代表者の戯言

10th Why more monster parents?

The incident that occurred in April 2025 at Tachikawa City’s Third Elementary School was truly shocking—it had been a while since an event surprised me this much. To summarize the details of the incident:
◆ 9:15 AM – A mother of a second-grade girl came to the school to discuss a conflict her daughter was having with a classmate. She spoke with the male homeroom teacher.
◆ Around 10:30 AM – After briefly leaving the school premises, the mother returned with two men (one in his 40s, the other in his 20s).
◆ The two men entered the second-grade classroom and began to rampage using liquor bottles and classroom chairs. Five people, including the vice principal and other staff members, sustained facial injuries. The two men were arrested on the spot for assault by police who rushed to the scene.
Fortunately, no students were harmed, likely because the teachers did everything they could to protect them. Since our company has several clients in the education sector, I would like to take this opportunity to share my personal thoughts on the issue of “monster parents.”

From my own experience, while certainly unpleasant, I encountered quite a few "monster teachers" during my school years, from elementary through high school. Here are some examples:
– In front of the entire class:
“Hatori, you only got 30 points! With scores like that, your grade will be a C anyway.”
“Fat people are basically those who can’t control themselves.”
(Both from my 6th-grade experience)
– Corporal punishment was common. A student even broke their arm, but the teacher was not dismissed.
– A senior student known for being physically intimidating was never properly disciplined by the teachers, while timid, smaller students like myself were constantly harassed over unclear reasons.
– “All you care about is test scores, you grade-chaser!”
(From junior high) Parents today grew up in an era when schools often failed to function as proper organizations. Despite this, society said, “Teachers are gods” and “Whatever the teacher says is 100% correct.” But the reality back then was far from ideal. As a result, many parents today are determined not to let their children be educated by “monster teachers” and feel a strong need to keep a watchful eye on schools. But what happens when that vigilance becomes excessive...?

Public schools are funded by national and local taxes—that is, by the money paid by the community. In the past, people had a mindset like, “Well, it’s tax-funded, so we can’t complain too much.” But today, with money being more highly valued, there’s a growing awareness that, “Even if it’s tax-funded, it's operated with *my* money, so I should speak up about what I’m dissatisfied with.”
While it’s appropriate to raise legitimate concerns, schools should not be pressured by unreasonable demands or complaints that defy common sense. For example:
– “Cancel the sports festival—it’s too noisy!”
– “My child is busy with cram school, so let them sleep during morning classes!”

Nowadays, if you type “teacher scandal” into an internet search, countless cases come up. News reports on teacher misconduct appear almost weekly. Some examples include:
– Corporal punishment
– Sexual misconduct
– Possession of illegal drugs
– Drunk driving
– Embezzlement
– Theft
While such issues have existed for a long time, they were not as widely reported in the past. Today, even minor incidents become publicized. Especially when it comes to crimes involving teachers, the media tends to sensationalize them, and the public reacts with heightened sensitivity.
As such reports become a weekly occurrence, people may begin to believe: “There sure are a lot of bad teachers out there.”

Teachers are overworked, underpaid, and expected to provide service levels that are unreasonably high. These realities are often highlighted in the media.
As a result, many young people now think, “If that’s what teaching is like, I’d rather just get a job at a regular company.” This mindset leads to a drop in the number of people aiming to become teachers. As competition decreases, individuals who are not fully qualified end up becoming teachers. Then those students, poorly guided, grow up without ever considering teaching as a dream profession—thus beginning a negative cycle.

① To secure quality teachers, local governments should only hire individuals with high academic skills and strong teaching abilities. This will naturally weed out “monster teachers.” To achieve this, salaries must be significantly increased. Alternatively, separate the roles of homeroom teachers and subject teachers: assign math specialists for math, Japanese specialists for Japanese, and so on. A change in the educational system is needed—perhaps by selecting professionals with extensive social experience.
② Schools must adhere strictly to compliance guidelines and refrain from taking on responsibilities outside of education. For example, if a student is caught smoking or shoplifting, it should be handled by the police and the family—not the school. Clear boundaries must be set.
③ Teachers must maintain high moral standards and always operate within the boundaries of the law. Corporal punishment is a criminal offense—either assault or battery. The belief that “if my teacher did it back then, it must be okay” must be actively countered through proper training and guidance.

These are the thoughts I have come to based on recent events.