Is it okay for the educational field to be operating on a shoestring?

Teacher A, a second-year homeroom teacher I wrote about in a previous article.

In the new school year's personnel assignments, A was put in charge of a 5th-grade class, which made all the veteran teachers think, "No way."
I had advised the former principal from the start of the new school year, "Unless you assign me or someone else to help, I don't think they can do it alone," but the former principal was optimistic, saying, "It's a year of trials."

And, as expected, the class began to collapse, so from around May, I started entering the class as a specialized math teacher.
Even outside of math, I would go in whenever I could to keep a watchful eye, and things started to settle down a little.

However, from July, I was told,
"We'll handle it as a grade level, so you don't need to come in at all."
I was no longer even allowed to go and check on the situation.

This grade level has two classes, but the 4th-year teacher (grade head) who transferred in this year was so troubled by A's collapsing class—even more than their own—that they took a leave of absence.
So, a veteran specialized teacher was assigned as the acting homeroom teacher, and they adopted the policy,
"If we teach A the procedures properly, they should be able to do it. Since they are getting paid, we have to make them do it, even if it's tough."

The teachers who knew the situation from last year (when A was a new hire) thought, "That won't be enough to make it work," but,
(I also pleaded, "It finally started to settle down, but it will get worse than before. The grade head alone cannot follow up on A,")
I couldn't ignore the grade head's policy, which the administration had also approved.

Then, three months passed, including summer vacation.
The class was noisy, various conflicts large and small occurred every day, class time was lost to resolving them, A was constantly crying (even in front of the children), their spirits were down, work and lesson preparation weren't progressing, and the lessons were hard to understand, making the class even noisier...
The veteran teacher acting as grade head also tried working closely with them, but ended up on the verge of a breakdown, stuck in a rut, thinking, "Even though I'm teaching them so carefully and in such detail, they forget, don't do it, and can't do it. I didn't realize it was this bad."

Then, the administration bowed their heads to me and asked,
"I'm sorry, even though we once refused your help in the class, could you please go in again and rebuild it?"
So, from around the beginning of October, I started entering the collapsing class, strictly "while keeping the homeroom teacher in charge." But A cannot understand my advice, lesson preparation is almost always done the day before, and they cannot prevent conflicts, so now I am "practically the homeroom teacher."


Morning: Finishing preparations within the time limit, restroom, volume of voice, ways of playing that could lead to conflicts, friendships, and committee activities

During class: No private talking, posture, desk organization, how to approach tasks, doing what needs to be done, and grasping individual students' difficulties and progress

Recess: Restroom and lesson preparation, volume of voice, ways of playing that could lead to conflicts, friendships, and committee activities

Lunch time: Prioritizing group roles, no unnecessary conversation, work efficiency, work pace, dining manners, and cleanup

Cleaning: Prioritizing group roles, no unnecessary conversation, work efficiency, work pace, cleanup, and a spirit of service

Going home: Finishing preparations within the time limit, restroom, volume of voice, and committee activities

I am supervising these things every day, every hour, with a watchful eye.

However, A themselves arrives later than me in the morning, and there are only a few things I can say, "You've become able to do this!"
I had resigned myself to the fact that the days of glaring would continue until the closing ceremony (because it would be a disaster if they didn't settle down before becoming the oldest students).

But, but, buuuut!?

From the last week of January, I have been assigned to be the "acting homeroom teacher for a class whose teacher is going on maternity leave"!

Even now, with no replacements found for the two homeroom teachers on leave, and specialized teachers and administrative staff filling in, there is no way a new maternity leave replacement will be found.
Removing a specialized teacher who handles two subjects has a huge impact, and the music teacher has graduation ceremony singing practice to lead, so it is an unavoidable personnel decision.

Plus, the acting grade head argued,
"No matter how much we teach A, they cannot grow. Furthermore, while the current state is maintained because of Ms. Runea, A is under the misconception that 'I'm managing somehow' and 'I'll do my best with a fresh mindset next year.' Even though it's pitiful for the children, we must make A realize their own limitations and think about their future!"
That was also a reason.

"It's pitiful for the children" is absolutely true.
By me entering the collapsing class, a quiet learning environment was guaranteed, albeit forcibly. Children who were attending via the nurse's office, children who tended to be late or leave early, and children who were out in the hallway during class time (because the classroom was too noisy) were able to spend time in the classroom.
I feel especially sorry for those children.
They are children who surely understand that "me leaving the collapsing class = a high possibility that the noisy days will return," so they will likely feel anxious and distressed.
And A, who is overwhelmed by dealing with the noisy children, will surely not notice the feelings of those children.
That is the case even now while I am there.

To an educational field like this, they send one new hire after another who lacks experience, a sense of mission, and a sense of responsibility; they tell veterans "Don't give strict guidance!" just to keep the new hires from quitting; they say "It's okay to rest on holidays and long breaks" even though the work isn't finished and lesson preparation hasn't been done; and they pay salaries that don't match their abilities out of tax money (this increases the number of young people who look away from their lack of skill and don't quit even though they can't do the work).
I will write it many times: it is wrong.

Even I, now that my homeroom assignment is decided, am doing about 17 hours of take-home work this weekend—Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.
Lesson preparation for the math subjects I'm currently teaching (2 grades), checking events until March, picking up questions for the teacher going on maternity leave, and preparing for the transition of homeroom duties, including the outlook and necessary preparations for math and Japanese (for the entire 3rd term).
In addition to this, of course, there is housework and my own children.
And since I am not a regular employee, I don't have a bonus or sufficient benefits.
But I am not being made to do these things; I am doing them because I want to, so that I don't struggle on weekdays and so that the children don't have any trouble.

If you call this state "black" (exploitative), then I don't think you should expect teachers to achieve "the consolidation of basic academic skills, the perfect execution of administrative work and school duties, and the improvement of various types of guidance."

Any job should involve being tossed about by the rough waves of the world, and if you can't do it, you should struggle to acquire the skills and become a full-fledged professional.

If people experienced and mastered that from childhood, the number of people who can't do their jobs or quit immediately would decrease, and it shouldn't end up as "operating on a shoestring due to a lack of manpower."

I earnestly hope that we will reconsider 'non-scolding guidance (child-rearing)' and 'excessive respect for individuality' as soon as possible.