Anna Matsushita

    A Memory of Discovery Week   During my secondary school’s Discovery Week, we ventured deep into the Devon countryside. The itinerary promised athletic games followed by dinner, and then an unconventional night spent sleeping on the hillside.   Each of us was handed a large nylon sack, the kind that offered some insulation against the chill of the night. We were to spend the night nestled within them on the gently sloping ground of the campsite. The incline presented a mild challenge—throughout the night, I found myself slipping toward the bottom of the sack, though I managed to catch some sleep nonetheless.   At dawn, I stirred to the sight of my teacher chatting with one of my classmates. Dragging my nylon sack behind me, I shuffled over to join them. The teacher, as teachers often do, began firing questions. “Did you sleep well? How was yesterday’s athletic activity?”   I admitted that while the group games had been fun, the night ha...

  Permit me to share with you a reflection—an old woman’s monologue, if you like.   Long time ago, I was a student at an international school in London. It was a salad bowl of languages and cultures, an environment that left an indelible mark on my younger self.   Among my classmates was someone who often reached out to those struggling with English. Notably, all these students were Japanese. I recall thinking to myself at the time, "What a considerate and generous person he must be."   Then came a moment of discord that has lingered in my memory. Perhaps due to my own faltering grasp of English, I misinterpreted his words, believing him to be speaking ill of others. Hurt and indignant, I cut ties abruptly.   The following day, as I descended the staircase from the first floor to the ground floor, I overheard a conversation—one that has stayed with me ever since.   “You should stay us! If you stay with Japanese, your eyes will be slanted...

  About 40 years ago in Japan, School teachers were considered as highly respectable people, with high moral, someone to be admired. Children were expected to comply to teacher’s instruction, and had almost no doubt that they will not be misled by teachers.   Probably clever children might have come up with a different opinion, that teachers are human being after all, and they do make mistake and they do have moral problem.   As an average Japanese child grew up in 70’s and 80’s, I vaguely thought that school teachers are trustworthy.   Then came an encounter with an American teacher, who has changed my point of view.   I was at an international school in London, and on a first day of English literature class for EFL students, I was harassed by the American teacher and thrown out of the class room because my handwriting in English was not satisfactory.   The teacher also threw out another Japanese student, who previously attended the EFL...