In this blog post, I will summarize my academic experiences and school activities during high school, along with examples of compassion, sharing, and collaboration, as well as my career preparation process.
Academic Experiences and Reflections
Through the career guidance program, I had the opportunity to reflect on myself and plan my future career path. The career guidance classes consisted of self-discovery activities, psychological and aptitude tests, and group discussions—a process where we shared our thoughts and provided feedback to one another. It was a time to reflect on aspects of myself I hadn’t usually considered, while also being inspired by others’ career plans. Through this process, I moved beyond my previous image of becoming a “school teacher” and decided on a career path as a lifelong education specialist, responsible for education throughout an individual’s entire life.
I tended to excel in all subjects rather than favoring any particular one. My grades in core subjects generally remained at a B level, and I paid particular attention to arts and physical education classes as well as a second foreign language. The reason I came to dream of becoming a lifelong education specialist was that I was drawn to designing and running educational programs related to culture and self-development, rather than teaching specific subjects within the framework of school education.
Accordingly, I actively participated in arts, physical education, and foreign language classes to develop my talents, aptitudes, and language skills. In art class, I honed my expressive abilities by copying masterpieces and working on projects like “Designing My Own House,” which helped me cultivate creative thinking and artistic sensibility. In physical education, I honed my physical coordination by learning the basics of golf and badminton, while in music class, I cultivated my musical sensibility and found inner peace through choir and recorder practice.
Through Chinese and Japanese classes, I experienced the joy of understanding the cultures and languages of other countries. The experience of communicating in a foreign language broadened my ability to interact with others and fostered an attitude of understanding cultural differences. Unlike the exploration of knowledge centered on general academic subjects, arts, physical education, and foreign language classes were particularly meaningful to me because they helped me develop other abilities, such as sensitivity and expressiveness.
In the future, I would like to plan and provide such non-traditional educational programs—specifically, self-development-oriented lifelong learning programs that include arts, physical education, and foreign languages. My goal is to design educational programs that take into account the specific needs of different audiences based on my diverse experiences in school, thereby spreading the value of lifelong learning.
Description of Major School Activities and Reflections
A debate class held during my first year of high school was a crucial experience that taught me how to organize my thoughts and express them clearly. The class was systematically conducted in the following order: a meeting to select debate topics, assigning moderators and debaters, researching materials, and recording the actual debate on video; this process was also incorporated into our performance-based assessment. Our class proposed a variety of topics, and I was drawn to those with clear pros and cons, so I participated as a debater.
During the topic selection meeting, various topics such as animal testing, euthanasia, and the death penalty were discussed, and through a final vote, the issue of “curbing private tutoring” was selected as the debate topic. As I have always been interested in this issue, I volunteered as a debater for the “in favor” side and participated in researching materials and organizing arguments. Both sides gathered relevant materials to prepare their arguments and counterarguments, and I focused my remarks on the importance of public education and the negative effects of private tutoring.
The main points I prepared were as follows. The fact that excessive advanced learning undermines public education; that grade-oriented private tutoring can harm character education and the school atmosphere; the educational imbalance and sense of alienation caused by the wealth gap; and the financial burden on families. I endeavored to systematically present my arguments centered on these points.
During the debate, the opposing side argued that previewing material improves understanding of the lesson. In particular, they cited examples of students who had prepared in advance through private tutoring finding the class content more engaging. In response, I refuted this by distinguishing between different types of preparation. I explained that while simple preparation can be helpful, advanced learning that covers material more than a year ahead can actually make school classes feel boring, and ultimately, since teachers adjust their lessons to the average level, this can lead to educational imbalance.
After the debate concluded, the show of hands favored the pro side, and I felt a deep sense of fulfillment and accomplishment from my preparation. Through this experience, I developed the ability to logically gather evidence, respond to opposing arguments, and persuade others, while also gaining the confidence to clearly express my thoughts in public. The debate class was a valuable experience that went beyond a simple learning activity, simultaneously fostering my critical thinking and communication skills.
Writing About Examples of Consideration, Sharing, and Cooperation and My Reflections
In my sophomore year of high school, as the head of the cleaning committee, I led the assignment of cleaning duties within my class. Due to the layout of the school building, our classroom was located in a corner, requiring our class to be solely responsible for facilities such as the restroom and water fountain, which created a significant burden for maintenance and cleaning. To resolve this issue, I devised a plan to manage cleaning duties fairly and efficiently.
First, I recruited volunteers and wrote the assigned areas on the blackboard so that students could choose their preferred section themselves. I indicated the number of people needed for each area—such as the restroom, water fountain, and lockers—and assigned students in the order they volunteered. However, if there were too many applicants for a specific area, we adjusted the numbers through internal discussion or a small lottery. For areas with insufficient volunteers, I asked those who had lost the “lottery” if they would volunteer, allowing for voluntary reassignment.
I respected everyone’s individual preferences because I believed that forcing students into cleaning duties would likely make them uncooperative. So, I did my best to let everyone take on the area they wanted to reduce their resistance to cleaning and allowed friends who wanted to work together to form teams. This helped transform cleaning time from a mere obligation into a time for voluntary participation.
As a result, participation in cleaning became much more active than before, and I felt a great sense of fulfillment as the head of the cleaning committee. In fact, while tidying up the area around our lockers with friends, I experienced the joy of cooperation, and a sense of community grew as we took an interest in and tidied not only the spaces we used ourselves but also those of others. Through this experience, I came to realize that maintaining shared spaces is, in itself, an act of consideration for one another.
Efforts and Preparation Related to Motivation and Career Plans
My class had an exceptionally close-knit and united atmosphere. Even when preparing for exams, we helped and cooperated with one another under the goal of raising the class’s overall grades to become the top-ranked class in the school, and a warm culture of mutual encouragement was established during sports festivals and other events. In this class environment, I naturally developed a sense of community and leadership.
To strengthen our bonds, we decided during a class meeting to hold a camping day during the school break. The plan was to hold a two-day, one-night camp on the school playground, featuring a short hike, a campfire, and games. To do this, we had to obtain permission from the school and comply with safety and cleanliness guidelines. Additionally, there was a condition that an adult guardian must accompany us in order to be allowed to have a campfire.
During the preparation process, we held several meetings to request permission to use the school grounds, and with the help of our homeroom teacher, we were able to obtain approval from the principal. For the practical arrangements, we decided to use one tent for every four students, and students who owned tents voluntarily brought their own equipment. We purchased any missing equipment or sought support from parents.
The necessary supplies included tents, lanterns, blankets, mats, firewood, and tools for the campfire. While students could bring their own lanterns and blankets, mats and specialized camping gear were costly, so we explained the situation at a parent meeting and received partial financial support. We also clearly defined everyone’s roles. The entertainment director planned games and activities, while I was responsible for maintaining cleanliness and wrapping up the event, managing traffic flow and supervising cleanup.
As a result, we safely completed the two-day, one-night camping trip. We ran most of the activities independently without direct adult assistance and handled the cleanup thoroughly. During the night hike, the Physical Education Director briefed everyone on safety rules and had us move in pairs, ensuring the activity proceeded without incident. After the event, we received praise from our teachers, and most importantly, the friendship and sense of community among my classmates deepened, just as the plan intended.
Through this experience, I learned practical preparation and management skills for community activities. By participating directly in everything from event planning to permit procedures, securing a budget, assigning roles, and safety management, my sense of responsibility and problem-solving skills improved. I became convinced that these management skills and sense of community will be a great asset in the field of education, which I am considering as a career path.
