#161 Things You Can Only Write Above the Clouds. - Almost in Brisbane

Right now, I am writing this text quickly on the plane while eating breakfast.

Outside the window, there are clouds as far as the eye can see. A beautiful sunrise view.
In just a little while, I will arrive in Brisbane, Australia.

Since leaving Japan, it has been a strange time—it felt long, yet it passed in the blink of an eye.

This trip is not for sightseeing. I have an important role: to accompany elementary school children as they take on a challenge abroad.

"Take them there safely, and bring them back safely."

That is my biggest mission above all else.

At the same time, I have a feeling that these 10 days will be a time of great learning for me as well.

Leaving school, leaving Japan, and living in an environment different from the usual. Even the teachers are doing homestays! That is exactly why there are things I will surely see.

The strengths of Japanese education.
The strengths of overseas education.
And my own assumptions.

I believe that assumptions only stop being assumptions once you step outside.The children coming with me this time are surely the same.

Will my English be understood?

Will I get homesick?
Will the food suit me?

While carrying various expectations and anxieties, they still took that first step.

A challenge is not "the absence of anxiety," but "moving forward even when there is anxiety."

I will surely see that side of the children many times over these 10 days.

I want to gently support them when they seem like they might get homesick, and by talking to them from time to time, I hope we can overcome this time together.

For the children, I hope this experience doesn't just end with "that was fun," but becomes 10 days that lead to...the confidence that "I could do it myself."And I, too, want to bring back a lot of learning as an educator and as a human being.

We are landing soon.

The 10 days that start from here.

What kind of encounters are waiting?

What kind of scenery will I see?
With excitement and a little nervousness in my heart, here I go.🇦🇺✈️

#note
#teacher
#elementaryschoolteacher
#education
#overseastraining
#australia
#homestay
#chaperone
#childrenschallenge
#learning