The importance of giving children a place to start over Saturday, April 21
●start over もう一度やりなおす
子どもたちに、もう一度やり直す場所がとても重要
I recently went to a photo exhibition in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward titled "Ima o Ikiru: Kodomotachi no Saisei to Kibo no Hikari" (Living in the present: The light of children's rehabilitation and hope). At the display, there were roughly 50 works centering around those of photographer Yuji Tozawa available for viewing.
東京・新宿で開催中の写真展に行ってきた。タイトルは「いまを、生きる－子供達の再生と希望のひかり」。写真家の戸澤裕司氏の作品を中心に５０点ほどが展示されている。
Many of you are probably thinking, what is "children's rehabilitation?" The photos taken are of the students of Hokusei Yoichi High School, which accepted those students who became unable to attend high school for reasons varying from psychological problems, becoming shut-ins, bullying, misconduct and developmental disorders and gave them a second chance surrounded by support from the school and the community. As the name of the school suggests, it is located in the Hokkaido town of Yoichi.
「子供たちの再生」って何？と多くの人が興味を持つだろう。写真は不登校、引きこもり、いじめ被害、非行、発達障害などさまざまな原因で高校に通えなくなった子どもを受け入れ、学校ぐるみ、町ぐるみで“生きなおし”をさせる北星学園余市高校の生徒たちを撮ったものだ。その名の通り、高校があるのは北海道余市町。
There are some that refer to the high school's policy as "mishmash education," but no matter what issues the student may be dealing with, regardless if they are in their teens or 20s, the school tries to have all of them take classes together. As far as academic level, health and motivation, it varies across the students, and on top of that, the school accepts applicants from all around Japan, so even the class is mixed right down to the level of hometowns.
●mishmash ごちゃ混ぜ、寄せ集め ●dealing with 対処する
●regardless それでも、とにかく ●as for as ～関する限りでは
●on top of that それに加えて、さらに
この高校の方針を“ごちゃ混ぜ教育”と呼んだ人がいるが、どんな問題を抱えた生徒も、年齢が１０代でも２０代でも、とにかくいっしょのクラスにする。学力も元気もやる気も、みんなバラバラ。さらには入学希望者は全国から集まるので、出身地さえバラバラだ。
Around 70 percent of the students come from outside the school district, and they are divided up among roughly 20 dorms within the town. The majority of these accommodations are run by couples who take care of the students as if they are their own children, preparing them three homemade meals a day and even occasionally scolding the students about things like lifestyle habits.
●dorm 下宿、寮 ●accommodation 宿泊施設 ●occasionally 時たま、時折
通学圏外から来る７割の生徒は、町内に２０軒近くある下宿に振り分けられる。下宿の多くは夫婦によって運営されており、下宿生は本当の子ども同然に世話をされ、三食手作りの食事をし、ときには生活習慣のことなどで叱られる。
Some new students say that they are shy when it comes to talking, but through classes, club activities, public speaking contests, school festivals and other events, group life at the dorms and additional efforts made by the members of the Yoichi community, the students come to realize that "people really can be trusted."
「話すのが苦手」という新入生もいるが、授業、部活、弁論大会や文化祭などの行事、下宿での集団生活、さらには町の人たちとの活動などを通して、生徒たちは「人間って信頼できるんだ」と気づいていく。
Among the photos exhibited, there is one in particular featuring a girl at an event with her arm wrapped around the shoulders of another girl who appears to be from a lower grade with a downcast expression. Another shows a bunch of boys living in one of the dorms outside the accommodation for what looks like a commemorative photo, and I couldn't help but smile at the sight of a weak-looking boy, a boy with his hair dyed blond and all the others striking the same pose together.
展示された写真に、うつむいた低学年らしき女子の肩を行事で隣に座った別の女子がそっと抱いている一枚があった。下宿の前で男子の入寮者たちが記念撮影風に撮った写真もあったが、気の弱そうな子も金髪の子も、みな同じようなポーズでキメていて、思わず笑ってしまった。
People can change, and they can have second chances. No matter the timing, it is possible for anyone to start over whenever they want. It can be said that Hokusei Yoichi High School is a concrete example of that fact; in some ways the very cutting edge of a classroom to learn about living.
人は変われるし、やり直せる。そのタイミングは、いつからでも誰といっしょでもだいじょうぶ。北星余市高校はそのことを実践してみせてくれる、ある意味で最先端の人生道場といえる。
However, the location of that classroom is Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost prefecture. Currently, both children and parents who wish to get a new start in their own hometowns is growing, and for several years now the number of students applying for Hokusei Yoichi is falling, and it has been reported that the school is in danger of closing. I also went to visit the high school and the dorms last year for myself, and I felt once again that there were many children and parents who needed a place like Hokusei Yoichi.
ただ、場所が北海道であること。それからいまの時代、親も子どもも「実家で」という希望が増えていることで、入学者数は減っており、数年前から存続の危機にあると報じられている。私も昨年、実際に高校や下宿を見に行って、「ここを必要としている子どもや親はたくさんいる」と改めて思った。
I can only hope the opportunity for a second chance at an education, the "mishmash education" offered by the high school which probably cannot be found anywhere else in Japan, will continue to shine in that northern town steeped in nature and culture for years to come. (By Rika Kayama, psychiatrist)
おそらく日本では例を見ない、やり直し教育、ごちゃ混ぜ教育の北星余市高校が、これからも自然と文化がいっぱいのあの北の町で輝き続けてほしい、と願っている。（香山リカ 精神科医）
風鈴さん 2017年3月18日のおぼえた日記 お節介教育の存続を
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