The laughter that disappeared from the classroom due to a silent meal "Return youth" February 16 17:32
A third year high school student who will soon be graduating.
Most of her high school life has been swayed by Corona.
Club activity tournaments have been canceled, and school trips have also been cancelled.
The college entrance exam was conducted in the midst of the spread of the Omicron strain.
Two of the limited three years.
I heard the true intention of how I spent my time.
(Ryo Fukuda, Wakayama Broadcasting Station / Tatsuro Imono, Network News Department)
"It's all because of Corona"
On SNS, tweets of high school students before graduation are appearing one after another.
"High school life is totally blank"
"All because of Corona"
"Return youth"
Now in the third year of high school.
The first person infected with the new corona was confirmed in Japan in January, the third semester of the first grade.
In April, when he was just in his second year, a state of emergency was declared nationwide.
Even after that, I was forced to live in high school with Corona.
I couldn't chat freely
"I went to somewhere in youth in Corona" was
posted by Ms. Kiboshi (a pseudonym), a third-year high school student living in Ehime prefecture.
She was looking forward to going out to shopping malls and parks with her classmates on holidays.
However, when the corona infection spreads, the school will instruct you to refrain from going out unnecessarily.
Most of the time I met my friends was in school.
Moreover, I am told to refrain from speaking privately even in the school.
During the lunch break, a silent meal was called for, and the laughter disappeared from the classroom.
"What's the next lesson?"
"What was your homework?"
Many of the conversations have become clerical, and the only thing that can be enjoyed without hesitation is SNS exchanges.
Kiboshi:
"I can't go out with anyone. My classmates, close friends, and junior high school friends. It's difficult to get along with my first-time classmates, so after all I look at each other and talk a lot. I think I wanted to do it. "
It also affects events and club activities
The influence of Corona extends to events and club activities.
The sports festival has been reduced in scale, and the school festival has been cancelled.
The school trip I was looking forward to when I was able to go to Tokyo for the first time was changed to Shikoku, the prefecture, and the city, and eventually it was canceled.
The hardest part was that the theater club I belonged to was canceled.
The drama club was impressed by seeing the stage of seniors and wanted to be like seniors.
Since the spread of the corona infection, it has been called for to refrain from training where there is contact between students, and the number of times when club activities are not possible will increase.
All scheduled tournaments have been cancelled.
The motivation of the members is decreasing, and some people are leaving.
Mr. Kiboshi became the director when he was in the third grade, but the training he could do was limited to muscle training and vocal practice.
Is she able to teach her juniors as she was taught by her seniors when she was in the first grade?
She was worried and desperately doing what she could do now, but in the end she couldn't even do her retirement performance.
Kiboshi:
"I'm worried that I can't do anything that is typical of youth, and I'm worried that the photos in my graduation album will end up being just studying in the classroom. It's a lot more sober than I had imagined. "
"Time to think about the future" increased by the corona disaster
A life that has changed completely due to the corona disaster.
It also influenced my career after graduation.
He says he has more time to think about his future.
I've heard a lot of information that there is a serious shortage of medical personnel in Corona.
I want to contribute for the community.
I decided to stay in my hometown and go on to a nursing vocational school.
Mr. Kiboshi
"I couldn't enjoy normal youth, but I was able to think carefully about what kind of course I would choose. I realized the importance of my family and contributed to the people in the area I have been involved with. I want to do it. I hope that in the future, I will be able to realize my dreams and take a positive view of my high school life in Corona. "
Strengthening local orientation
Due to the corona sickness, the number of students who want to go on to a local school like Kiboshi is increasing.
This is a questionnaire conducted by Kawaijuku, a major prep school, to a teacher in charge of high school careers.
The percentage of third-year students who answered that they were "stronger" or "slightly stronger" in choosing a university within the range of commuting to school was 56%.
This is an increase of 13 points compared to two years before Corona.
The economic situation is deteriorating in Corona, so I went to a university where I could go from home.
It is difficult to find a part-time job even if you live alone.
I don't want to leave my local friends because it's hard to make new friends online in college circles.
It is said that the local orientation is increasing more than ever.
Also, the selection of university faculties has changed to be conscious of the place of employment.
Looking at the application status of national and public universities by faculty system ... Science rather than humanities.
As for the faculties, medical and legal fields are becoming more popular than international and tourism related fields that were influenced by Corona.
Admissions trends officials analyze that high school students are starting to make choices in Corona with an eye on the current situation.
Kawaijuku Kaori Iwase
"The local orientation is getting stronger. Since the career path after graduating from university is getting tougher than before Corona, I'm starting to choose my career path more seriously in anticipation of employment."
Planning a retirement match and "changing myself"
There is also a third grader who has changed himself due to the corona disaster.
This is Mr. Kosei Matsumoto, who was a baseball club at Otsuka High School in Osaka.
When an emergency was declared and club activities could not be done, Mr. Matsumoto used the app to watch videos of professional play and worked hard at his home or in a nearby park.
Club activities that have been repeatedly resumed and suspended depending on the infection status.
Still, I have been practicing desperately to become a member.
However, due to the declaration of emergency again in April last year, the practice game for selecting members was canceled.
In the end, Mr. Matsumoto took off his uniform without being given the opportunity to appeal.
Mr. Kosei Matsumoto
"I think I could have done more high school baseball once in a lifetime. I can't end my high school life with incomplete combustion as it is."
With the advice of his adviser, Mr. Matsumoto plans a retirement match that he couldn't do.
Repeat online meetings with high school students from other schools who used the same practice app.
It is said that he was not good at appearing in public until now, but he ran for the executive committee chairman.
In order to raise funds for the operation of the tournament, it has become possible to make a presentation in front of corporate people.
The funds collected by crowdfunding are about 600,000 yen.
Originally, I was planning to play a retirement match only at my own high school, but I learned that there are high schools in various places that decline the Koshien prefectural tournament due to the new corona, so I made it possible to participate in any high school.
Mr. Kosei Matsumoto
"At first, I was preparing to get rid of my feelings. However, when I saw a high school that declined the tournament, I wanted to do something about it. I want to create a place to play baseball. "
Approximately 40 high school students who want to get rid of high school baseball in Corona will participate in the tournament next month.
The advisor's teacher also feels reliable about Mr. Matsumoto's growth.
Tatsuya Higashi, an adviser,
"I used to want you to come out earlier and appeal, but through the planning of the retirement game, I have become able to openly talk about my thoughts not only to people of the same generation but also to people in the company. It's changed a lot and I feel like I've grown up. "
Mr. Kosei Matsumoto
"I couldn't live the school life I had imagined, but because of the new Corona, I was able to meet friends who plan retirement games together, and I was able to grow. For me, I enjoyed it for three years in high school. I have no regrets about it. I want to do my best to express my gratitude to those who cooperated in realizing the tournament. "
Youth robbed by Corona.
But because I had Corona, I thought more seriously about my course.
Because of the corona, I changed myself.
It's a little different from the high school days we've spent.
I would like to sincerely support the future of high school students who will continue to be young.