[Short Story] It was "The answer will come in 10 years" that lit a fire in my heart. ── The day I, a new teacher, felt discouraged

I was discouraged.
My own incompetence made me feel as if my chest were being crushed.

This is the staff room of an elementary school.
I was hired as an elementary school teacher and had just started my post in April. I aspired to be a teacher because I admired my own homeroom teacher from elementary school. I wanted to be surrounded by cute children and do a job that was fun and rewarding. I held such ideals. Despite being a newcomer, I was put in charge of Class 3-3, and I began my dream life as a teacher.

However, reality was different. Balancing homeroom duties while undergoing new teacher training was far more difficult than I had anticipated. While handling homeroom tasks, I had to manage school-wide duties—even if they were few—and work on training assignments, all of which kept me dizzyingly busy. Furthermore, it seemed I had more responsibilities than my peers assigned to other schools, and my workload was clearly heavier.

Still, because this was the job I wanted, I kept my spirits up and pushed through. However, after Golden Week ended, I just couldn't get my body to move. I spent every day dragging my uncooperative body to work.

Between the unfamiliar tasks and the mountain of work, I finally made a mistake in dealing with a parent. I forgot to contact the parent of a student who had been injured. I only realized it when I received a call from the parent in the evening. That was when I was scolded by a parent for the first time.

"What do you think of my child?"
"If this happens again, I will report you to the Board of Education."

According to what I heard later from the grade head, that parent was someone you had to be extremely careful with, to the point that they were a topic of conversation in the staff room. There was even an urban legend-like rumor that they had once actually stormed into the Board of Education and made the teacher at the time cry.

I remembered being told something like that, but with the intense work lately, it had completely slipped my mind. Even though I had confidence in my memory, I couldn't believe I had let something so important slip through the cracks.

That wasn't all. The fact that I had angered a parent weighed heavily on me. I had intended to apologize sincerely, but I didn't feel like I had been forgiven.

Carrying that dark feeling, I tried to start on my remaining tasks. However, the shock of being scolded by the parent lingered, and my brain wouldn't work at all.

Then, Mr. Ogawa, a senior teacher who was also in charge of a third-grade class, spoke to me.

"Nakamura-sensei, why don't we go for a change of pace? Let's go to a nearby coffee shop for just a little while."

"A change of pace, you say?"

"It's written all over your face that you're tired. Let's go!"

With that, Mr. Ogawa put me in his car and took me to a coffee shop outside the school district. The sky was already past twilight, and the darkness of night was closing in.

When we sat down, a small bag of peanuts was brought out along with our water. As I stared at the bag, Mr. Ogawa said,

"I moved here from Kansai for work, so I was surprised when I was first served peanuts at a coffee shop. But apparently, it's standard in Aichi Prefecture."

"Is that so! I thought peanuts were served as a matter of course at coffee shops all over Japan."

"I'm completely used to it now. But at first, I didn't know and was surprised."

As I drank the coffee that had been brought to us, I chewed on the peanuts. I felt like my tension had eased a little thanks to the soft sweetness and slight bitterness of the peanuts.

“Mr. Nakamura, you’ve been looking tired lately. Are you getting enough rest?”

Mr. Ogawa asked.

“I rest at home. But if I don’t come in on my days off, I can’t finish my work.”

I answered, reflecting on the past two months. My days off are practically non-existent; sometimes I come in just for the morning to work in the staff room. I have no motivation at home, so it’s more efficient to come to work. However, I’m also aware that I shouldn’t be doing this, especially since I’ve been told not to increase my overtime hours.

Then, Mr. Ogawa said, as if reminiscing about the past.

“I was like that too, back in the day. I used to come in on my days off to work. But after I got married and started raising children, I couldn’t do that anymore, so I changed the way I work.”

── Change the way I work? What does that mean?

I couldn’t imagine it. Can I really change the way I work when I’m already overwhelmed? I’m so stretched thin that I’ve never even thought about it.

Mr. Ogawa continued.

“I organized my desk thoroughly to ensure a clear workflow, and I decided to always finish things three days before the deadline, focusing on the task at hand. I realized that while chatting with colleagues in the staff room is important for communication, it was actually wasting a lot of time. It’s important, but you have to keep it in moderation.”

