Mission Statement
"Restoring Confidence in Students Through Education"
Hello, my name is Shingo Ito, the representative of International Tutor.
Before explaining my mission statement, I would like to share a little about my background.
My parents often quarreled when I was a child, and my mother was in a weaker position within the household.
During their arguments, I would close my door and listen from my room, feeling a sense of helplessness.
Even when discussing whether I should take the entrance exams for middle school, my parents had major disagreements.
I studied hard, wanting to support my mother, who was in a weaker position, and to make her proud.
Studying for about 10 hours a day, I managed to improve my academic performance significantly, raising my deviation value from the mid-30s to 68 within a year and gaining admission to my first-choice school.
Around that time, my mother often told me while watching UNICEF or World Vision commercials about helping children in impoverished countries:
"I hope you will work in the future to help people in need."
Inspired by her words, I studied water quality at university and water treatment at graduate school. After graduating, I joined a startup that provided safe drinking water to developing countries like Bangladesh.
This company was featured on television programs like "Gaia no Yoake" and "Cambrian Palace".
I thought, "I have landed a dream job!"
However, during my first business trip to Bangladesh, I found myself questioning:
"Is this something only I can do?"
"Is this really what I wanted to do?"
These thoughts led me to leave the company after only eight months.
Having spent six years studying water-related topics at university and graduate school with a vision of working in developing countries, I felt a deep sense of despair.
"What was all my effort for?"
For a while, I struggled with motivation and fell into a mild state of depression.
During this time, I encountered Takashi Sugita, a psychotherapist and the author of the blog "The Positive Side of Negativity (Tadashii Negative no Susume)".
Through reading his blog and receiving therapy, I realized:
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I had been living to meet my mother's expectations
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I had ignored my own desires and feelings
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It's okay to acknowledge and embrace my feelings as they are
These insights gradually helped me recover emotionally.
When I was struggling, I had no idea why I felt so miserable. I didn't know how to cope, and it felt like walking in darkness.
Thanks to Mr. Sugita's help, I identified the roots of my struggles in my childhood environment, stopped blaming myself, and felt a weight lifted off my shoulders.
This newfound clarity gave me the courage to start my own tutoring business.
I never imagined, in my 20s, that I would have the confidence to become self-employed.
Having experienced this healing journey myself, I now believe it's my turn to help others.
I love working with children and feel I've been gifted with the ability to teach.
Students who are struggling with school study might be feeling...
"I'm such a failure for not understanding the class like everyone else."
"I'm such a failure for not being able to attend school like others."
"I cannot love myself."
"I cannot have confidence in myself."
"I want to help students overcome such struggles"
That is my mission.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Shingo Ito
International Tutor