A special class for an elementary school teacher who lost his mother in the earthquake

On the 11th, 10 years after the Great East Japan Earthquake, an elementary school teacher from Natori City, Miyagi Prefecture, who lost his mother in the tsunami, gave a special class at the school in Yokohama City where he is currently working. I want you to do it. "

Hitomi Akama (26), an elementary school teacher who was born in the Yuriage district of Natori City and lost her mother Yako (50 at the time) in the tsunami, is a fourth grader at Daido Elementary School in Yokohama City, where she currently works. We gave a special class to our students.

After silently speaking with 25 children at 2:46 pm, Akama showed her the letter written on one of her mother's only keepsakes.

He explained that the letter was written to encourage Mr. Akama before taking the high school exam, and that Mr. Akama always carries this letter with him.

Finally, he said, "I want you to say" thank you "to your loved ones, feel the gratitude of everyday life, and live cherishingly."

Some children had tears in their eyes and listened to Mr. Akama's story.

One of the girls said, "My mom always does a lot of things, but I want to tell her,'I found it not a matter of course.'"

Mr. Akama said, "I want to live as hard as I can for many people, including my deceased mother. I want to convey the importance of life to my children."

"I want to continue to convey the lessons of the earthquake to children."

Akama lost her mother, Yako (50 at the time), in the tsunami when she was in her first year of high school.

Yako is good at cooking, and Akama loves the cabbage rolls her mother makes.

Akama said she couldn't accept the sudden death of her mother, shed tears almost every day for about a year after the earthquake, and even thought she would die herself.

Meanwhile, the appearance of his father and younger brother, who behaved patiently, and the friends who were by his side during hard times supported Mr. Akama.

After that, Mr. Akama went to university toward the dream of becoming an elementary school teacher, supported the learning of children in the disaster area, and engaged in activities to pass on the experiences of the earthquake.

Six years ago, I participated in the United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in Sendai City and acted as a guide for foreigners visiting the affected areas.

In the spring of four years ago, I became an elementary school teacher in Yokohama City, thinking that I would like to convey the lessons learned from the Great East Japan Earthquake to children outside the disaster area.

Mr. Akama said, "Although the experience of losing my mother is painful, I think it is important to provide life-saving education in areas where new disasters such as the Nankai Trough are said to occur. I want to continue to convey the lessons learned from the disaster to children without forgetting the sense of mission. "

"Letter" left by my late mother

Hitomi Akama has been swept away by the tsunami for the past 10 years and has always carried a letter from her mother found a few months later.

The letter was given by my mother the year before the earthquake, when Mr. Akama was in the third year of junior high school and was about to take the high school exam, and a message of support was written on one stationery.

It started with the writing "To Hitomi", and Mr. Akama, who was in the training camp for studying for entrance exams, said, "I'm sure you're enthusiastic, but please do your best and survive."

He also mentioned that he was happy with his family when Mr. Akama was born, and said, "Do what you can with confidence. Everyone is supporting you. Good luck. And go to bed early." Has been done.

The letter from my mother is that this was the first and last.

Mr. Akama put this letter in his student notebook, but his home in the Yuriage district of Natori City, Miyagi Prefecture was washed away by the tsunami and disappeared.

However, a few months after the earthquake, the police contacted me that I found a student notebook, and when I went to pick it up, my mother's letter was caught in the muddy student notebook. ..

Since then, Mr. Akama has kept this letter in his wallet and always carries it with him.

Mr. Akama said, "I didn't expect to come back, so I felt like my mother was telling me something. When I was having a hard time, I tried to look back at my mother's letter, and it was a talisman. It ’s like that. ”