Unusual punishment lands Hiroshima elementary school teacher in hot water

Sounds fine to me. I don't think this is really excessive or harmful.

All teachers know that being too creative in class, specially when punishing students, is something that will, usually, land them in hot waters. Taking strange photos of students... certainly should raise some eyebrows!

The teacher should have just called the parents instead of humiliating the poor kids. If he doesn't know how to treat infants he should work elsewhere.

Does he not know that as a Japanese teacher, you are supposed to berate them, going from low tones to yelling, back again, hitting everything in between, for at least 15 minutes? That never traumatized anyone!

I agree with Speed. If it was anymore mild than this, it would be a pat on the back for it! (Although truth be told I think the demands on elementary school students concerning homework and carrying of supplies back and forth is quite excessive and its the teachers, BOE and Mombusho people who should have their pictures taken in front of the class in this pose.)

So instead of physical punishment he makes you feel humiliated and gets a verbal reprimand. No one complained till this August?

truth be told I think the demands on elementary school students concerning homework and carrying of supplies back and forth is quite excessive

This, why the hell can't they use the publicly funded desk as a storage compartment?

So Speed, every time you make a mistake at work, you're willing to do the same at your office?

Sounds like a harmless punishment to me. Most likely the student who stopped going to school had other motivations and complaining about the teacher was a convenient excuse. If the 'concerned parent' was actually concerned about their child's education maybe they should have made sure that their kid went to school prepared. What's the point of being there if you don't have to materials you need to learn?

So Speed, every time you make a mistake at work, you're willing to do the same at your office?

What do you suggest the teacher should do then?

Students who forgot to bring their school supplies from home

What if the kids' parents couldn't afford the school supplies? Now you're publically humiliating the kid for being poor, that won't give the kid a complex for life... not.

Or did this not occur to all those commenting that is was harmless or a good idea?

There is a preference here for public scoldings, public humiliation, public put-downs. It is inappropriate, and what does it achieve? If the only remedy the teacher can think of is this, then he needs to rethink his approach. Any kind of public berating is not good.

It amazes me what parents will complain about. Perhaps if the kids behaved, they wouldn't have to do this? It's not like he was hitting the kids.

1000 demons, rubbish duty, detention, cleaning maybe? Definitely inappropriate to take photos of students. Freak.

If the only remedy the teacher can think of is this, then he needs to rethink his approach. Any kind of public berating is not good.

I'm sick of people who complain about everything but offer no solutions. If you think what he did was inappropriate, then fine, but why not back it up with what you think should have been the appropriate response to the problem?

"I think he should take the kid aside after the class and kindly remind them to bring their stuff next time, and for good measure check that they actually have everything at home".

There you go, that wasn't too hard, was it?

hereforever

So Speed, every time you make a mistake at work, you're willing to do the same at your office?

Yeah. If I didn't bring documents or materials with me to meetings or something, I'd rather have a slight ribbing from my boss and fellow staff members rather than having them give me the cold stink eye or get a harsh reprimand from my boss.

Similar to the above article, when I was teaching in JHS, kids who continually didn't do or forgot their homework had to stand up with me and sing the "I forgot my homework" song while holding hands in front of the class.

Yeah, it was a little embarrassing but everyone had a few laughs and the atmosphere was kept fun and upbeat. The kids understood they were in the bad and tried not to show up for class without doing their homework after that. This was only done periodically for the chronic "forgetters" and it worked.

For those that did keep forgetting, got the one-on-one talk with me and the depressing notification to their parents.

How do you know he didn't already try all of those things? The fact that this was a rather elaborate and unique punishment tells me that this is not the first thing he tried.

Sounds like a good punishment, and I would not be angry if this teacher applied it to my kids. Making them ashamed is a very efficient way of teaching responsibility.

The students's ages are not released. I wonder how old they are.

Is this the HR teacher? He is meant to liaise with the parents of the children and contact the with any problems, and that's what he should be doing, by phone, email, letter, text, or a home visit.

He can also talk to the kids individually and give them a checklist they should use every morning.

Kids don't need "original" and quirky punishments, they need clear guidelines and constant reminders. Just like the teacher who sellotaped a face mask to a student, this guy has apparently skipped the sensible options and gone straight to acting like some kind of quirky manga or anime teacher.

. . .

There you go papasmurf. Feel better now that I've done your enraged bidding? sheesh... Get a coffee down before you blow a gasket!

