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Junior high school teacher orders student to jump from balcony

20 Comments

A male teacher in his 50s, who works at a junior high school in Fukushima Prefecture, ordered a student to jump from a balcony, school officials said Wednesday.

The incident occurred in July at a temporary school facility for students of Futaba Junior High School, who had to evacuate following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in 2011, Fuji TV reported. Since then, lessons have been conducted at a temporary school building.

According to the school, the teacher, who is in charge of first-year students, told a boy to jump from the balcony to discipline him for repeatedly forgetting to bring a document for submission.

On Wednesday night, the school held a meeting with the parents' association. The teacher apologized in front of the parents and other legal guardians. “I'm sorry I made the children feel uneasy [due to my conduct],” he said.

School principal Nobuhiro Meguro said, "First, we will replace the teacher with another instructor. Next, we will consider how to care and support our students because I’m certain that they still feel anxious about the incident.”

The school’s second semester is due to resume on Friday.

A similar incident occurred in July when an elementary school teacher at a public school in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, verbally and physically abused one of his students, including telling him to jump from the school window.

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20 Comments
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No wonder bullying is such a big problem if even the teachers do it...

I used to hear "being a teacher is a vocation", it seems it's just another job nowadays.

13 ( +13 / -0 )

Again a teacher recommending a student under their supervision to fling themselves to death. Now I know where people who fail suicide prevention job interviews get work. For the Gods sake how do they so misunderstand the title "Teacher".

10 ( +11 / -1 )

Sack the Teacher and Ban for Life any contact with children

10 ( +11 / -1 )

If I was the student, I would have asked the teacher to take the first plunge to ensure I didn't make any mistakes, afterall their job is to teach and you cant' learn without being instructed in technique.  Perhaps that is what students need to start doing to defend themselves from teacher bullying. Same thing for the teacher who instructed the students to jump from out of the window. YOU first so that I can learn the style and technique and not make the same mistakes the teacher made when he or she goes SPLAT...

9 ( +9 / -0 )

A similar incident occurred in July when an elementary school teacher at a public school in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, verbally and physically abused one of his students, including telling him to jump from the school window.

Why this (above)?

This elementary school teacher did not tell the child to jump.

What happened was that the child lied and said that he ripped class newspapers because someone told him to do so.

Then the teacher told him "so you'd jump off the balcony if I tell you to do so? No you wouldn't right? Bad things are bad".

This student lied to his parents and then the teacher got into problem. Luckily, other students told their parents that was not how the teacher spoke.

This part was not really reported widely.. tells how media doesn't always correct wrong information unless it gets spot light.

Anyway, if this junior high school teacher said what it says he said, then he should be bye-bye.

12 ( +12 / -0 )

Surprisingly the Japanese student did not jump. Now single him out for bullying because he did not fall in line.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Thankyou fishy

0 ( +0 / -0 )

This part was not really reported widely.. tells how media doesn't always correct wrong information unless it gets spot light.

The truth doesnt get headlines. Not to mention that the lies destroy lives.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

I jokingly said this to a first grade senior high kid five or six years ago. He was in a group with his friends partaking in an activity and everybody took it as a joke. Everybody except the Japanese teacher, of course. He reported me to the local BOE and I had to make a formal apology. There was no malice or anger in the context of my statement. It was a joke! I had been teaching at this same school for 3 years and knew the students very well. In hindsight, I should not have said it, of course. However, it was taken completely out of context by the Japanese teacher. I mention this because of the other case mentioned in this article, which again was taken completely out of context and used against the teacher. I refused to apologise at first because there was no malice intent and the statement had been taken out of context, but there was no way I was going to get through the proceedings without one. This was despite the boys all sticking up for me and telling the teacher and the principal it was just a joke. This politically correct society we live in today is full of emotionally insecure pussies who need to grow a pair. I should also mention, the Japanese teacher said nothing to me about it, even though I was teaching 6 classes a week with him. The first I heard about it was a letter from the BOE a fortnight later. Pussy!

On the other hand, this new case seems completely different. It seems this teacher has anger management issues and needs counselling.

1 ( +6 / -5 )

This is obviously a test to see if they are suitably indoctrinated yet.

Nope, he didn't jump, must try harder!

Joking aside, if the report is accurate this guy needs either re-training or firing.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Jesus, AGAIN?? What IS it with Japan and teacher testing? They'll let ANYONE in so long as they rote memorize knowledge from all subject areas. The result is that they have ZERO classroom management skills, and engage in criminal conduct, be it putting cameras in little girls' rooms, or demanding kids jump from the balcony. And all they're doing is letting the teacher go from the school and thinking about how they can not have to deal with this again later?? The only reason they are doing anything now, despite this JUST happening in Saitama, is because they were caught.

Seriously... Japan has GOT to get with it.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

May parents told me to jump off a cliff (about 50 ft away) around age 12 - they did it to make a point, not to have me do it, but to teach. It worked.

In drivers education a few years later, I was driving downtown on a bunch of 1-way streets and the instructor said to turn left onto a 1-way street that going right was the only allowed direction. 2 other students were in the car. It was to make a point. That I AM RESPONSIBLE for myself and everyone else in the vehicle when driving. Doesn't matter what someone else says I should do. I was the driver.

Can't say how many times my parents would stop the car and make us walk home from there - 2-5 KMs from home.

Coddling children too much is detrimental to their health on multiple levels. They will be independent, but if never challenged to become independent as children, how will they learn?

Guess we need to chalk this teaching technique up to cultural differences.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I should also mention, the Japanese teacher said nothing to me about it, even though I was teaching 6 classes a week with him.

@Disillusioned - Of course. He understood it to be a joke, but at the time did not have an agenda. He just tucked it away to use at a later date.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Geez, whatever happened to just keeping someone after class and yelling at them?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Could this be a hint as to the origin of Japan's high teen suicide rate? Authority judges "You're no good! Kill yourself!" This has to be an unforgettable 'lesson' to all of the students and may be expressed in the attitudes of many more teachers than those who act out so visibly. And susceptibility would be only as far away as a student's knowledge of the old tradition of commanded 'Seppuku'.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

If you think you can just say what ever you want, especially in a teacher's position, you are sadly mistaken. These are not your buddies or chums, but those you are trying to educate and mold into society. Of course we know most mean no harm, but you have to take a step back and realise your actions, including your comments, have lasting impressions and consequences.

Even if you were joking, someone else may not and it all has to be treated the same. Just as some people know better to act one way at work, then they would outside with drinking buddies. People get into trouble for saying the wrong thing all the time, especially famous people. Jokingly racist, sexiest, religious comments, etc. are a no go.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

i thought school was a place to learn new things and become a better person

0 ( +0 / -0 )

This politically correct society we live in today is full of emotionally insecure pussies who need to grow a pair.

Alternatively, teachers who physically or verbally bully their pupils should be out on their ear. And measures taken to ensure their teaching qualifications are removed.

The first I heard about it was a letter from the BOE a fortnight later. Pussy!

The matter first had to be investigated.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Sadly its ingrained into the Japanese Education system and appears to simply be the Norm. Both between Students and Teacher to Students.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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