未来の教師へのラブレター【前編】
2026年3月24日 00時01分拝啓、この手紙、読んでいるあなたは、どこでなにをしているのだろう
Dear future teachers, I wonder where you are and what you are doing as you read this letter.
日本のミュージシャンであるアンジェラ・アキさんは、「手紙」という楽曲の中でこう歌います。誰にも話せない悩みを持つ15歳の僕が、未来の自分にならと「誰の言葉を信じ歩けばいいのか？」思いの全てを素直に打ち明けます。すると未来の僕から「自分の声を信じ歩けばいい、自分とは何でどこへ向かうべきか、問い続ければ見えてくる」と答えがきます。こんな自分どうしの、時を超えたやりとりが歌われているこの曲の最後は、今の僕の声とも未来の僕の声とも受け取れる、そんな言葉で締めくくられています。今回、「未来の教師へのラブレター」を執筆させていただけることになってから、ずっとこの曲が頭の中を駆け巡っています。
Japanese musician Angela Aki sings these words in her song "Tegami" (Letter). As a 15-year-old with worries He couldn't share with anyone, He honestly confessed all his thoughts to his future self, asking, "Whose words should I believe in as I walk forward?" His future self responded, "Just believe in your own voice and walk forward. If you keep asking yourself who you are and where you're going, you'll see it." The song, which sings of this exchange between two selves across time, ends with words that could be interpreted as the voice of both my current self and my future self. Ever since I was asked to write a "love letter to future teachers," this song has been running through my head.
世界を代表する大投手ダルビッシュ選手。彼は若い頃、不甲斐ないピッチングでノックアウトされ打ちひしがれた経験があります。その時、このまま自分がダメになったらどんな未来が待っているのだろう？40歳の自分を想像してみたそうです。できることがなく、食うものにも困り、ホームレスとなった惨めな惨めな姿でした。すると神様が現れこう告げたそうです。「あの頃に戻りたいか？１回だけチャンスをやろう。その代わり、できることを全部やらなければ、またここに戻すぞ。」それ以来、彼は自分のことを、神様のおかげでやり直しを認められた存在だと思うようにしたのだそうです。そしてその後その日なすべきことは全てやり抜くようにした結果、輝かしい今日の姿があるのです。
Darvish is one of the best pitchers in the world. As a young man, he was in a slump, knocked out, and devastated. "If I continue to fail like this, what kind of future awaits me?" he wondered, imagining himself at age 40. He found himself in a miserable situation, with nothing to do, no food to eat, and no home. Then God appeared and said, "Do you want to go back to those days? I'll give you one chance. In return, do everything you can, or you'll be sent back here again." Since then, he's come to see himself as someone who was given a second chance thanks to God. Since then, he's worked hard to accomplish everything he needed to do, and that's how he became who he is today.
In these ways, exchanging letters across time can be a catalyst for great personal growth.
未来の先生方に何を伝えよう？私自身、過去の先生から受け取った大切なラブレターが心の中にあります。それは1945年、広島・長崎に原爆を受け、首都東京も大空襲で焼け野原となり、これまでの誤った方向性にようやく日本人が気づかされた時の話です。全てが焼き尽くされた野原に子どもたちを集め、教科書もノートも鉛筆もない中、「学ぶことを止めてはならない」と未来への希望を語り続けた先生がいらっしゃいました。名もないひとりの教師の話ではありますが、その逸話は、40年前に私が教師としてのスタートを切った時に聞いて以来、ずっと心の中に残っているラブレターなのです。これこそが真の教育であり、教育の原点であると確信しました。
教師がチョーク一本で語りながら板書し続けて、生徒はひたすらそれを書き写す。そんな授業スタイルを「チョーク＆トーク」といいます。与えられたミッションをいち早く正確にこなす、そんな優秀な労働力を育成する必要のあった戦後から高度経済成長の時代においては、それが最も効率の良い授業スタイルだったのです。ところが知識偏重教育の終焉そしてAI時代の到来を迎え、社会から求められる生徒像が大きく変わり、かつての授業スタイルは徐々に姿を消しつつあります。仮に災害や紛争などになってICT機器など最新の教育機器が使えないような状況になったとしても、チョーク１本でどれだけ生徒を惹きつけ希望を持たせることができるのか？我々教員に課せられた使命であり、これこそが「チョーク＆トーク」の真髄であると思います。
そんな全てを失うことなんてありえないけれど、もしそうなったら子供たちのために自分には何ができるのだろう？ずっと問い続けてきた気がします。でもまさかそれが現実のことになろうとは・・・。そう私たちは、2024年の能登半島地震で、全てを失ったのです。「お前が思う教育とはどのようなものだ？やってみろ！」神様にそう言われているような気がしました。
What should I say to you? I hold in my heart a precious love letter I received from a teacher of the past. It is a story from 1945, when Hiroshima and Nagasaki were hit by atomic bombs, the capital Tokyo was reduced to ashes by massive air raids, and the Japanese people finally became aware of the misguided direction they had been taking. There was a teacher who gathered children together in the burnt-out field, and, despite having no textbooks, notebooks, or pencils, continued to speak of hope for the future, saying, "We must never stop learning." It is the story of a nameless teacher, but this anecdote is a love letter that has remained in my heart ever since I heard it 40 years ago when I started my teaching career. I became convinced that this is true education and the origin of education.
