Before Criticizing Students 先生は発言に気をつけてください

Japanese follows English.　英語の後に日本語が続きます。

When I was in the third grade of a junior high school, the classroom teacher said to me that I was too used to school transfers. I don't remember why he said it and whether or how I responded to it at that time, but it was obvious that he criticized me for being cold or indifferent to friends or others because of too many school changes and by that he insinuated that I had no empathy. I had gone to four elementary schools and three junior high schools and it’s true that I was accustomed to meeting new people and leaving them after a certain period of time.

Looking back now, however, one thing is clear. He was wrong as a teacher and an individual. I wasn't cold or indifferent to friends or others, but was protecting myself by keeping a distance from others. I had been hurt too much by many separations from friends and was no longer wanted to be hurt. It was not I, but this teacher who had no empathy or ability to understand a student who grew in a different environment from his.

If you are a teacher, you need to be very careful before criticizing students. It may be you, not the student who should be criticized and the student will never forget what you said.

担任の教師に「転校ずれ」していると言われたのは中学3年の時だ。どういう状況だったかは覚えていないが、あまりに転校が多かったせいで、人や友人に冷たい、無関心だとか言われ、暗に共感能力に欠けると非難されたことを覚えている。確かに転校の回数は多く、小学校は４校、中学校は３校に通った。

でも今は分かる。間違っているのはこの教師だ。教師としてでなく人としても。冷たかったわけでも、無関心だったわけでもない。友達との別れに傷つきすぎてもう傷つきたくなかっただけ、ただ自分を守るために人との距離を保ちたかっただけなのだ。自分と違う環境で育った生徒に対する共感能力がないのは教師の方だ。

もし、これを読んでいるあなたが教師なら、生徒を非難する前には少し考えてほしい。子供は教師の思う以上に傷ついている。そしてそのことを大人になっても覚えている。