PTA Human Rights Lecture “Building a Community Where No One Is Left Behind”
On Thursday, December 4, a PTA human rights lecture was held in the school’s multi-purpose room.
We welcomed Mr. Yukinori Tamaki, well known from NHK E-television’s “Baribara” and other programs,
who gave a talk titled
“Building a Community Where No One Is Left Behind – Toward Full Inclusion.”
Mr. Tamaki’s style was full of humor from beginning to end, and the room was often filled with laughter.
At the same time, behind that light and witty tone, we could feel a deep anger and strong wish expressed in questions such as:
“Who is it that creates this difficulty in living?”
“Are the ‘normal’ values we take for granted hurting someone without us noticing?”
At Hokuryō Junior High School, we have been using the phrase “a school where no one is left behind.”
This does not mean “giving special care to a limited number of children who need support.”
Rather, as this lecture reminded us, it means turning our eyes to the ‘barriers in our own hearts’ on the side of adults and society,
and continually asking how we can create an environment where everyone is not separated, not excluded, and able to choose.
“There are all kinds of people from the very beginning, and even so, we do not exclude.”
“Just being alive is something wonderful.”
We hope that these simple but weighty words will be shared by our students at Hokuryō,
as well as by parents/guardians, community members, and school staff,
and that they will guide us in the educational practices we develop from here on.
Finally, we would like to express our sincere thanks to Mr. Yukinori Tamaki for his invaluable lecture,
to the members of the PTA Human Rights Awareness Committee for their careful preparation and smooth operation,
and to all parents/guardians, community members, and staff who took the time to attend on a weekday evening.
Keywords: PTA Human Rights Lecture / Yukinori Tamaki / Full Inclusion / Human Rights Education / A School Where No One Is Left Behind
All photos posted here were taken with school-owned cameras, transferred by wired connection to staff computers, and uploaded to the website from a securely managed environment.