5年3組リョウタ組 石田衣良

He is young, hasn't much experience, has dyed brown hair and wears a necklace to work. He might not seem like the most reliable teacher around, but 25 year old bicycle-riding Ryota Nakamichi does things his way. And they usually don't get him anywhere. But this year was different. He had a student who felt claustrophobic inside the classroom and kept running out during class. Then he had to try and encourage a fellow teacher, who was being bullied by coworkers, not to  throw his career away. Then there was the fire incident and the mass media on his doorstep. Somehow he turned it all around and became a star. The students trusted him, his fellow coworkers took a second look at him. His way of working - tackling problems from a child's point of view and encouraging the students to take pride and find a road of their own - was working much better than the old school system of forcing the students to memorise things. And on top of all that, he got a girlfriend.

It just had to be Ryota's year.