Earning redemption

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Chapter 5 Selective mutism and my high school years

Earning redemption

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The first time I went to η private high school was when I attended tentative entrance ceremony.

We freshmen of η high school were supposed to attend the ceremony. Along with the ceremony, orientation session, school uniform sales, etc. are scheduled for.

η high school was a mammoth school, so I saw hundreds of freshmen in the school. Wandering in the school, I happened to meet my former classmates. They also failed the entrance exams for their first-choice high school. In my region most junior high school students' first choices were public high school rather than private high school. I attended the tentative entrance ceremony with them.

When I attended an orientation session, one teacher said to us, "Even if you failed entrance exams for public high schools, you can earn redemption in university entrance exams."

I was very impressed by what he said. I decided to study hard to go to prestigious university at the moment. Instead, I got the thought of overcoming selective mutism out of my head.

(To be continued)

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Picture book about selective mutism 2 (Japan)

Another picture book about selective mutism is Rika chan ga waratta (Rika laughed).

To put it more precisely, a photograph book. Kazuo Kashima, the author of the book and a former elementary school teacher, took a lot of photos of his class. This book includes many photos of Rika, a first-grade girl with selective mutism. This is a non-fiction book about Rika in his charge.

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In the story, Rika overcomes selective mutism.

But no professional intervenes in her. Her parents also don't help her.

She is helped by her classmates. Her classmates discuss how to reduce her anxiety and give her a helping hand.

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School is a place for learning. School children learn many subjects such as arithmetic, science, etc. But they also learn a lot through their daily activities, including how to care for a child with selective mutism. I thought that probably because this book is written by a former teacher, not a doctor or a counselor.

But I think it it better to see doctors or counselors rather than to make children think how to help a classmate with selective mutism. Even if teachers make children think, it needs to be based on teachers' understanding of selective mutism. Kashima was an experienced teacher at that time. I think he must understood selective mutism well.

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Picture book about selective mutism 1(Japan)

There are many picture books about selective mutism written in English. For instance, My Friend Daniel Doesn't Talk, Understanding Katie a Day in the Life of Elisa Shipon Blum Co and Cat's Got Your Tongue?.

Also in Japan, there is at least two picture books about selective mutism.

One of them is Banzai! Nakayama Kun (Hurray! Nakayama). The author is Kyoko Ota. She has written many children's books including: Hito ha Kuma to Tomodachi ni Nareruka? (Can Human Being Become Friends with Bear?), Mama, Daidaidaisuki! (I Love My Mom very very very much!), etc. The illustrator of the picture book is Tadao Miyamoto.

The hero of the book is Nakayama, a first grade boy. He gets into an elementary school, but can't speak in school. One day, he becomes to be able to speak in an empty classroom. And finally, he utters words in front of his classmates in the classroom.

The word "selective mutism" is not found in the book. But the story must be the story of selective mutism. The process of overcoming selective mutism is similar to desensitization.

Unlike fiction, it's not necessarily easy to overcome selective mutism, but this story might give moral support to children with selective mutism.

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Uchi benkei

Uchi benkei is a Japanese word that means people who are bossy at home but submissive outside. So, selective mutism may be an extreme form of uchi benkei (Many children with selective mutism are not so bossy at home, though).

Some Japanese people use a slang net benkei. Net benkei is people who are bossy on the Internet but submissive in the real world.

What is benkei ? Benkei is a warrior monk in 12th century. He served Minamoto no Yoshitsune, a leading general. He was a brave warrior, so people today use the word benkei as an analogy for bossy people.

Saito Musashibō Benkei (Wikipedia)
Minamoto no Yoshitsune (Wikipedia)

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