“What kind of child were you?”
The heart of a child, with its small yet big world…
After reading it, you will reflect on your own life.

As an adult, I am always amazed and moved when I spend time with children.
The children laughed out loud at little things and cried out loud at other little things.
I missed you, I loved you, I didn't want to break up... I was true to my feelings.
Even the smallest gift made him jump for joy, and he frowned and worked hard to hear a single word of praise.
I didn't even realize my body was getting tired and I ran around until my hair was drenched in sweat.
It seemed that there was no task that was unimportant to children, no time that was unimportant.
I accepted everything with my whole body, as if this moment were all there was, as if the situation before me was everything.
As I was losing my passion and becoming indifferent to both joy and sorrow, the children's 'transparent enthusiasm' somehow made me feel ashamed.
And that's not all.
Deep children know how to give up toys to other friends, help slow friends, and be patient when they want something.
And what about those surprising words and actions that make you wonder, 'How did they come up with that?'
'Ah, I want to publish a book that focuses on the sparkling hearts of children.' I had been thinking about this for a long time, and then I came across 'Elementary School Teacher Z' on Twitter.

Elementary teacher Z has been working as an elementary school teacher for over 20 years and has been teaching first grade for several years.
After work, I was writing down short episodes from the classroom that I wanted to remember. People sometimes laughed and sometimes cried as they read the writing that the author wrote solely for himself, without any grand meaning attached to it.
The heart that had hardened while living as an 'adult' in a dry reality became soft in front of the dazzling day of a child.
Watching the elementary school teacher Z, who puts his heart into helping the little ones grow up, I was able to wipe away the tears of the wounded child inside me, who had grown up but still remained inside me.
The daily lives of these lovely children and their passionate teachers have been a source of comfort and strength to many, and each of those precious and dazzling days has been compiled into a book titled "How Was School Today?"
The question in the title, “How was school today?” is a question asked of children who have just returned from school, and also a question asked of teachers who have just returned from work.
Looking back on today, I forget the harsh reality of education and recall the beautiful moments of the day.
'How was your day?' I also asked myself this question for no reason and looked back on the precious moments of the day.

We were all children once.
Elementary School Teacher Z's essay, "How was school today?" is a book that makes me look back on my childhood and look into the present to see what kind of adult I am becoming to children.
After watching the tumultuous school life depicted by a teacher and his children, our cynical hearts will begin to resemble the sparkling hearts of children, and we will grow to want to be "trustworthy adults" for children.

The most common phrase heard during first grade classes is “Teacher!!!!!!!!!!!!!” (the severity varies depending on the number of exclamation marks)

The phrase I say the most is, “It’s okay.” The magical words that calm first graders who have so many questions and feel like everything is such a big deal, “It’s okay.” I hope our little ones’ first year goes well!
---From "March: Little Kids Who Need to Say 'It's Okay'"

“What did our ♡♡ eat to be so cute?” I asked the little one, who came up to me quietly during break time and held my hand tightly, with a playful smile, but he suddenly turned serious.

“When I was seven, I ate a cucumber. I hated it, but I held back and ate it, and I think I became cute!” (Inner laughter) I tried to hold back my laughter and agreed, “I see!”
Let me eat cucumber too!
---From "March: Little Kids Who Need to Say 'It's Okay'"

I told my kids they didn't have to be 'good' to me.
Instead, he told me that it was important to try 'hard'.
You don't have to be good at using chopsticks, jumping rope, drawing, or coloring, but the most important thing is to try hard.
Today I told you that you don't even have a chance to do well without trying.
---From the “March Notice”

It's really amazing how little ones frown and groan when they do something difficult.
The will to do something is so dazzling that I can't help but feel a million hearts in my eyes.
In the end, I like the informal speech that comes out when you ask for help, focus on my explanation, and unconsciously respond with “Yeah, yeah.”
It's growing little by little.
awesome.
---From "March: Little Kids Who Need to Say 'It's Okay'"

Our little one has severe atopic dermatitis and the back of his hands are rough like a turtle's back.
He kept hiding his hands, so every time I saw him, I would hold his hands tightly and say, “Why are your hands so small and cute? I really like it when you hold hands.” While looking into his eyes, he suddenly whispered something in my ear today, and my heart ached.
“Teacher, I love you as much as the Earth.” As much as the Earth… … .
Can I receive that much love?
---From "March: Little Kids Who Need to Say 'It's Okay'"

Little kids who get frustrated every time they jump rope.
"Guys, were your mom and dad good at jumping rope when you were born? They didn't give up on it in first grade, and they worked hard at it, so now that they're adults, they know how to jump rope.
“If you give up, you won’t be able to continue jumping rope!” Cheer on the jumping little ones!
---From "May: The Hearts of Children Growing by the Inch"

At the end of the Zoom class, when I was told to show the teacher the cutest thing in the house, the thing I cherish the most, a doll, a stag beetle, a puppy, a cat, and all kinds of toys appeared.
But the best part was the little girl who picked up her little brother who was still walking unsteadily and carried him around! I burst out laughing at the sight of her whole face filled with the words, "My little brother is cute!"
---From "July: The Moment When the Joy of Teaching and the Joy of Learning Meet"

I always tell the kids.
If you just remember what you learned in first grade and live well, you will grow up to be great adults.
Bad adults are like that because they don't put into practice what they learned in first grade.
If everyone in the world lived by practicing what they learned in first grade, there would be no crime in the world.
This is real.
---From "November: Children Who Know How to Share the Warmth of Their Hearts"

The day ended happily with a text message from the guardian saying, “You don’t know how relieved my wife and I are to see ♡♡ shout ‘It was fun!’ every time we ask, ‘How was school today?’”
I was a little upset when I had to say goodbye to the kids during the day, but I held it in. But it's no secret that I cried when I received a flood of text messages from their guardians in the afternoon.
It's because of moments like these that I can endure even when things are difficult.
Anyway, from now on, please call me 'Mr. Z Vacation'.
I applaud myself for successfully completing this school year!
---From "December: And Winter Vacation, Our Goodbye"

Last year's little one.
My love, full of charm, the most mischievous yet the funniest, the most distracting yet the most heartwarming.
I grumbled to the little kid I ran into in the cafeteria, “I missed you so much! Didn’t you miss your teacher?” Then he confidently patted my shoulder and said, “I missed you too.”
It seems like our ages have changed… … .
---From "Again, Spring: Our Sparkling Moment Continues"

I want to teach my children to work hard but not get caught up in the results.
I want to instill values ​​that respect diversity, care for the socially disadvantaged, and value life.
If I do my best during the year given to me, the teacher next year will take care of the rest.

---From "Again, Spring: Our Sparkling Moment Continues"