The teacher uses a single piece of chalk to talk and write on the board, while the students simply copy what they've written. This teaching style is called "chalk and talk." It was the most efficient teaching style during the postwar and high-growth era, when there was a need to cultivate a highly skilled workforce capable of completing assigned tasks quickly and accurately. However, with the end of knowledge-based education and the arrival of the AI era, the type of student society expects has changed dramatically, and this old teaching style is gradually disappearing. Even if a disaster or conflict occurs and ICT and other cutting-edge educational equipment become unavailable, how much can we still attract students and inspire them with a single piece of chalk? This is the mission we teachers have been tasked with, and I believe it lies at the very heart of "chalk and talk."
It's impossible to lose everything like that, but if that were to happen, what could I do for my children? I feel like I've been asking myself this question for a long time. But I never thought it would happen... And so, we lost everything in the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake. "What do you think education is? Go ahead and try it!" I felt like God was telling me that.
未来の先生がたに贈るラブレター、地震があった日からのダイアリー形式で綴ります。
This love letter to future teachers is written in diary format, starting from the day of the earthquake.
【１月２日January 2nd】
日本には、お正月にその年のしあわせを神社に祈る「初詣」という習慣があります。2024年１月１日午後４時、私は能登半島で一番大きなお社、「気多大社」を詣でていました。おみくじを引きました。「大凶、全てを失う、何もかも、大地は裂け、炎に包まれ、波にさらわれるだろう」もしこう書かれていたとしても、きっと一笑に伏していたことでしょう。
お城や神社仏閣は、かなり地盤のしっかりした場所に建てられているので、ちょっとやそっとの地震ではほとんど揺れないものですが、その時は地球が割れたのかと思うくらい、それほど激しい揺れに襲われました。一年のしあわせを祈ったそのわずか10分後のことでした。津波警報が発令され、一目散に神社の裏山に駆け上りました。「そのうち警報が解除されたら家へ帰ろう。」軽く考えていたのですが、一向に警報は解除されず、そのうちあたりは真っ暗に、そして凍える寒さとなってきました。
「たしかこの山を登ったところに公共の宿泊施設があったはず、もしかしたら避難所になっているかも。」一縷の望みをかけて山を登りました。遠くに灯りが見えてきました。助かった・・・。みんなと力を合わせて避難民の受け入れやトイレの水の確保などの世話をしながらテレビを見ると、そこに映し出されたのは、炎に包まれる故郷の姿でした。見慣れた風景、紛れもなく我が家がまさに炎に呑みこまれようとする瞬間でした。なす術もなく、残してきた年老いた両親の無事を祈りながら、夜が明けるのを待ちました。
In Japan, there is a custom called "hatsumode," where people visit shrines on New Year's Day to pray for happiness in the coming year. At 4 p.m. on January 1, 2024, I was visiting Keta Taisha, the largest shrine on the Noto Peninsula. When I drew my fortune, what if it said, "Very bad luck. You will lose everything. The earth will be torn apart, engulfed in flames, and swept away by waves?" If I had read something like that, I would probably have laughed it off.
Castles, shrines, and temples are built on fairly solid ground, so they hardly shake at all during small earthquakes, but at that time, we were hit by such violent shaking that we thought the earth had split open. This happened just 10 minutes after we had prayed for happiness for the year. A tsunami warning was issued, so we ran as fast as we could up the mountain behind the shrine. "I'll just go home when the warning is lifted," I thought to myself, but the warning never got lifted, and soon it was pitch black and freezing cold.