This is definitely one of those "you had to be there" things. Hard to say what he was thinking or what it was really like from an article.

Points I saw: *He had them do something cutesy and foolish (meow), which is really elementary school, and perhaps meant to mitigate the humiliation.

*Taking the picture could have been a mild humiliation designed to make the kids not forget the next time.

*The pic could just as well have been a memo-device for him to remember who'd forgotten their homework, instead of writing their name down. He has their face and the date. Then if he has repeat offenders, he knows how many times and when and he can talk to the kid.

This is not a punishment I would do, I don't like it, But not necessarily "awful". The kid that couldn't come in- sometimes there are sensitive kids that need to be taught to "get over" this kind of thing, instead of react and stop it.

instead of shaming students, how about teaching them something? i thought that is what school is for.

This punishment started in January. Considering there was 9 months of school before this type of punishment started it's pretty safe to assume that he had tried other methods of getting the students to come to school prepared.

The more I think about it the more I feel for this teacher. The 'concerned parent', rather than call the teacher or even the prinicipal of the school to complain, calls the board of education as a first step? Sounds like someone has a bone to pick.

So don't forget your books, I don't think this to be unusual, just a method to make people remember their books next time because they don't want to have to look foolish. I couldn't count how many times a teacher made me look foolish in class for doing something wrong.

Okay, stand at the front and make like a cat while saying sorry. Yeah, I could accept that for my child.

But having the teacher take a photo on his personal phone and storing them there or on his PC....? Um, NO. None of the supporters here seem to be addressing that point.

Ridiculing students in any way is counter-productive. It may allow a teacher to enforce rules, but it breeds resentment and destroys motivation. There are many ways to "train" students to be better learners that don't involve humiliation. This teacher doesn't need reprimanding. He needs training.

Unfortunately, this comment applies to many teachers I've met in Japan.

Reminds me of when my family used to play paddle ball on the beach and the first one to drop the ball had to run around the playing circle like a homosexual. I think most Japanese girls would actually like to do this picture pose thing, but of course there is always going to be one person that will not, and you need to respect that.

But I kind of question how the parents could let their kid stop going to school over this. Send your kid to school and make your complaint the same day, but don't let the kid stay home...

In all, the images of 11 students remained on the teacher's camera at the time of his warning, none of which have been released to the public.

I would hope not!

I'm sick of people who complain about everything but offer no solutions. If you think what he did was inappropriate, then fine, but why not back it up with what you think should have been the appropriate response to the problem?

"I think he should take the kid aside after the class and kindly remind them to bring their stuff next time, and for good measure check that they actually have everything at home".

There you go, that wasn't too hard, was it?

papasmurfinjapan - Wow, you got all worked up because someone said the obvious and called the photos inappropriate but didn't offer an alternative.

Heres the thing, smurf. Do you honestly need an alternative when common sense should tell you to remind the kids? Were you at such a complete loss for what to do??

sounds fine to me. When I was in J-public school I would take a marker and put a dot or two or their forehead. Sorry but you are being RUDE!

I teach at Uni now. The class is participation based. EASY EASY A. show up. listen, participate, bring your book, dont sleep. you get an A. Basically this so called English class is just to see if you can act like an adult for 70 to 80 minutes twice a week. If yes you get an A. so when students sleep I take off 1 point from their FINAL grade and I snap a picture of their lovely peaceful sleeping faces. I am humiliating them, and most dont even know it.

The child was so distressed that she eventually stopped going to school in September.

Kids like this are the reason people say kids have it easy these days.

If it happened to her once, and she didn't like it. She shouldn't have let it happen to her again. Also, it's not a difficult task to bring your stuff to school.

But having the teacher take a photo on his personal phone and storing them there or on his PC....? Um, NO. None of the supporters here seem to be addressing that point.

That is creepy though.

Sorry, but ridicule and belittling are just other forms of bullying and should not be a part any disciplinary action. Fire him!

I really don't understand where these teachers come from that think they can just make up bizarre punishments and implement them. Is there no standard on classroom management in this nation? I know there is not much you can do in terms of discipline, and I think that should be changed, but still.

That is hilarious and sorta cute. Yurushite-nyaa! (=^･^=) ﾆｬｰﾝ♪

That is creepy though.

