My dream & what I want to solve in the future

Nice to meet you, and hello! My name is Daiki Yabe. It's 2025. Happy New Year.

To begin with, I'd like to write about the two reasons why I decided to start a "note".

The first reason is that I love reading books, and I wanted to express my opinions and thoughts on various topics in my own words, just like the authors of the books I've read.

The second reason is that I felt that my friends, who I've met in various environments, such as elementary to university, were wondering what I was doing now, so I wanted to share what I'm doing now through note.

From here, I would like to write about my current situation.

There is one question that has always driven me. That is, “Are university students able to make a profit from the four years of study at university?

When I was in my third year of high school, I poured all the energy I could muster into my university entrance exams, and I was able to get into my first-choice university. I was looking forward to what I would be able to learn at university.

However, the classes were so boring! They were totally uninteresting!

I thought this was a problem, and I tried to think of ways to change it.

As a result, I came to the conclusion that the only way to do it was to become a professor myself!

I thought that in order to do that, I needed a degree (such as a university degree, master's, or Ph.D.), so I am currently studying at the graduate school of the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the United States.

I want to give students fun, interesting, and proactive lessons that make them think, “This is interesting... it made me think about a lot of things...”. Through my lessons, I want to convey the idea that “studying is actually interesting if you do it properly”.

And my ultimate goal is that the students who have come into contact with me will sincerely think that “university is something that is worth paying a lot of money for”.

As I mentioned above, I have doubts about Japanese universities' value. When students pay tuition fees, there is a business relationship between the university and the student. Are the universities giving students a return on the money they have paid over the four years? Are the universities providing 100% support for the students? Shouldn't they be providing more interesting classes that students can understand? These are my main questions about universities at the moment.

My motto is “play hard, study hard”. I myself have learned many things through playing. At the same time, I have also learned many things through studying academically. I think that this balance is important in university life and life itself, and I want students to acquire the mindset of “play hard, study hard” through my classes.

I would say to students, "Enjoy your part-time jobs (we usually have a part-time job in the semester in Japanese universities), join clubs or the community, go dating with your partner, drink alcohol, and experience all kinds of fun things." I want them to enjoy studying as much as they enjoy playing hard.

On the other hand, I think students who are only focusing on their university studies should try and experience more of the outside world and spend more time playing hard. I want to become a faculty who can encourage students like this.

'So, how do you become a university teacher?

' 'What kind of classes do you teach exactly?

' 'Isn't it a bit unrealistic?

I think there are lots of questions and opinions like these.

I'd like to write about the first and second questions in future notes. Also, I'd like to think about the third question together with everyone to make it more realistic. So, after reading this note, I'd like to receive honest comments, messages and advice to make it more realistic. You can also send me a private message via email or Instagram.

From now on, I will be writing about what I have learned and thought about at graduate school in the US, about Japanese education, and about books I have read, etc., through this note. I will write in a way that readers will find interesting. I hope you will feel free to read it. Thank you in advance 🤲😊

instagram→ daiki_yabe

mail address→ dyabe@umass.edu

University of Massachusetts Amherst

East Asian langueages and cultures

Japanese MA

Daiki Yabe (he/him)