340,000 Students Absent from School: Can Teachers Change Their Mindset So Children Can Learn More?

1. Introduction

“Teachers, your job is truly tough.”
I have often heard these words from parents and members of the local community.

For 25 years, I stood at the podium in elementary schools.
It was normal to be at school from early morning until late at night, and even on weekends for sports club coaching or school events. Before I knew it, I was spending more time at school than with my own family.

“Teachers work hard for the sake of the children.”
That is certainly true. But was that “hard work” really for the benefit of the children?

2. Long working hours are not proof of effort

In the past, “overtime was a virtue.” There was a strong atmosphere in the educational field where the longer you worked, the more you were seen as putting in effort.

Recently, it is no longer called a “virtue.” However, the trend of thinking that “long working hours are normal” still remains. As a result, efforts to improve operations end up as mere slogans, and essential reforms do not progress.

What we should pay attention to here is the research by Professor John Pencavel of Stanford University.
According to his study,productivity per hour of work drops sharply after exceeding 50 hours per week, and there is almost no increase in output after exceeding 55 hoursis shown.

In other words, no matter how much a teacher works thinking it is “for the children,” if they work more than 55 hours a week, that effort almostgoes to waste.

3. The gap with what children are seeking

So, what are children seeking?

The number of students absent from school continues to increase year by year, and now exceeds 300,000.
What they are appealing for with their unspoken voices is,

• a relationship where they can feel safe

• and room to make their own choices.

But what about the school environment?
Even now, there is an emphasis on “everyone doing things together” in lockstep, and “education that manages to prevent problems” is rampant.

Teachers cling to theircomfort zone, and avoiding trouble becomes the top priority. As a result, an environment where children can feel safe is not established, and instead, the sense of suffocation increases.

I believe this gap is one of the major factors in the increase in school absenteeism.

4. Can the public be convinced by an increase in allowances?

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology is considering an increase in the teaching adjustment allowance. Of course, it is necessary for teachers to be paid appropriately for their work.

However, if only the allowances increase while the structure of work remains unchanged and long working hours remain “normal”...

"I can't accept that."
Is it not natural for some citizens to feel that way?

Unless we change not just the funding, but our very philosophy of education, teacher burnout will not stop, and children will not regain their sense of security.

5. The Wall of School Culture and Burned-Out Teachers

A new philosophy of education—for example, the introduction of inquiry-based learning, dialogic learning, and SEL (Social Emotional Learning). The number of teachers trying to incorporate these is certainly increasing.

However, voices still persist in the field saying things like, "If you do that, you'll disrupt the harmony," or "What's the point of teaching things that aren't on the test?"
I myself have proposed new learning initiatives, but each time I was warned, "Don't just criticize the school."
An atmosphere that nips the buds of reform in the bud rather than nurturing themstill lingers in schools today.

As a result, the most passionate teachers become isolated, exhausted by being caught between the organization and their ideals, and burn out.
I believe the increase in leaves of absence due to mental health issues is not unrelated to this background.
The fact that teachers are increasingly burning out and taking leaves of absence due to mental health issues means that the very foundation supporting the future of our children is shaking. This is not just a problem for the education sector, but a crisis for society as a whole.

6. Education is the Foundation of the Nation, the Key to Change is Teacher Awareness

Education is the foundation of a nation.
If education does not change in line with changes in society, the nation's future cannot be opened up.

That is precisely why teachers in the field need to change their mindset.
Breaking free from the illusion that "long working hours equal virtue" and taking on the challenge of creating a safe learning environment that puts children at the center.
That first step will become the driving force for changing education.

Only when teachers take that step can the public be convinced that "educational reform is real."

7. My Challenge: Learning Spaces Expanding Outside of School

After 25 years in the teaching profession, I launched an alternative learning space calledthe autonomous support-type learning space "Manabiba."

There, children choose their own learning at their own pace and deepen their interests.
We are also promoting initiatives to foster "life skills" through learning that extends outside of school, such as retreats and nature experiences.

This is not a rejection of school.
Rather, I believe we have entered an era whereschools and society complement each other to provide diverse options for children.

8. Conclusion: Toward Education Centered on Children's Security

I do not mean to deny the efforts of teachers.
I myself had a period where I worked long hours and faced children with all my might.

But looking back now, I think that some of those efforts were not for the children, but were closer to "self-satisfaction bound by culture and systems."

The value of education lies not in the teacher's working hours, but in the child's sense of security and growth.

That is why I want to ask again.

"Are long working hours really necessary?"
"What is a school that is safe for children?"

The future of education should open up from the point of facing that question.