Turning Failure and Setbacks into Steps Toward Growth

A Message from Ms. Masamoto to Third-Year Students

At today’s third-year grade assembly, Ms. Masamoto, a student teacher currently training at our school, shared a message with the students.

Ms. Masamoto is from Tokushima Prefecture. She came to Osaka to study at university and is now completing her teaching practicum at our school.

She has played basketball continuously since elementary school and still plays today. Looking back on her junior high school days, she described herself as an active student who loved sports and physical activity. She belonged to the basketball team throughout junior high school and worked hard enough to be selected as a representative player for her prefecture.

However, when she reached her third year of junior high school and began preparing for high school entrance examinations, things did not go as she had hoped, and she experienced a major setback.

Wanting to continue playing basketball in high school and to join a strong team, she worked hard toward her entrance examinations. In the end, however, the school she entered was different from the one she had originally hoped to attend.

Even so, after entering high school, she changed her mindset and devoted herself to basketball. She continued working hard so that she could compete with players who had entered the school through sports recommendations. Through that effort, she became an important player in competitions and eventually developed into a player who was interviewed for her performances.

Reflecting on these experiences, Ms. Masamoto shared the following message with the third-year students:

“I experienced many failures and setbacks before I was able to stand here today. But I believe those experiences helped me grow. You may also face failures or times when things do not turn out the way you hoped. But failure is not necessarily a bad thing. I hope you can see it as a step toward growth, keep looking ahead, and continue moving forward.”

For our third-year students, who are approaching important decisions about their future paths, these words may have been especially meaningful because they came directly from the personal experiences of a student teacher who is relatively close to them in age.

Experiences that do not go according to plan can also become important steps in shaping the person we will become.

We hope today’s talk gave each student an opportunity to think about their future path and their own personal growth.

【Keywords】
Hokuryo Junior High School / Third-Year Students / Grade Assembly / Teaching Practicum / Ms. Masamoto / Future Pathways / High School Entrance Examinations / Basketball / Setbacks / Challenges / Effort / Growth