I attended the entrance ceremony of my continuing education institute. In Japan, school starts in April. Accordingly, cherry blossoms are often associated with entrance ceremonies. In Kobe, where the campus is located, cherry blossoms were just in full bloom. I felt it was the perfect day for starting my new academic life.
Luckily, I made friends with a nice woman. Although our majors were different, we had something in common. Both of us were involved in education.
At the ceremony, a professor delivered a speech from the perspective of a developmental psychologist, which was impressive and inspiring. According to him, many adolescent problems are caused by a lack of self-esteem. No one is born with self-esteem by nature. They can develop self-esteem only when they spend time with adults with high self-esteem. Therefore, we adults should have self-esteem so that we can inspire younger people in a good way.
His speech reminded me of my loving and tolerant teachers in my youth. They did not try to instruct me on what to do in detail by means of words. Instead, they just taught me what life was like by living by example. I was inspired and encouraged by them to start to live my own life. Before I knew it, I was older than they were. I wonder if I am as good of a teacher as they were. I want to study and teach with a modest attitude.