"I'm sure there's a public accommodation facility just up the mountain, maybe it's being used as an evacuation shelter." With a glimmer of hope, I climbed the mountain. Then I saw lights in the distance. We were saved... As we all worked together to take in the evacuees and secure water for the toilets, I turned on the TV and saw my hometown engulfed in flames. It was a familiar scene, and it was the moment when our home was undoubtedly about to be engulfed in flames. With no way to do anything, I waited for dawn to break, praying for the safety of my elderly parents, whom I had left behind.
焼け野原と化した街を見に行きました。あちこちでまだ煙がくすぶっていましたが、一面焼き尽くされた隅っこに我が家がポツンと残っていました。東日本大震災の時の「奇跡の一本松」を思い出しました。でも実は焼け残ったのは奇跡でもなんでもないのです。こんな大火災になった時は、街区の端っこの家にとにかく水をかけて、そこで延焼を食い止めるのだそうです。確かに道を隔てた先には炎が燃え広がった形跡は見られませんでした。我が家は水浸しになりながら、なんとかここで炎を食い止めようと、そして街を全焼から救おうと、必死で持ちこたえていたのです。その姿を目にして、自分もしっかりしないと、生徒のために何ができるか考えないと・・・、力が湧いてくるのを感じました。「本当によくやった。」褒めてやりました。家が返事を返してくれました。そんな気がしました。
The next morning, I took six hours to get home, a route that normally takes about an hour. Along the way, I saw many cars buried under the rubble and cars that had fallen into ravines.
I went to see the burnt-out cityscape. Smoke was smoldering everywhere, but my house stood alone in a corner of the burnt-out wasteland. It reminded me of the "Miracle Pine Tree" from the Great East Japan Earthquake. However, in reality, it was no miracle that my house survived. In a fire this large, people pour water on houses on the edge of the block to prevent the fire from spreading. Indeed, there was no sign of the fire spreading to the road. My house, though soaked, held on for dear life, contained the flames, and protected the town from being burned down. Seeing this, my heart ached, reminding me that I too must try harder, that I must think about what I can do for my students. "You've done well," I praised my house. It felt like my house responded in kind.
【１月３日 January 3rd】
昨日から、学校に泊まり込むこととしました。私の他には教頭先生と若い先生がひとり。教頭先生は私と同じく校舎で寝泊まりし、帰省し損ねた若い先生は自分の車で車中泊です。情報科の教員である彼がいてくれたおかげで、４日には校内LANが復旧しました。何日にも及ぶ車中泊でしたが、彼は弱音を見せず気丈に振舞いました。それでも後日その時のことをこのように語っていました。「夜中に車の中でひとりになると泣いていました。」つらい日々をどうして耐えられたのか、その原動力を尋ねると「教師としての誇りです。」彼は力強くそう答えました。危機的な状況になると、教師としての高い責任感があるかどうかを浮き彫りにしてくれます。
From the next day onwards, I slept at the school. Other than me, there was the vice principal and one young teacher. The vice principal, like me, slept in the school building, while the young teacher slept in his car. Thanks to him, an information science teacher, the school's network was restored on the 4th. Despite sleeping in his car for several days, he showed no signs of slowing down and worked hard. Looking back on that time, he said, "When I got in the car alone in the middle of the night, tears welled up in my eyes." When I asked him what motivated him to get through those difficult days, he answered with a strong voice, "Pride as a teacher." Crisis situations clearly demonstrate a teacher's strong sense of responsibility.
【１月４日 January 4th】
灯りのない被災地では、他になんにもすることがなく、その代わり星空が本当に綺麗です。夏目漱石は、「I love you」を翻訳するときに「月が綺麗ですね。」と訳しました。日本人は面と向かって目を見つめて「愛している」とは言わずに、ふたりで同じ方向を向いて、美しい情景に想いを乗せて伝えるのです。「星が綺麗ですね。」と語りかけた時「星は綺麗ですね。」と応えられると悲しくなります。一番ドキドキするのは「今なら手が届くかもしれませんよ。」こんなことゆっくり考える時間もできました。
There is no light in the disaster-stricken areas and nothing to do, but instead the starry sky is truly beautiful. When Natsume Soseki translated "I love you," he said, "The moon is beautiful, isn't it?" Japanese people don't say "I love you" by looking someone in the eye, but rather they face the same direction together and convey their feelings through a beautiful scenery. When I say, "The stars are beautiful, aren't they?" and they reply, "Only the stars are beautiful, but…", I feel sad. When someone says, "If you reach out your hand, I'm sure you can reach me," my heart pounds the hardest. It was a time that made me think about such things.
