This week the 4^th grade students had the chance to listen to a speaker from Hankyu Railway. He spoke about the founder of Hankyu Railway, Kobayashi Ichizou, as well as his inspiration to start the Hankyu Railway company. The students were able to participate in the same thought process that Kobayashi san took when deciding where to build the railway and what to consider that would attract people to use his railway.

In connection to learning about Kobayashi san, the students had the chance to think about their own personal traits. They could use that information to group themselves into one of four different work types and then see what occupations make use of the traits that the students thought were their strong points.

Excited voices could be heard from students,

“Wow, that sounds cool!”

“Actually, I think I might like that.”

“I wanted this group for this job.”

Some students were disappointed that the group their skills identified with did not contain the occupation they had currently hoped for, but it was a good activity for the students to help themselves decipher what their interests are on a deeper level. With the ability to realize these points on their own, the students will be able to find something they can enjoy doing in the future even if their likes or dislikes change.