What That "Goodbye" Taught Me: Scenes from a Graduation Ceremony and the Meaning of a Scrum

Hello, this is Papao.

Yesterday, I went to the hospital for my daughter's regular epilepsy checkup.
It's a routine every two months, but due to some circumstances, we took a slightly longer way home and passed by the neighborhood where we lived before we moved.

When we passed by the elementary school my daughter attended when she was in first grade, it happened to be right after the graduation ceremony, and there were many children in their formal attire along with their parents.

Some were taking pictures with their teachers, and others were holding their diplomas.
Thinking that my daughter will also graduate from elementary school in three years, this scene felt very deeply moving.

Now, naturally, I also had the event of graduating from elementary school in my past, but when I was in the sixth grade, I didn't like my homeroom teacher.

Back in the sixth grade, I was on crutches the whole time, and that homeroom teacher would carry me on his back to the schoolyard during evacuation drills, and I think he was very considerate of me during our school trip as well.

Why did I dislike him even though he did all that for me?
Actually, I don't really remember now... maybe it was just my age at the time.

That's why I honestly thought the "Farewell Party for Graduates" was a hassle, and I was only thinking about wanting to go home early to play Super Famicom, and when the party ended, I felt relieved, thinking, "Finally, it's over!"

In that party, the flow was for the graduates to shake hands with their homeroom teacher one by one as they left the venue at the end.

Thinking it was a hassle, my turn came.

The teacher shook my hand and looked straight into my eyes and said,

"Goodbye ^^"

He said that.

In that moment, for some reason, I burst into tears.

It wasn't like there was a special line just for me.
It was the same five-character "Goodbye" he said to everyone.
The handshake was the same, too.

But the teacher's direct gaze and expression felt like they were pushing me toward my future.

It sounds cliché when put into words, but I still vividly remember the feeling of that moment.

That teacher often used the phrase "form a scrum."

Maybe it was the influence of 'School Wars' given his generation.
I don't know much about it, but I think what he meant was, "Let's work together as a team toward a common goal."

But looking back now, this is a very important thing, isn't it?

It is, of course, true that enhancing individual strength is important.

However, individual strength is ultimately limited by the capacity of that single person.
No matter how hard you try, there is a limit to what one person can do alone.

There are truly many walls that cannot be overcome unless you join forces with those around you.

Conversely, if you join forces with those around you, you can overcome most walls, can't you?

While raising a child with a disability, there are many difficult things.

Both the child and the parents have limits to their individual strength, and if you try to shoulder everything alone, it becomes truly exhausting.

But I think that if we can connect with people who come to visit us here at MT Land, and with other parents in similar circumstances, and join forces toward the common goal of 'both parent and child becoming happy,' we will surely be able to manage things more enjoyably.

This might be exactly what that teacher meant by 'form a scrum.'

Yesterday, while watching a parent and child returning from a graduation ceremony, I was thinking about such things.

Remembering the words 'form a scrum,' I felt that it is indeed important not to shoulder the burden of child-rearing alone.

I have also written here about how our family has actually built support systems with those around us.

To all the graduates and parents, congratulations.

I believe that the teacher's 'goodbye' that day was not a word to keep looking back at the elementary school life that had ended, but a word to look forward and move ahead.

May all your joys and sorrows lead to a path that continues into a wonderful future.

And I hope that we, too, can walk the path that lies ahead while joining forces with everyone.

I hope this article leads to everyone's 'I did it!' moments!
If you'd like, please support my daughter with a like, follow, comment, or tip.
May tomorrow be another good day.