To you who have chosen not to go to school. The tablet in your hand is a weapon to break down unreasonable fences.

Have you ever seen that famous illustration showing the difference between "equality" and "equity"?

Giving everyone the same height box to stand on to watch a baseball game is "equality." Giving more boxes to those who are shorter so they can see is "equity."

And recently, a third illustration often discussed is that of "justice and liberation," where the wooden fence that was blocking everyone's view is replaced with a chain-link fence that you can see through. It is the idea of changing the system so that everyone can enjoy the game as they are, without needing boxes at all.

Every time I see this illustration, I think about the current school system of "classrooms" and "attending school."

Schools in Japan in the past were truly an equality system where "everyone was given one box of the same height." During the period of high economic growth, gathering everyone in the same classroom, moving at the same pace, and enduring the same rules was the correct answer for entering society. At the time, that system suited the era.

However, the times have completely changed. Yet, only the school system remains as it was in the past.

Classes where everyone faces forward and sits at the same desk at the same time. At first glance, it might look like "equality." But in reality, classrooms can become places where students who don't want to study cause disturbances, stopping the lesson repeatedly, or where students are terrified of unreasonable bullying. Students who want to study seriously end up feeling frustrated, hurt, and drained of their energy.

I feel that the "space" of that square classroom, and the rule that one "must go to the school building at a set time every day," are the very "obstructive fences" that deprive children of equity and block their path forward.

In this day and age, what does it really mean to "remove the fence (justice and liberation)"?

It means removing the very fence of "attending the school building".

Why don't we stop calling not going to school "absence"? If you are taking online classes at home and completing assignments on your tablet, that is a valid "attendance" and a cutting-edge form of "learning." The location has simply changed from the classroom to your home, but what you are doing remains the same—or rather, your efficiency should be even higher.

That is precisely why there is something I want to tell you, if you are currently choosing not to go to school.

It is definitely not "running away."
It is a very wise and brave action where you have used the precious energy you would have spent enduring bullying or noise to protect your own heart, and chosen for yourself a "safe online space" that suits you.

You should have a tablet or computer provided by your school in your hands right now.
It is not just a tool for submitting assignments as the school tells you to. It is the "ultimate weapon" that you, having jumped out of a noisy classroom, can use 100% for your own benefit without anyone getting in your way.

In the quiet space of your home, you won't have your lessons interrupted by troublemakers, nor will you be hurt by anyone.
You can read ahead in your textbooks at your own pace, and you can rewind videos as many times as you like for parts you don't understand. You should be able to study much more deeply for yourself in a much shorter time than a 45-minute school lesson.

There is no need to force yourself to stay inside that cramped and unreasonable fence.

Even the government has finally started to take action, slowly creating rules that recognize "learning outside of school using digital tools" as attendance. But you don't need to wait for social norms to catch up. You can take the lead and practice a new form of learning.

You are fine just as you are.
Create your own safe space where no one is troubled and no one is hurt, make digital technology your ally, and build your future with your own hands. As an adult, I wholeheartedly support that choice.

In the past, during periods like the high economic growth era, Japan was a time when "everyone following the same rules and completing a large volume of work of the same quality" was required.

For that reason, schools also created an equality system based on thorough 'sameness' as follows.

• Everyone at the same pace, using the same method
  Forty people sitting facing forward all at once, quietly listening to what the teacher says.

• Standing out is 'bad'
  If you fall behind even a little or act differently, you are given a penalty.

• At first glance, it is hard for dissatisfaction to arise
  Because everyone was enduring the 'same inconvenience,' at the time, everyone believed that it was normal (= equal and correct).

At the time, thanks to that 'equality,' there was also a positive side where the academic ability of Japan as a whole was raised, and the country became wealthy.

🚨 The times have changed, but only the system has remained

However, society has changed significantly now. It is an era that demands individual personality and the ability to think for oneself.

Even so, because only the school 'space' and the 'whole-class instruction' system remain as they were in the old days of 'equality (distributing the same box),' a large and painful gap (bullying, classroom disruption, school non-attendance, etc.) has been created between them and the children living in the current era.

The fence called 'equality' that was correct in the past has now become a wall that traps children. That is precisely why it is now highly required for adults to question that system and propose new forms of learning (justice that removes the fence).