The idea that it is creepy is what is creepy. Elementary school walls are practically clad in pictures of the students. Only teacher totally detached from the students he or she teaches 5 days a week, four weeks a month and 12 months a year does not have a picture or two somewhere in or on their personal stuff. Is that what we want? Detached teachers? I don't. It sounds to me like this guy actually cares and has half a brain, and I think its unfortunate that he has to operate under the constraints laid out by the the BOE and Mombusho that led to this emphasis on lugging a ton of junk to and from home.

When I was a about 9 I had a teacher who terrified me. She had no qualms about humiliating students for forgetting their homework or supplies or for getting answers wrong. I was one of those who she regularly humiliated. The thing is that I wasn't at all bad in the subject she taught but I was so scared of her I could barely get a word out of my mouth, let alone the correct answer. With her attitude she created a viscous cycle whereby I wouldn't answer correctly, she'd humiliate me, I'd become more scared of her and incapable of responding appropriately and so on. There's not really enough information in this article to know if this teacher was really humiliating his students or if one parent just over-reacted. Regardless, I am very suspicious of any kind of punishment that involves humiliation or shaming because of my experience. I think that, in general, when a teacher or superior has to resort to humiliation it's because they are either mean-spirited, ineffective at their jobs, unable to come up with positive and motivating ways of getting people to do what needs to be done or all three.

therougou: Reminds me of when my family used to play paddle ball on the beach and the first one to drop the ball had to run around the playing circle like a homosexual.

What in the world does that even mean?

Mike Critchley:

" Ridiculing students in any way "

I don´t see much ridicule there. The cat posture is quite known and has a cute factor.

Really, the parents who complain about this are ridiculous.

How is this creepy? I think cheerleading for girls 10 years old in Japan is much more of a creepy problem.

@ambrosia

I absolutely agree with your comments ! I was (still am) a very shy person. Luckily our teachers were much more sophisticated - or maybe just better trained - and no-one was ever humiliated for whatever reason. Unfortunately, in Japan humiliation and bullying seem to be a very important, integrated part of teaching, to such an extent that it goes on after graduation right into the work place.

they need clear guidelines and constant reminders.

Constant reminders to do their school work? Guidelines to do their school work? Sorry but kids are well aware of what they need to do and some push it and get punished. We have no idea if this teacher has called the parents and talked about the issues. Perhaps this teacher tried many other things. At the end of the day, these kids will need thicker skin if this upsets them. They'll have it much worse at the hands of their sempai and bosses in the future.

Back in the old days the teachers used to line the kids up and scream at them "shikkari shiro!" and give them a hard smack across the face. These days you take a picture of a kid making a funny (and harmless) cat pose and everyone melts down. I'm not saying the old days are better, but it's clearly swung too far in the other direction.

The purpose of those little punishments is to teach the kid to be responsible and remember to bring their stuff. Also it's supposed to teach them to learn from their mistakes. What happens in a business meeting where the special little snowflake forgets to bring something important? They'll get reprimanded and who'll be there to hold their hand? No one. Except now they're an adult who can't take the shock of being held accountable - so they'll move back in with their parents and never go outside again. Or be another crazy person on the train. Good luck with this.

The teacher's actions were unprofessional and totally inappropriate. I don't care what others 'suffered' in the past, it's 2013 now and children are treated differently. For forgetting something that students should 'always' carry - one demerit. For forgetting something they were reminded NOT to forget - two demerits. Three demerits in a week (or four over two weeks) = detention. Detention to be held after school hours and children must be brought to and picked up afterwards by a parent or guardian. That way there's no confusion about parents being unaware of their child's behavior.

When my kids forget their supplies I usually provide them with a funny loaner. For example, I have a pencil about l----this----l long that I joking give to kids to use who forget pencils, and a Meiji Oishii Gyunyu milk pack-shaped eraser. After the slight shame of getting such comical supplies, I tell them to remember next time, and provide them with normal ones. I've been doing this for almost two years, and I've never had any problems. Then again, I don't take pictures of them and store them on my computer...

It's better than slapping seven bells out of the students, which seems to go unpunished.

The problem is that most teachers are very poor and many lack social skills. This is true the world over, it is one of the professions that attract plenty of odd balls. This teacher seems to be one of them. Most of their job has nothing to do with educating the children and making them well formed adults upon leaving. The idea is to have compliant teachers make compliant Johnny and Jane, they types that do but don't question.

Roylance, teachers here aren't allowed to give detentions in many schools so your system wouldn't work. Which is why teachers have to resort to other kinds of punishments.

