Chapter 4 #32 Saying 'Don't' Isn't Enough

Table of Contents Remake: 'Towards a Wholesome School'

(Approx. 3000 characters)

Disciplinary actions against teachers are announced almost every month.
The total number of teachers in the municipality is 60,000.
There are about 300 service-related incidents occurring within the municipality every year.
About 0.5%. This figure is hard to bring down to zero.

Disciplinary announcements are made twice a month.
Each time, by providing information to teachers and using it as a lesson for service guidance, we can hold training sessions twice a month.

While administrators have a duty to protect children and teachers, they cannot protect a teacher who has caused a service-related incident.
By administrators regularly calling for the prevention of service-related incidents, it is expected that this will lead to protecting the teachers.

Before becoming a principal, I worked in a department that handled service-related incidents in educational administration.

Based on that experience, I have formed a certain set of ideas on how to eliminate (or reduce) service-related incidents, so I will write about that.

I am sure you are all practicing this, but for your reference.

Saying 'Don't' Isn't Enough

I think it is the same with children; when you want them to stop an undesirable behavior, it is better to show them specifically what behavior they should take instead of just saying 'Don't.' (I feel like this is also from behavioral science or something, but in my case, it is an empirical rule.)

For example, to a child who is looking backward, instead of saying 'Don't look backward,' if you say 'Please look forward,' or more specifically, 'Please look at the blackboard' or 'Please read the objective on the blackboard,' you can make them understand the behavior they should take right now.

It is the same for adults.

How can we avoid losing personal information?

Anyone can lose things. If that involves personal information related to children, it becomes a service-related incident.

Everyone knows that 'You must not lose personal information.' If we replace this with the specific actions mentioned earlier...

First, I moved the shredder that was in the printing room to the entrance of the staff room. On top of that,
if a child's name is written on it, shred it here.

Documents containing children's personal information must be handed over in person in the staff room.

Personal information stored in the staff room safe must be worked on within the staff room.

Tests, essays, etc., must be graded at school.
(If you absolutely must take them home, fill out the removal log. Get it checked when you return them. However, even if you have received permission, if you lose the bag containing the personal information, it will be a service-related incident, so be careful!)

When returning or distributing documents containing personal information such as tests, confirm the name and hand them directly to the person, and have them put them in their bag on the spot.

If you follow these rules, there is no way you could lose personal information.

Furthermore, in the case of the school where I worked, even if personal information were accidentally sent for recycling, there was a final line of defense.
The school caretaker checks all recycled paperso it never leaves the premises.

Since computer data cannot be taken out without borrowing a dedicated USB drive from management, data loss is virtually impossible.

How can corporal punishment and inappropriate guidance be eliminated?

Everyone knows that "you must not use corporal punishment or inappropriate guidance."

Address children by their names with "-san." During class, use polite language with "desu" and "masu."

Enable anger management. Do not get angry emotionally; instead, admonish and encourage thinking. Specifically,

if you feel like scolding, try praising the child next to them.
If that still doesn't work, scold them using polite language.
(Using polite language doesn't sound inappropriate even if you are quite angry. It is also easier for children to understand.)

A sharp shout to stop an action is fine. After that, take a deep breath.
(Scolding alone is not inappropriate guidance. It becomes inappropriate guidance because you get emotional, continue to be angry, and use abusive language afterward.)

To prevent harm to other children, if you want to restrain a child who is acting out, hold them from behind by wrapping your arms around both shoulders.

Teach methods that do not constitute corporal punishment, and so on.

And, methods for staff to cooperate with each other.

If you hear shouting, those nearby should rush over.

The presence of someone else can help calm the situation, and if it still doesn't subside, the teacher who rushed over can intervene.

By showing concrete actions to take in an emergency like this, it seems people don't get as angry.
Conversely, being able to take these actions means that emotions are not running high, so corporal punishment does not occur.

However, as management, it is necessary to identify teachers with a low boiling point and provide individual guidance.

Service-related accidents involving alcohol

As for the example mentioned earlier of taking out and losing personal information, leaving it behind while drinking is common.
If you have personal information, don't drink; if you are going to drink, don't have personal information.

On days when you take personal information home, go straight home without stopping anywhere.


Embezzlement of lost property is a service-related accident involving alcohol that happens almost every year.
Missing the last train, unable to catch a taxi, walking home, finding a bicycle that looks abandoned, and getting questioned by a police officer while riding it... the classic pattern.

In the first place, you must not ride a bicycle while drinking.
And actually, whether the property has been abandoned or not is subtle.
If that bicycle you just happened to ride was parked against a house wall or had its lights on, it can no longer be said that the property has been abandoned.
What this means is that if you ride a bicycle that has not been abandoned, it becomes theft. If it is theft, it is disciplinary dismissal.
I don't think you can judge whether property has been abandoned or not while you are drunk.
That is why you must strictly refrain from drinking too much.

There are other dangers when you get dead drunk and ride the train.
That is, you can be falsely accused. Even if you are suspected of molestation, if you have no memory, you cannot explain the situation.

To put this into concrete actions,

check the time of the last train before you start drinking.
If someone looks like they are going to drink too much, colleagues should stop them.
If you really want to drink a lot, do it at home.

For those who love alcohol, if you don't want to lose your job, do it in moderation.

Key points for handling situations

When interviewing a child, have multiple people present.
This helps avoid later disputes over who said what.

Keep the room door open during interactions.
This is to prevent being falsely accused.

And,
if you think something is dangerous or that you might have messed up, report it to management immediately.

Not everything results in disciplinary action. Often, it ends with a strict warning (a type of measure). If you hide it and it is discovered later, the offense becomes one level more serious.
Even if you think you have hidden it, it will eventually leak out from somewhere.

Upon receiving a report, management must confirm the date, time, location, and situation in detail and record it.
If there are other involved parties, interview them in detail as well.
Make sure to provide an initial report to the local board of education promptly.
As mentioned, not everything results in disciplinary action, so do not hesitate to report.

The most important thing is peace of mind.

And, as management, strive to create a workplace environment where teachers can have peace of mind = a healthy school..

If you have peace of mind, you can handle personal information calmly, treat children gently, and you won't need to drink until you drop!

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