Chiba teacher arrested for threats to blow up government buildings because of Saturday classes

I think this guy has a legitimate point, too bad he went about voicing it in an illegitimate way. Now no one will listen and other over-worked teachers might be afraid to complain.

Saturday is his Pachinko time ...

Wish he was smart enough to have stopped at the initial comments. Makes you wonder what sent him over the edge! Perhaps, it was the exhaustion. No excuse for his threats though.

There’s no way to recover when you’re working until Saturday” and “All that can be done on Sunday is sleep.”

Yep! He is 100% right! This also goes for the students! When will these fools realise that, more is NOT better! BETTER is better!

The decrease in education standards in Japanese public schools has nothing to do how many hours of classroom time they attend. The problem is what they do in the classroom!

They can hire part-time teachers for saturdays or any other days.

Why even have school on a Saturday anyway? Apart from the teachers going off at the deep end the kids are bound to be exhausted too.

So why have schools on Saturdays when the students have to go to the after school schools to get caught up. A better plan would be to redo the curriculum and stop worrying about lessons only geared for taking a test to get into college.

Are these kids learning anything anyway?

The Education Board's solution to student improvement is the same as Japanese businesses. Simply staying longer hours will not make eveything better. It simply gives the illusion something is actually working. Has no one heard the expression "Beating a dead horse"?

They can hire part-time teachers for saturdays or any other days.

No they can't,　if you know the system, you'll know why.

Teachers USED to have to work 1/2 days on every Saturday, then it was cut to having off on the 2nd and 4th Sat, now it's weekly. Results have dropped, school hours have increased, and the quality of teachers has dropped so the BOE in their own ignorant manner decided to increase classroom hours in the belief that quantity over quality wins!

The guy is right but he went about it the wrong way.

"Charges of intimidation"

The government does that everyday. Just take a look at Hashimoto. Sing Kimigayo or lose your job!!!

That's intimidation. That's not a dialogue. Why didn't he get arrested?

That's intimidation. That's not a dialogue. Why didn't he get arrested?

If you have to ask the question you obviously don't understand the politics here. The guy who makes the decisions doesn't get arrested, he gets promoted.

What are the standard school hours on weekdays in Japan?

Threats and actions are the only way to dissuade Japanese governmentals and their crazy ideas. He is a martyr to the cause. One more like him and they will stop in their tracks. I wish there was another way, but there isn't.

The BOE's e-mail should have read "Sorry he WAS in a position to teach children". I see his point, but he sure didn't know how to make it. One job vacancy announcement coming up.

One job vacancy announcement coming up.

Working 6 days a week? no thanks.

Sing Kimigayo or lose your job

Nothing wrong. Schools are place where you teach rules. Teachers who disobey rules should leave. Those teachers are always demanding their rights and don't care about children.

@tina

I suspect that, because they care about their students and the future of the nation, that's why they protest.

Good luck to them.

@lucabrashi, I'm talking about the teachers who refuse to sing the national anthem. They are communists. If they don't like Japan so much, they should emigrate to China. But I wonder what kind of treatments they would receive if they disobey rules there.

@tina

I like communists. A lot of us still do. It's not an insult, it's a badge of honour.

My analogy:

The current education system in Japan is anemic, but rather than giving it a steak to fulfill its iron requirements, the BOE would rather give it a huge plate of spinach (which isn't even that high in iron anyway (AND only has non-haem iron)), which it'll only finish out of politeness, and still suffer iron deficiency in the end...

OK, I could have made that simpler.

More =/= better.

I 100% support this guy's intention, but his execution was foolish.

I can understand his frustration. The system is crushing. It is too bad he couldn't get a grip on himself. But I'm sure many teachers are over the edge in less obvious ways. All work and no play drives people nuts!

M3 - it varies a little bit by school, but elementary is roughly 8am to anywhere from 1.30 (Weds is short day) to 2.15-4.00 (depending on the day and quite honestly it seems like the teachers whim as well).Don`t know about JHS and HS but with all the clubs and stuff it seems like those schools are pretty much 24/7!

If I had to come into work on Saturday, I would do this as well. The weekend should be for doing other things like increasing the population of this country.

