School refusal accelerated by ``SNS bullying'', which has increased for eight consecutive years.
Changes in society and the way schools should be questioned
School refusal continues to increase for eight consecutive years. Why do they keep increasing? Kumi Imamura, representative director of NPO Katariba, said:
"I don't know the cause. However, as the way of teaching and learning at school is no longer in line with the major changes in society and the times, both parents and children should 'take them to school even if they drag them.' One of the reasons is that I no longer think about it.I think this has a good meaning.There have always been things that can be said to be problems, such as having illnesses and various family environments.However, now In addition to these issues, there is a growing gap between social changes and school teaching methods. The number of parents who feel this way is increasing, and I believe that the increase in refusal to attend school is a sign that we are entering a time when the way schools have been put into question, including the teaching methods of teachers.”
Nowadays, including Japan, the world is changing drastically, but many public schools continue to teach the same content to all students at the same pace. However, it may be reaching its limit. Of course, maintaining the status quo may be effective for a certain percentage of children. However, there are many children with various characteristics, such as children with extremely good or poor grades, children who are not good at group activities, etc., who are suffering in the current school system. . Mr. Imamura says so.
School refusal is expected to increase in the future. Mr. Imamura says that urgent measures are needed (photo: provided by Katariba)"In that sense, school refusal itself is not a problem. Children who cannot go to school for some reason during compulsory education. I think the problem is that when you avoid school, you don't have the opportunity to learn elsewhere.For example, even if you want to attend a free school, it's expensive. Children from families with less financial means have to go to school even if they cry.This points to the reality that there are no other opportunities for learning. think"
School refusal accelerated by ``SNS bullying''
Another big problem is the widespread use of smartphones by children.
"Children who suffer from social media ostracism and verbal abuse are having to take the pressure of conformity at school home. This is very concerning. In the past, even if you were bullied, if you went home, you could have some time for yourself and have peace of mind, but now you're forced to be nervous all the time on social media, and your psychological safety is low. Furthermore, since SNS is a closed community, it is difficult for parents to notice and help. While the spread of digital devices such as smartphones has had a positive impact on education, it also makes it difficult for children to communicate with each other. I need to
However, smartphones and SNS will not disappear in the future, and bullying will not disappear. Then, how should we support children who are suffering in such a situation?
"If the school doesn't suit you, there are other options. It is important to create an environment that makes it easy to access such a second option. Some local governments have public support, but most of them depend on the economic strength of the family. If compulsory education is free, education for children who have no choice but to drop out of it for some reason should also be accessible free of charge. We may not be able to change the education system that continues unbroken so quickly, but that is why I think it is important to create alternative opportunities and places.”
Then, how are learning opportunities secured for children who do not attend school? Currently, there are many cases where free schools are used. However, some regions do not have free schools in the first place. In addition, even if there is, it costs a lot of money to use it, and there are many cases where only children from economically strong families can use it. Although there is public support for truant special schools, there are still only 17 truant special schools nationwide. Not all local governments have established educational support centers, and the reality is that there is still a limit to what needs can be met.
"We also have many single-parent households with children who do not go to school, and people in poverty who come to us for advice. We also hear concerns about suicide, such as fear that the child will jump off.” At the same time, there is no school lunch at home, so we have to prepare lunch. As a result, parents are forced to take irregular jobs.There are also cases of falling into poverty.In addition, special refusal schools, free schools, etc. In areas where there are no educational support centers, families will have to deal with everything at home, and access to public support other than schools will become impossible.If public support continues to be lacking, the guarantee of learning will be limited to families and local governments. There will be an increasing number of children who become dependent on their parents and become isolated because they are stuck in all directions.”
The key to school refusal support is ``support for parents''
In order to deal with this situation, the NPO Katariba, which Mr. Imamura presides, has also started the original base-type educational support. We are also starting new initiatives. One of them is the online support room "room-K" that supports children who do not attend school. The advantage is that if it is online, it can be used by both the supporter and the supporter, regardless of region or location. Its contents are as follows. First, the coordinator adjusts the child's support plan online with home and school. After that, using a digital tool called Gather, the children take classes under an individually created timetable in a school-like virtual space. The support staff takes the form of accompanying the child while watching the child's situation. Volunteer support staff are mainly home workers and people with various experiences and knowledge are cooperating. In "room-K", it is said that there is also a place for guardian support and interaction between guardians.
By interacting in a virtual space instead of face-to-face, children who do not attend school can participate with peace of mind (Photo: Courtesy of Katariba) At Katariba, we hold an online parent meeting once every two weeks, but many parents are bewildered and confused when they see their own children who have stopped attending school. Moreover, depending on the region, there are cases where the parents are treated as problematic parents, isolated from the surroundings, and the parents themselves withdraw. So, rather than having children not attending school, I think it is important to think together about how to support parents and prevent children from stopping learning."However, Mr. Imamura complains that ICT education has started in many schools now, and public support should be able to be updated.
“Our school refusal support is currently providing a tool for homeschooling. For example, it will be possible to take classes using a computer in a place other than the classroom, such as the library.I feel that we can increase such options at school. increase"
It is said that some local governments have already started new support for school refusal using ICT.
"It may be better for schools to get rid of the idea of doing everything on their own in the future. Using online makes it easier to gather human resources. For example, some local governments assign one school social worker to each school district, but if there are 1,000 students in the school district, one person will be in charge of it. In reality, it would be impossible to respond politely, but I think that by using online resources, we will be able to respond more accurately.”
Mr. Imamura, who says so, also gives advice to the guardians of children who do not attend school.
"School refusal tends to create a situation where the child only talks to the parent at home. I am the same, but when I talk with my parent and child, I sometimes get emotional. It is also important for children who go to school to be exposed to an environment where they can talk to people other than their families as much as possible.There is a way to do that online.We want parents and children to not suffer alone, I would like to utilize external resources such as this, so that you do not have to deal with it alone.”
Kumi Imamura Born in 1979. She graduated from Keio University. In 2001, he established the NPO Katariba and started the career learning program "Katariba" for high school students. Since the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, he has been engaged in various educational activities according to social changes, such as providing children with a place to learn and a place to belong. Focusing on ``slanting relationship'' and ``honest dialogue'', we will draw out the ``motivation for learning'' in the adolescent generation and focus on creating opportunities for young people such as university students to participate. Representative Director of Hatachi Foundation. Director of Regional/Education Attractiveness Platform. Member of the Central Council for Education. Temporary member of the Industrial Structure Council, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Representative director of certified NPO Katariba. Katariba (https://www.katoriba.or.jp/) (Photo: Courtesy of Katariba)(Text: Fumitaka Kunisada, photos without notes: buritora / PIXTA)
#Related tags#teacher#parents#ICT education#bullying