2日目の朝は、研修生が最も楽しみにしていた基町小学校の訪問です。

基町小学校は全校生徒の約65％が外国籍を持つ子ども達で、多文化共生の教育と平和学習に特に力を入れています。

今年も、4年生の生徒達に、学校の平和の取り組みについて自分達で内容べた事を紹介してもらいました。研修生達は、その説明内容よりも、子ども達が作文用紙にしっかり書いたものを手に、時々詰まりながらも、写真を指で示したりしながら一生懸命話してくれる姿に驚き、写真に収めていました。フェリさんは、同じインドネシア国籍の子どもに出会い、愛おしそうに色々話していました。

 

文化流タイムには、生徒達から校内で育てている被爆樹についての歌を披露してもらったり、一緒に”かもめかもめ”で遊んだりしました。お礼に、バングラデシュのラジョンさんが、村でやっている子ども向けの遊び（？）を披露すると、ちょっと控えめだった子達（中国から来日してまだ2ヶ月で日本語が話せない子もいる）は、戸惑いつつ、最後には爆笑しながら盛り上がりました。

給食を生徒達と一緒に食べた後は、校長の二宮孝司さんから、研修生から出た質問に答えてもらいました。

 

午後は、2つのグループに分かれて、障害者の自立・就労支援施設「はぐくみの里」と、”ばっちゃん”こと、中本忠子さんが基町アパートの一角で運営する貧困家庭の子ども達への食事（+安心できる場）支援「食べて語ろう会」に訪問しました。

中本さんは、これまで４０年近く子ども達に食事を作り、彼（彼女）らが家庭や学校で抱える相談にのってきました。「嘘をつく子はダメ。補導された時、真実を言ってくれないと助けらんけぇ」

 

そう言うばっちゃんの目は厳しいけれど愛が溢れていました。「ばっちゃんの笑顔が一番好き」と話す18歳の少年は、これまで足りなかった何かを取り返すかのように、ずっとばっちゃんの傍にいました。話を聞いたタイのトーンさんは「自分はこれまで行政の職員として人びとの生活を

よくするために仕事をしてきたが、中本さんのように相手を思い、愛情を持って接してはこなかった。今後は人びとの気持ちを大事にしたい」と感想を言いました。

 

職員こくま（メイさんのブログは下記です）

 

 

In the morning on the second day, we went to one of the elementary schools. Our purpose for the visit was to observe how the school is promoting peace education among multicultural communities. Thanks a lot to the principle that he gave us time to share about his passion for his children. Why does this school need to promote peace education among multicultural backgrounds?

 

In this school, 65 % of total children come from other countries. For several years, there have been were cultural shocks and cultural discrepancies among school children. Some bully cases are rooted from this multiculturalism and the views of society in accepting diversities. Some children get anxiety or low self-esteem from inadaptability and bullies. Thus, the first prioritized objective of the school is to adopt Japanese school life and to study safely by enhancing their self-esteems.

To nurture self-esteem, first children are trained to understand the value of peace. We had observed that the concept of peace was depicted in art forms or posters in schools. In deed, children themselves were motivated to teach us about A-bombs (conflicts without peace) and Hibakujumoku, A-bomb survival trees (peace without conflicts). Second, when a problem occurs, children are the one who get trained to solve it by themselves except life and human rights issues. Third, they are trained to perform their abilities in the community in social events, for example,  Chinese traditional dance. Thus, how children can gain value and esteems from the local community. Fourth, school provides violin or piano classes as extracurricular activities despite bottleneck economy among children. That is just a brief story about the school.

Believe it or not! We ate our lunch with children in their classrooms separately. Our hearts became young again seeing love and laughter from children. We gave and brought great goodbyes to and from children. Next, two groups of us were designated to observe support group for children and mental disabilities facility. Let me conclude my blog here with rules made by children themselves, and the song we sang together with “people full of smiles and believe” at mental disability center.

1. Do not speak ill about someone’s physical appearance

2. Do not mock someone’s name

3. Do not talk bad about other identities

4. Seniors take care of juniors for school’ regulations

 

Name of song: Believe by Ryuichi Sugimoto San

Please listen to it from this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukO7HDmFI1M (Japanese)

When you are deeply hurt,　and losing your heart, I will always stand by you,

and hold you shoulder tight.

The earth is going around

with Hopes all over the world.

At the moment you open the door to the future,

Sadness and Pains will change

into happiness, some day.

I believe in future

and I am believing it.

When somebody beside you

is about to cry,

you may hold him by the arm,

and walk with him without any words.

We wish the earth covered with

all the kindness of the world.

If you could be gentle and calm down,

Longing and Love will fly high up in the sky

and burst into shining

I believe in future

and I’m believing it.

Now the time to open the door to the future.

I belive in future

and I am believing it.