I didn’t go to school in elementary school.
This was because I was bullied by my homeroom teacher.
She was a very scary female teacher, and she would quickly become violent towards students.
For example, if a student forgot something, she would make them stand up and hit them over the head with a kendo sword in front of everyone.
I wonder if there are other teachers who would hit someone over the head with a kendo sword?
Even if they had simply forgotten something.
She also made students sit seiza in the cold hallway.
I’m about 8 years old, and I can’t count the number of times I cried in the hallway.
She would side with the energetic, strong students in the class and bully weaker, quieter students like me.
As a result, I was so scared of my homeroom teacher that I couldn’t go to school.
I can’t imagine how hurt I was.
Fortunately, my family understood my feelings, so I was able to cope.
It was during that time when I was not going to school that I decided to become a teacher.
I wanted to be the complete opposite of my homeroom teacher.
Many years have passed since then, and I’ve been a teacher for over 20 years now, but I still have the desire to value my students’ feelings and learn from their perspective.
There are still many teachers who use violence to suppress students.
I believe that using violence is despicable, no matter what.
At my school, a physical education teacher recently became involved in a problem after using violence against a student.
My motivation for becoming a teacher was very painful, but looking back now, I am truly happy every day to be able to do this job.
I feel this all the more because it is very difficult for people to find a job they love in Japan today.