John, some parents could argue that what you are doing is the same as this teacher - mocking the kids.

I don't think this is the perfect punishment but we have no idea how many times these kids have forgotten to do things.

"...daughter felt uncomfortable being made to look foolish in front of the class. The child was so distressed that she eventually stopped going to school in September. " - Some kids have no sense of humor...

There you go papasmurf. Feel better now that I've done your enraged bidding? sheesh... Get a coffee down before you blow a gasket!

I'm not blowing a gasket. Just suggesting if you think you have a better way to deal with the situation, why not share it instead of just whinging?

Heres the thing, smurf. Do you honestly need an alternative when common sense should tell you to remind the kids? Were you at such a complete loss for what to do??

I'm not worked up, but thanks for the concern. The point is criticising someone without offering a solution in it's place (no matter how obvious you think that solution may be) is really no better than the humiliation, berating, and scolding you have your knickers in a knot about in the first place.

But really, what this guy did is not such a big deal. I'd be more worried about the parenting skills of the complaining mother.

Some kids have no sense of humor...

Some kids are only 8 or 9 years old, and grownups shouldn't be picking on them or making fun of them.

The child was so distressed that she eventually stopped going to school in September.

Pussy

In all, the images of 11 students remained on the teacher’s camera at the time of his warning, none of which have been released to the public.

Where does it say the teacher had the photos stored on his PC? It says a lot about you if you assume that he has some perverted reason for taking the photos. During graduation ceremonies it is routine to have a slide show of the students doing fun and silly things.

These days you take a picture of a kid making a funny (and harmless) cat pose and everyone melts down.

It doesn't raise any eyebrows that he's taking photos of kids and storing them on his phone? You wouldn't imagine the possible misunderstandings or complications that could arise from this?

Basically, I just don't want no perverted teacher ever taking pictures of my kids except the annual class picture or something formal like that.

@MumbaiRocks--How you got "perverted" out of this story I don't even want to know.

"Students who forgot to bring their school supplies from home were made to stand in front of the class and pose like “maneki-neko,” a “beckoning cat” statue usually seen in the entrance of businesses. They were also made to say “Forgive me, meow!” and have their picture taken."

This is punishment? It would be fun for me, heck, I'd be forgetting to bring my school supplies every day for the chance to pose like maneki-neko and saying "Forgive me, meow!" - I can do a pretty good meow, ha ha!

@ControlFreak

That is creepy though.

The idea that it is creepy is what is creepy.

No. The idea that it is not creepy is creepy.

I've never been in a school in Japan, so I don't know what they have on the walls, but I'm betting they don't have photos of kids being disciplined on them.

(sigh) - you can thumb me down anonymously if you want, but none of the supporters here are explaining why it was necessary to take photos of the children. As I mentioned before, a bit of embarrassment at the front of the class I can understand, but why is a photo on a private cell phone necessary? Anyone care to explain? (nah, thought not)

As I mentioned before, a bit of embarrassment at the front of the class I can understand, but why is a photo on a private cell phone necessary?

The article says the photos were on his camera - was it his phone or his camera? For many there may be little difference between the two, but to me, a camera that probably sits in his desk at school - for taking photos of school related things - and his private cell phone that he carries around with him all the time, are two different things. If it's the former, then fine. If it's the latter, then, yeah, a bit creepy.

Now a days, whatever punishment a teacher hands out for this or that, will be criticized, scrutinized, and the teacher will get penalized, rectal-fied! Damn hard being a teacher now a days. Better off just being a ditch digger.

I think public embarrassment is a good form of non violent punishment.

If you don't want to be embarrassed then don't forget your books the the lesson being taught here.

Perhaps to remind students not to forget there things? Having a photo is proof of them having forgotten something.

I would be OK with this sort of punishment minus the photo. No reason to take a photo. If its for his records of who forgot what, don't be so lazy and just write it down.

The parents who complained about this one need to spend more time making sure their child is prepared for school lessons.

(sigh) - you can thumb me down anonymously if you want, but none of the supporters here are explaining why it was necessary to take photos of the children. As I mentioned before, a bit of embarrassment at the front of the class I can understand, but why is a photo on a private cell phone necessary? Anyone care to explain? (nah, thought not)

You are probably getting thumbs down because you are failing to read the article properly. No where does it say a private cell phone was used. You are just making that up. I also mentioned one possible reason for taking such photos in an earlier post. I know we see lots of perverted teacher stories on this site but I'm just not seeing it here and jumping to that conclusion based on what is written in this article takes quite a twisted imagination, in my opinion.

