Worldwide Homeroom Teacher

This article is also from my Toastmasters' speech! I made it in April. I have been working on the Toastmasters' basic manual. In this time, my assignment was "Your body speaks." Thereofore, I used lots of gestures!! Then, I got my...maybe, fourth time?? "the Best Speaker Award"!!!!


If you are asked, “Who is the most unforgettable and admirable person you’ve ever met？Or someone like a mentor?” whom do you think about? I will definitely answer, “Norisawa!” Norisawa was my homeroom teacher in high school. Norisawa is his nickname. His real name is Noriyuki Sawa, but after he became FAMOUS WORLDWIDE in a specific field, people started to call him “Norisawa.” Why did a high school teacher in a small city in Japan become famous worldwide? I will tell you later, but at first, let’s go back to my high school days.

In Japan, homeroom teachers are very important for students. They are not only teachers, but also like mentors and counselors. I clearly remember the day when I met Norisawa the first time. He was a young, handsome, and passionate teacher. He looked so excited about welcoming us because it was the first time for him to be a homeroom teacher. The amazing thing was he had already recognized everybody’s name and face in a class.
"Hello Keiko Ohashi! How are you Cathy Campbell? Nice to see you Angela Valadez!"
He had memorized our names perfectly even though we met the first time.

Later, he told us his secret. Everyday, he had spread out students’ application forms with photos in his room. He let his wife read our names, and tried to pick up a photo of the name, like a card game. “Keiko Ohashi!” “There she is!” like that.

In front of the amazed students and parents, he did another surprising thing.
He showed us a puppet and said, “I am an art teacher, but privately, I am a puppet master.” In his honor, his puppet was not like stuffed dolls in the picture...
You can see his handmade puppets if you visit his Web-site;
http://www.puppet-house.co.jp/nori/sawa.htm
Many of his puppets are Shakespearean characters. Yes, he was a puppet artist for adults!!
At that time, we knew he might be “somebody.” He was a very unique homeroom teacher!!!

I was a lazy, inactive schoolgirl. I often visited his office, and said, “Mr. Norisawa, I don’t like studying, I don’t like school, I don’t have a dream, I have nothing! Nothing to do!” He always laughed and encouraged me,
“ Com’on, Keiko! You can do anything! You have much more possibilities than me! Let’s start to enjoy your daily life!”

One day, we tried to decide what our class would do at a school festival. We were thinking about opening a food shop. I spontaneously said, “How about a revolving sushi bar?(回転寿司)” Do you know what is a revolving sushi bar?
In this bar, the upper table is revolving slowly like a conveyor belt, so you can select and pick your favorite dish and eat at the lower table.
…Now you know, I was just kidding. It seemed impossible for high school students to do!
But, Norisawa didn’t laugh. He seemed to be thinking for a second, and said,” We can do it.”
“What!? I was just kidding!” I was surprised, but he was serious.
“Keiko, you can be a leader of a project team for making a revolving table.”
“What…!?” It was too late…

The preparation started the next day. Norisawa, some of my friends, and I visited a construction company and asked what we could do. They suggested making small revolving tables for 4-5 people. We bought cheap lumber, monitors, and made revolving tables!!
I, a fifteen-year-old, small girl at that time, used a big saw and a hammer to make revolving tables! I regretted having entered a girls’ school…I couldn’t say,
“ Oh, I am a weak girl, so I can’t do that!” to boys.
But actually, I didn’t hate it. While I was cutting lumber, I remembered what Norisawa always said, “If you can’t find what you want to do, start to enjoy your daily life!” I didn’t love the “carpenter thing,” so it didn’t become my dream...
But it was quite fun! Finally we made several tables. Our revolving sushi bar got really popular at the school festival. Maybe it was the first time when I felt “Wow! I made it!”

A half year later, Norisawa did another surprising thing. He quit the school. He got a governmental scholarship and went to France to study at a puppet university. Before he left our school, he said to us.
“I am 29 years old. If I am over 30, I may not go to France. People’s possibilities never become zero, but the older you get, the less your possibilities become. That’s why I am always saying, “You have many more possibilities than me.” That’s why I decided to chase my dream right now.”
When I was 15 years old, his words were not so realistic. But lately, I am often reminded of his words.

After Norisawa went to France, he was recommended to go to the Czech Republic where puppetry art was the most active in the world. His monologues of Shakespearean plays got really famous there, and he made an international theatrical company. He became a professor of the Academy of Performing Art which is famous for having the highest quality puppet education.
He started an annual world tour!!
I have just read an article of a Japanese newspaper when he performed in front of the English Prime Minister(at that time,) Tonny Blair.
Surprisingly, our Japanese local Norisawa became worldwide Norisawa!

Now, let’s go back to the very first question. “Who is the most unforgettable and admirable person you’ve ever met?” If you think for awhile, I bet you will remember a few names. You have met many people and some of them have influenced you very very much. You do not need to recall them everyday, but think about them sometimes. Try to make contact with them if you can. I am sure they, like Norisawa, can always give you power to follow your dream.


Believe it or not... I went to the Czech Republic to meet Norisawa 8 years ago!
This summer, I may be able to meet Norisawa again in Paris! I am really excited!!
I will visit Paris, London, and Brussels from July 10th to 19 th with my hubby.
I will tell you what happens and show you Europe's pictures!!
See you later, and have a nice summer!!