“No I won’t be afraid, 
no I won’t be afraid,
just as long as as you stand, 
stand by me.”
Sung by Ben E. King

Kathy and I were sitting in the living room this morning enjoying a nice conversation prior to beginning our day. As is often the case, we had music playing on Pandora. Normally, the transition from one song to the next is something I passively notice, but to which I pay little attention. Every now and then, however, a song does grab my attention. This happened this morning.

The song Stand By Me, made popular by vocalist Ben E. King, began to play. My mind was immediately taken back to the sixth grade classroom of Shitzu Elementary School in Sotome, Japan. On my first visit to Nagasaki in the fall of 1998, my host student’s family lived in Sotome, a small town located on the coast of the island of Kyushu, about 45 minutes by bus from our sister school, Junshin Junior & Senior High School. Toward the end of my two-week visit, Saori, my host student, invited me to join her for a visit to the elementary school she had attended in her home town. She had mentioned to some of her former teachers that I would be visiting and they asked her to bring me to the school for a visit.

Of course, I can’t say enough about Japanese hospitality at all levels. I was treated like royalty during my visit to Shitzu Elementary School. I had a brief, informal visit with the principal, observed a couple of classes, joined the fourth grade class for a school lunch in their classroom, played a little soccer with some of the kids on the school yard during lunch recess, then concluded my day with a visit to the sixth grade classroom. The sixth grade teacher, Mr. Masatoshi Irie, and Saori were good friends.

Although the students at the school had not yet been introduced to speaking or reading the English language, Masatoshi spoke English fluently, so communicating with him was not a problem. I learned that in addition to his teaching job, he played guitar and performed in a local music group, as well. He seemed genuinely grateful that I had taken the time to visit his students. As I prepared to leave, Masatoshi informed me that he and his students had a surprise for me. I was totally unprepared for what happened next.

Masatoshi picked up his guitar and said something to the students in Japanese. They immediately stood up and faced me. Masatoshi began playing the tune to Stand By Me. Much to my surprise, the students then began to sing — in English! They sang the entire song, smiling as they sang. To say that I was a bit overwhelmed would be an understatement. I congratulated them on their performance and thanked them all profusely before exiting the classroom.

Since that memorable experience, every time, without exception, I hear the song Stand By Me, I think of that day and those beautiful children. The memory of seeing and hearing them sing for me 25 years ago is permanently embedded in my heart. I have so much for which to be grateful.