Yeah, I agree with his sentiment, but blowing stuff up never accomplishes anything. Except blowing up your life. Who's ever going to hire this guy again?

And class sizes are still too large as well.

This teacher obviously went crazy working for what amounts to something like a black company. His case is not unusual. What is unusual is the exotic way he chose to crack. Teachers who are out of their minds often crack by beating students or bullying their fellow teachers.

Huh. I would have thought it would be the students to make the first bomb threats. Six school days a week? Pretty much everyone I went to school with hated doing five days a week. But, I'm sure if the students were actually being taught something worthwhile, and in an especially engaging manner, they wouldn't object as much. Learning while having fun can be something of a challenge to pull off, but it works wonders on morale. It sounds to me though like the BoE aren't thinking of that. Just hours of tedium, six days a week. No wonder education standards are slipping. To be honest, I wouldn't mind being a teacher six days a week. Trouble is, I'm not qualified. Not particularly great at public speaking either.

Bad way to go about it but it seems like he has a valid point about education and the Japanese education and "working" system.. though who makes this rules because no individual person I have ever spoken to seems to want either.

For all the time students spend in school, after school, cram class etc I haven't felt like anyone I have met or worked with has a significantly higher level of education than where Im from where the schedule is far more balanced.

The same happens in business where longer and more hours is seen as better but the work output seems not significantly different.

How are you suppose to ever spend time as a family, communicate and develop good relationships, travel, have a hobby, enjoy nature and as the teacher points out, though badly of course, keep your house in order and relax.

In my experience a balanced work/life, and school/life actually benefits all facets of someones life.

The board of education issued an apology regarding the suspect saying, “We are very sorry he was in a position to teach children.”

The board of education should issue an apology for making the quality of life even worse than it already is by making these teachers work six day week, and probably with no additional pay too.

At a private school my son goes to, having made it into the top and therefore free class, I was SHOCKED that these teachers work SEVEN days a week. Sure on Sunday, there are no classes but they still have to show up and monitor the few students whose parents really do not want them around as they are out playing golf or shopping. Even on Saturday, my son does not come home until five. No please right wingers, tell me that really a union has no place in this situation OR is this what you people call the new normal.

Do the members of the board of education also work on Saturdays?

With such poor working conditions it will be difficult to attract good teachers. This will have a far bigger effect on the overall quality of education than adding more hours of learning "facts", which often aren't true.

He should have made the threat anonymously.

@khulifi

No Saturday, panties shot and groping day :P

@Jamie Lunel Yes from his home or work computer ;)

Even on Saturday, my son does not come home until five. No please right wingers, tell me that really a union has no place in this situation OR is this what you people call the new normal.

To answer this comment would take pages, simply put unions in Japan are sleeping in bed with their employers and are ineffective beyond belief. It's nothing new either.

I empathize with this man, but I would first, get the people out of the building.

What are the implications for non-Japanese public school teachers?

School systems are black companies. Teachers are exploited in Japan and yes the supposedly left wing teachers union is either ineffectual or with the boards of education. With all the overwork no real education goes on. I is all for some high stakes examination. Unfortunately, this disease has spread to my country.

I agree, that rotten board of education ought to apologize for driving that teacher crazy.

Maybe he is the kind of guy who has to work when he's at work. Plenty of people don't work when they're at work and don't feel overloaded.

@Kabukilover

This teacher obviously went crazy working for what amounts to something like a black company. His case is not unusual. What is unusual is the exotic way he chose to crack. Teachers who are out of their minds often crack by beating students or bullying their fellow teachers.

A 'black company' would be a good and profitable company.

@Shanique That's not what KL meant by 'black company'.

Note to self NEVER WORK IN CHIBA! This is madness. It never worked well then, why will it work now? common sense is not very common.

@turbotsat

That's not what KL meant by 'black company'

I know. Was just trying to get him to look into his remark. It has a lot of connotations in it.

I'm talking about the teachers who refuse to sing the national anthem. They are communists

And just what is wrong with a communist? Think about that before you answer the question. Ever hear of freedom?

He shoud have complained about not having equal vacations as the kids.