15 years since the Great East Japan Earthquake. To you, the 12-year-olds who don't know that time, what I want to tell you this morning

Today, March 11th, marks 15 years since the Great East Japan Earthquake.

The sixth-grade students I teach are 12 years old. In other words, they are a generation born after the earthquake. They have no memory of that time, of course, and only know this day as 'history' from television and textbooks.

It might be a somewhat heavy theme, but precisely because it is this time of year, and precisely because it is today, I want to share this in our morning meeting with the hope that it might change the children's mindset for the day, even if just a little.

Morning talk: Making this ordinary day the 'best' day

Today is March 11th. It has been 15 years since the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Since this happened before you were born, you don't know about it firsthand, right?
There were many people for whom their 'ordinary' daily lives suddenly stopped being ordinary.

But you know, the fact that you are all sitting here right now means that
from within that sorrow, each person at that time held some kind of wish,
and there are 'days upon days' that were built up by people who did their best to carry on life.

For you all, today might just be an 'ordinary day.'
I want you to make this ordinary day
'Ah, today was a wonderful day too'
a day you can feel grateful for.

Life has been passed down, and you are here now.
That is exactly why, for this ordinary day that is today,
let's all put our hearts into making it the 'best' day.

Hoping a quiet flame lights up in the children's hearts

Rather than emphasizing the tragedy of the earthquake to scare them, I want them to realize the 'value of the daily life they are living now.' I hope that a quiet flame of 'let's live today with care' will light up in their hearts.

I hope that for you all as well, today will be an ordinary yet 'best' day.

*Postscript: I tried creating slides with NotebookLM♪