【１月15日 January 15th】
できることは限られていますが、みんなで工夫を凝らしながら、学校再開に向けて準備を進めています。「丁寧に」「みんな揃って」「絶対間違えなく」これまでの教育から、「ポイントを絞り」「できることから」「とにかく走り出す」新しい時代の教育に舵をとる絶好の機会と捉えています。
Although there is only so much we can do, we are all working together to come up with creative solutions and making preparations for the reopening of the schools. We see this as a golden opportunity to shift from the traditional approach of education, which has been based on carefulness, everyone working together, and making absolutely no mistakes, to a new era of education, where we focus on key points, start with what we can do, and just get going.
【１月１８日 January 18th】
本来であれば、９日に３学期の始業式が行われるはずでした。
本日ようやく校舎の安全が確認され、生徒の登校が認められました。この日を待ち侘びていました。コロナによるパンデミックにより学校が閉鎖されていた後、学校が再開された時に登校してくる生徒たちが見せてくれた笑顔が、ずっと頭から離れずにいたからです。生徒は学校が大好きなのです。
この日学校に来られたのは、およそ300人の全校生徒のうち20人ほど。水道がなく洗濯ができないので、制服着て来なくていいよ、着の身着のままでいいよと伝えてあったのですが、一人だけ制服を着て来た子がいました。お母さんがこれだけ持って逃げてくれたのだそうです。「他にもっと大切なものあったでしょ」って思いますが、親ってそんなもんなんです。子どもをきちんと学校に通わせたい。いつだって、子どものことを真っ先に考えるもんなんです。学校の責任の重さをひしひしと感じました。
The opening ceremony for the third term was originally scheduled for the 9th.
Today, the safety of the school building was finally confirmed, and students were allowed to return to school. I had been waiting for this day for a long time. The smiles on the faces of the students as they returned to school after the reopening following the school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic have never left my mind. Students love school.
On this day, only about 20 of the approximately 300 students were able to come to school. Because there is no running water and laundry is not possible, we had told students they did not need to wear their uniforms and that they could just wear the clothes they were wearing. However, one student showed up wearing her uniform. Apparently, her mother had escaped with only this item. You might think, "There must have been other things more important," but that's just how parents are. “I want my child to attend school properly. My children's needs always come first. “I really felt the weight of the school's responsibility.
I was reminded of the story of the "red school bags" that occurred during the Great East Japan Earthquake. It happened on March 11th. All of the brand new school bags for first graders who were about to attend their school entrance ceremonies were washed away. However, a mother found a red school bag among the rubble and managed to save it. Since there was no running water, she washed it in a puddle, but the school bag was too scratched to be cleaned. All first graders were given new school bags. The mother's child also wore the new school bag to the school entrance ceremony. However, the child never touched the school bag again. From the next day, the school bag that the child took to school was the scratched school bag that the mother had found. On graduation day, the child apparently said, "Thank you, Mom. I was able to work hard for six years thanks to your school bag."
【２月５日 February 5th】
輪島高校内に、市内の小中学校を受け入れることとしました。幼児教育の施設が既につくられていたので、幼少中高が一堂に学ぶスクールクラスターとなります。小学校一年生の教室にはちっちゃいちっちゃい机と椅子が運び込まれました。
今回大人でさえ怖かった地震、小学生にはなおのことです。子どもたちの苦しみや悲しみは、はかり知れないものがあります。災害を経験した子どもたちがこのつらい時期を乗り越えるためには、大人が正しい知識を持ち子どもたちの傷ついた心を理解して、愛情のこもったケアをしていくことが大切です。
今回の地震と火災は、子どもたちから、大切な人、家と部屋、仲良しのペット、お気に入りのぬいぐるみ、大好きな毛布、いろんなものを奪いました。子供達の小さな胸はその時の恐ろしさで今でもいっぱいです。だからこそ、今回の小中学校の受け入れに踏み切りました。お兄ちゃんやお姉ちゃんと同じ学校に通えると、少しだけ安心できるでしょう。ご家族もきっとその方が安心でしょう。
It was decided that an elementary and junior high school would have classes at Wajima High School in the city. Because early childhood education facilities were already in place, the school cluster would accommodate students from kindergarten through high school. Small desks and chairs were brought into the first-grade classrooms. The earthquake was frightening for adults, but even more so for elementary school students. The children's suffering and grief are immeasurable. To help children who experienced the disaster overcome this difficult time, it is important for adults to have the right knowledge, understand the emotional pain, and watch over them with love.
