Kento Maeda: Y-kun's Prank

2025/03/26

"Maeken-san, I wrote a draft for my speech in the next class. Could you take a look at it?"

After a Japanese class one day, Y-kun, a third-year student at Chutobu Junior High School, approached me with a smile. He had a unique imagination but, to be honest, was not particularly good at Japanese. I was delighted by his newfound motivation to study, evidenced by his request for a draft check, and I began reading it gladly. However, my smile soon turned into a wry one.

"Y-kun, this is... ChatGPT!"

"Eh? No, well..."

"Y-kun, I'm not going to get angry."

"Yes! It's ChatGPT."

Y-kun, who confessed with a refreshing smile, obviously meant no harm. Out of curiosity, he had the AI write the draft and wanted to see if a Japanese teacher could tell. Since I didn't mind this kind of playful communication, I laughed along with the classmates who were watching.

Now, if Y-kun had given the AI slightly more skillful instructions, I might not have been able to conclude that the text wasn't his. In fact, if I were to make such a definitive claim and be wrong, it could create an irreparable rift. That is a risk one cannot easily take.

So, why was I able to say so with confidence to Y-kun at that time? It was because the unique atmosphere and specificity I felt through my daily communication with him were not reflected in the text at all. There was no way Y-kun would write something so dry and lifeless.

In this increasingly dominant AI era, how should Japanese teachers approach students' writing? Through this incident with Y-kun, I reaffirmed that it is essential to communicate daily and strive to understand each child's individuality. Looking back, the refreshing smile Y-kun had as he approached me now seems more like the expression of a prankster.

It has been 14 years since I began serving at Keio Chutobu Junior High School, a school that places the highest importance on human relationships. As I am still inexperienced, I must continue to devote myself to my work (afterward, Y-kun successfully submitted a draft that was truly his own).