Since I was a child, I always loved to read the printed word and naturally acquired the ability to read Japanese, so Japanese was always the only lucky subject where I could easily get a good grade without studying. However, this meant that Japanese classes were boring, and I spent all my time in junior high school reading books. My excessive reading only caused friction where my homeroom teacher called me out and my Japanese teacher scolded me.
As a high school student, I still filled the free time in my life with reading, and the Japanese teachers soon discovered my habit of going to the library of my still developing high school (I was in fifth grade at the time). One day, after school, I was invited to the Japanese teachers' hangout in the back of the library.
While being served coffee, three male teachers asked me for my opinion as a book lover, such as what I usually read and what kind of books I thought should be in the library. I still remember how the teachers’ seats were arranged and the coffee they served me.
More than anything, I was happy. You may think that being a reader would get you compliments, but I had long since passed that point, and I think that bothered the adults. The library hangout was the first time I was accepted by book-loving adults. I had never been able to talk about books with anyone before, so I was very grateful for that moment. After that, the library was stocked with more books that I want to read, and my reading volume only increased. It was a great system for me because I was too busy to go to the city library.
The Japanese teacher from that time became my homeroom teacher when I was a sophomore in high school. I thought I didn't need to go to college, but I was told, rightly or wrongly, that I would be able to read books all the time if I became a librarian, so I decided to go to college just to become one.
I wonder what my life would have been like if the teachers had not accepted me as one of their own back then. I don’t read as much as I used to, but I still look forward to Kindle time when I get into bed and go to sleep.