS Graduate Studies Discussion Forum. It was originally a part of the teacher autobiography that I wrote for one course.                   

Daiyu

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     Taking Maxine Greene and Thomas Sobol’s classes this academic year was such an honor and luxury for me. These two giants, Professor Greene (age 91) and Professor Sobol (age 77) are indeed the heart of Teachers College. Having known where they have been and what they have done imparted extra gravity to each word they spoke. We students knew they were not in their best health conditions. But they taught us by their presence that what we were learning and what we would make of it will make every difference in the world. But, most important, they taught us what it means to live a responsible life.


     I have always thought of committing myself to education as my responsibility. Ever since I encountered Mr. Walker, the first teacher of my life, I became so eager to share what I was given by him. Later on, when I was teaching ESL in Japan, I came across the word origin of “responsibility.” I learned that it consisted of three parts: “re” (return), “spondere” (promise), and “ability” (ability). A strange sensation of comfort took over me. While unable to make a logical sense, I felt a strange sense of acceptance in my heart. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense to me.

     I interpreted the etymology in this way. The components imply a relationship between the giver and the given, where there is a sense of obligation in the latter to give back for what has been given. In this sense, this relationship assumes continuity and growth of capacity over time. It is also a relationship that is sustained by trust and a promise. On one hand, the giver waits, believing in the potentiality of the given. On the other hand, the given builds on what was entrusted to him and commits himself to returning the gratitude. Responsibility, then, is proactive in essence rather than reactive, internal instead of external. It emerges out of one’s appreciation, resolution, and the ability to live it.

     Teaching and pursuit of better education is a promise I have made in order to return gratitude to my teachers. Having witnessed Maxine Greene and Thomas Sobol define what it means to be responsible by the ways they have lived and continue to teach, my resolution is even stronger. Their promise has become a part of mine, and I owe them to fulfill this promise.