The earthquake and fire took so much from children: loved ones, homes, rooms, beloved pets, favorite stuffed animals, and favorite blankets. The fear of that time still lingers in the young hearts of these children. That is why we decided to accept this elementary and junior high school. Attending the same school as their older students will provide a sense of security for the children, and it will also provide greater peace of mind for their families.
【２月14日 February 14th】
「上から降ってきた復興計画にはそのまま乗っかるな！自分たちが将来住む街だから、自分たちの手でつくろう！」雪がチラつく寒い日、全校生徒を、と言っても学校に来られていたのはほんの数十人だったのですが…、とにかく集めてそう語りかけました。冷たい地べたに丸くなって座った生徒たちは、思いの丈を口にしあいました。「これからどうしよう？」「もうダメかもしれない」輪高生の街づくりプロジェクト『街プロ』の始まりでした。『街プロ』は、探究型の授業スタイルで、これまでの知識伝達型の授業とは大きく異なり、当然教師の関わり方も大きく変わりました。
"Don't be fooled by the government's reconstruction plans! Let's build this town we'll be living in with our own hands!" That's what I said to the entire school, just a few dozen students, who had arrived at school on a cold, snowy day. Forming a circle on the cold ground, the students poured out their thoughts. "What should we do now?" "It might already be too late." This was the beginning of Wajima High School's town redevelopment project, "MachiPro." Implemented as an inquiry-based class that was very different from previous knowledge-transfer-based classes, "MachiPro" naturally brought about a major change in the relationship between teachers and students.
「教師は五者たれ」という昔からの言葉があります。教師として求められる資質を表しています。
（１）教師たる者『学者』たれ
「教える人」は、一生「教わる人、学び続ける人」であり続ける必要があります。「学ぶことをやめた人が決定権を持った時、『老害』が生まれる」と云われます。『現状維持』や『前例踏襲』はもはや『退化』です。
（２）教師たる者『医者』たれ
生徒が「どこで躓き、何が理解できていないのか」適切に観察し診断する必要があります。医者がパソコンの画面ではなく患者をしっかり観る必要があるのと同じように、教師が見つめるのはパソコンの画面ではなく生徒であるべきです。
（３）教師たる者『易者』たれ
生徒の良い点や優れた点を的確に見定め、様々な選択肢を提示することで、『無限の可能性』があることに気づかせてあげることが大切です。
（４）教師たる者『役者』たれ
教室という『舞台』で、いろんな役まわりを演じます。『見せる授業』から『魅せる授業へ』。惹きつける魅力ある授業で生徒を釘付けにします。
（５）教師たる者『芸者』たれ
「なぜ教師になったの？」この質問をすると、「この教科が好きだから」「この部活を教えたいから」とたいていの教員は答えます。「どうして好きになったの？」圧倒的に多くの先生からは「あの先生に教えてもらったから」と興味を持たせ楽しませてくれた教師の名前が挙がります。人を育てるのは人なのです。
In Japan, there's an old saying that a teacher should have five qualities. This describes the qualities expected of a teacher.
(1) Teachers should be "scholars."
A teacher must remain a "student, a person who continues to learn" throughout their life. It's said that "old people become a burden" when those who stop learning have decision-making power. Maintaining the status quo and following precedent is now considered "degeneration."
(2) Teachers should be "doctors."
A teacher must accurately observe and diagnose where students are struggling and what they don't understand. Just as a doctor focuses on the patient, not the computer screen, a teacher should focus on the student, not the computer screen.
(3) Teaches should be "fortune tellers."
It's important to accurately identify students' strengths and present them with various options, helping them realize their own "infinite potential."
(4) Teachers should be "actors."
Teachers play various roles on the "stage" that is the classroom. From "showy lessons" to "engaging lessons." Captivate your students with captivating lessons.
(5) Teachers should be "entertainers."
When asked, "Why did you become a teacher?" most teachers answer, "Because I loved this subject" or "Because I wanted to teach this sport." When asked, "Why did you fall in love with that subject?" the overwhelming majority cite a teacher who intrigued and entertained them. "Because that teacher taught me." It is people who develop people.
To be continued