I couldn’t help but ask.

“How do I go about changing the way I work? I feel like I have to do this and that, and everything ends up half-finished.”

Then Mr. Ogawa taught me.

“I’m not sure if this method will suit you, Mr. Nakamura, but the basics are to first list out all the work you have on your plate. Next, prioritize the tasks. You can even go by deadline. And, don’t start another task until the one you’re working on is finished. If you do that, you’ll find that your work gets done surprisingly well.”

“Don’t start another task, you say?”

That was surprising to me. I had thought that people who could multitask were the ones getting work done faster. I had admired that and tried to do everything at once, and I was certainly always bothered by the fact that all my work ended up half-finished.

“Teachers have a lot to do. So, if you don’t find a way that works for you and get through your tasks, you’ll burn out. If your current way of working isn’t going well, I think you should change your method.”

What Mr. Ogawa said made perfect sense. In fact, I feel like I’m about to break down with my current way of working. Maybe I should try Mr. Ogawa’s method.

However, why did Mr. Ogawa go out of his way to teach me this? I was curious, so I asked. Mr. Ogawa smiled and answered.

“It’s because I don’t want you to end up like I was when I was a rookie. I was a mess, juggling work, and I was always getting scolded by the head teacher. But since there was no one to teach me, I studied by reading business books on my own—about time management and such. I hope that young people like you don’t have to go through that struggle and can work with vitality. You know, there’s a shortage of teachers, after all. It’s better to have more allies, right?”

Mr. Ogawa slowly sips his coffee.

"Also, this is something a senior colleague told me when I was young, so I'll share it with you in confidence."

Then, Mr. Ogawa looked me straight in the eye and said,

"It's important to take the long view, thinking that the answer to education is, 'The answer comes in 10 years.'"

I was taken aback. "The answer comes in 10 years" feels like such a long time, but what does that mean?

Mr. Ogawa laughed.

"Ms. Nakamura, you look so surprised."

"Well, I mean, isn't 10 years a long time?"

The words slipped out before I could stop them.

"I said the exact same thing to my senior colleague."

Mr. Ogawa replied with a smile.

"My senior said that education is an investment in the future. They said you'll know the answer based on how the children have grown in 10 years. This applies not just to teachers but to parents as well; it means that even if they don't listen to you right away, you shouldn't give up on teaching them, but rather keep at it patiently, and they will come to understand in 10 years."

I was drawn in by the passionate way Mr. Ogawa spoke.

"I didn't really get it when I first heard it either, but I recently had the chance to meet a student I used to teach. They were working in a respectable job. That was when I truly realized that the answer to education comes in 10 years."

"Wow, so when you've been a teacher for a long time, things like that happen."

"Yes. I think there are times when you can't find meaning in the teaching work you're doing right now. But if you can think of it as an investment in the future, and that the answer will come in 10 years, doesn't your perspective change a little?"

I see. Even in the mundane tasks I'm doing now, there are seeds that will help the children live 10 years from now. I had thought that the work of a teacher was so varied and difficult, but there is joy to be found in it as well.

Mr. Ogawa continued.

"I think the current state of being overworked should be improved. If things stay like this, everyone will burn out. So, if even one more person changes their mindset about work, maybe the environment will improve, right? I want to make this a workplace where young people can thrive."

I felt like Mr. Ogawa's words were lighting a flame in my situation, which had felt like it was hitting a dead end. I was also happy that he had taken the time to talk to me.

"I'll do my best."

Before I knew it, I had declared it.

"I see! I'm glad you talked to me. Your face has brightened up."

Mr. Ogawa is looking at me with a smile.
There is a lot to do, but I will aim to be a teacher like my mentor, and like Mr. Ogawa right in front of me. I am still just standing at the entrance of being a teacher, so I will do my best from here on out.

What kind of adults will these children become in 10 years?
When I think about that, my heart feels excited, as if I've found something to look forward to.

I ate a peanut once more.
It tasted gentler than when I ate it before.

(3,553 characters)

I participated in this project.
#ThursdayIsThreeDay

The topics were so difficult that I held my head in my hands.
Everyone, please feel free to participate as well.