児童を「ゴキブリ」呼ばわり…64歳担任教諭を懲戒処分 なお現在も担任継続
Shocking news has emerged: a 64-year-old homeroom teacher received disciplinary action for calling students "cockroaches."
Even more surprisingly, the teacher continues to serve in the same role after the disciplinary action was taken.
This incident, highlighting verbal abuse in education and subsequent responses, has sparked considerable debate online.
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What is Disciplinary Action?
Disciplinary action refers to penalties imposed on public servants or company employees who violate their professional duties or engage in inappropriate conduct. Minor penalties include "admonition" or "salary reduction," while severe ones include "suspension from duty" or "dismissal (termination)." In this case, the inappropriate remarks to a child are believed to have severely damaged the teacher's integrity as a public servant, leading to the disciplinary action. However, given the decision to allow the teacher to continue as homeroom teacher, it is speculated that the disciplinary content was relatively minor, or that an opportunity for re-education and improvement was provided, though various opinions exist regarding the criteria for this judgment.
What is Verbal Abuse?
Verbal abuse refers to any statements or actions that, while not involving physical harm, inflict psychological distress or damage upon another person. Remarks such as calling a child a "cockroach" deeply wound an individual's dignity and carry a significant risk of severely lowering self-esteem. Especially from an educator's position, using such language towards students destroys trust and constitutes educational harassment, which should be severely criticized. It is regarded as a serious issue that impedes the healthy development of children.
What is Continuing as Homeroom Teacher?
Continuing as a homeroom teacher refers to a situation where a teacher, despite having received disciplinary action, continues to perform their duties as the class homeroom teacher. Typically, when such a serious issue occurs, reassignment from homeroom duties or transfer is often considered. However, in this case, it is noteworthy that the teacher continues to stand at the lectern as a homeroom teacher even after the disciplinary action. This decision may have taken into account factors such as staffing convenience for the school or board of education, the extent of the teacher's remorse, efforts towards preventing recurrence, or past work performance. Nevertheless, it often remains a source of concern for children and parents.
What is Harassment in the Educational Setting?
Harassment in the educational setting refers to inappropriate remarks or actions by teachers towards students or other teachers. It encompasses a wide range of issues, including verbal abuse, corporal punishment, sexual harassment, and power harassment. In recent years, with increasing mental stress and busyness reported among teachers, there are also cases where teachers' own stress leads to such problematic behaviors. This incident is also seen as a type of harassment by a teacher towards a student, highlighting the urgent need for thoroughly established ethics in education, mental health support for teachers, and the establishment of appropriate responses and recurrence prevention measures when problems arise.