Lunch with former students – going that extra yard.

On Monday I met with two former students for lunch at El Torito a Mexican restaurant in Shinjuku. Both students had studied together in the same class here at Asagaya for a few years, attended all of  the school’s parties and are both currently on holiday from the school.  It was great to be invited to join them after not seeing them since last year,  it was also terrific to see the friendship they had struck up at the school years before still continuing  beyond the classroom.

We met at 12:30pm and being a public holiday Shinjuku was fairly crowded however we were lucky and got a seat in the restaurant fairly quickly.  It was an enjoyable afternoon  as we shared a few laughs and caught up on the latest news over a nice but casual lunch,  it also provided them with a great opportunity  to practice their English.  When we said goodbye they expressed their appreciation for the time I had to take out out to see them,  however for me it was a not only a pleasure but also a  great chance to catch up with old friends and to express to them that I care about all of my students both past and present.  I feel that it’s these small things that we at Smith’s School of English do for our students that separate us from the competition out there especially in these current times.