In all, the images of 11 students remained on the teacher’s camera at the time of his warning, none of which have been released to the public

I agree with "Hatsoff". What he did I think was just fine but definitely not taking pictures of the kids. This should only have been meant to be temporary punishment with no permanent photo files in storage.

Teachers aren't allowed mobile phones in the class room, and most classes have a classroom digital camera which is the property of the school. This camera is used for classroom projects and taking pictures of classroom activities. This is most likely where the images were stored. Board of Educations are very strict when it comes to students photos and details. Basically if the parent was annoyed by this , protocol means contacting the Principal first . By going to the BOE directly is just stirring the pot. There are other issues involved here that aren't apparent.

In all, the images of 11 students remained on the teacher’s camera at the time of his warning, none of which have been released to the public.

Can people please read the article, the pictures were not on a cell phone, not on a PC and not distributed anywhere.

A little humiliation in one's youth is good preparation for the great humiliations all people suffer later in life. If you keep kids too insulated from the realities of life, they can become dysfunctionable adults. At the local sports festival last week, once again, there were no awards for the winners of any of the events. Apparently the schools think that giving awards to the winners is humiliating to the losers. A great way discourage winning and encourage losing. No wonder the country has descended to such a sorry state.

I don't necessarily agree with the teacher's method, but it appears he was evenhanded with it. When I was a student we suffered much worse punishments.

Kids are far more resilient than people give them credit for. It is the adults who seem to feel the punishments vicariously who think they are too severe. Most kids simply shrug them off, and forget them by the next day. Some don't, but better they learn now that there are consequences for actions, rather than later, or not at all.

rotocol means contacting the Principal first . By going to the BOE directly

There is no information telling us that the parents didn't talk to the teacher and school first. To think otherwise is an assumption by the reader, based on speculation disguised as fact, by other posters.

It's likely the the parents did talk to the school first. Did the teacher say he " stood by his classroom rule" then, and refuse to change the punishment, despite the child being distressed enough to not want to come to school?

School is meant to be a place of safety, with teachers as the ones protecting. Children learn hard knocks through peer interaction; not through inept teachers.

So many comments that I had no time to read but about ten. How about writing " I won't forget my school supplies 20 times in English" on the board.

@maria Actually a lot of parents go directly to the BOE first. Did you know that in most cases it is then bounced back to the Principal of the school to sort out. That is his/ her job . Most parents who go to the BOE are attempting to create more trouble than the situation warrants.Also if you reread what I wrote, I wasn't referring to this case but clarifying normal school procedure in which some of the commentators may not be aware of.

Meh. The teacher should have totally taken a few cues from "The Queen's Classroom." Now THAT was a classic teacher!

@Urqinchina - I did not know that. Thank you for clarifying.

thats actually not a bad idea. i wanna try.

Amazing the number of people commenting who think the teacher's actions were OK. Is humiliating a child in front of her or his peers the way to change behavior? Even if other approaches had been tried and failed, this is still unacceptable. No wonder so many Japanese children, teens and adults have problems if this is considered normal behavior in a school.

"Even if other approaches had been tried and failed, this is still unacceptable"

What's the solution then?

The teacher continued his classroom punishment until the end of August, when the Board of Education received a call from a concerned parent whose daughter felt uncomfortable being made to look foolish in front of the class.

Sounds like the process was working then. You're SUPPOSED to be feel uncomfortable when you forget your required materials.

The child was so distressed that she eventually stopped going to school in September.

Seriously? One embarrassment and you're skipping school? What's the student's name... "Princess Aiko"? Or does the student habitually forget things and has had to "NYAAN" multiple times?

hatsoff:

" As I mentioned before, a bit of embarrassment at the front of the class I can understand, but why is a photo on a private cell phone necessary? Anyone care to explain? (nah, thought not) "

Because there was no photo on a cellphone. At least the article did not mention anything like that. The photo on the cellphone is something you invented.

Now how about standing up, raise your paws, and give us a "yuruse, nyaa nyaa"?

What's wrong with the punishment? I mean, I'd have preferred this than being scolded in front of the whole class honestly. Okay, I understand that the kids are being humiliated in front of their peers but, you know, that usually works! If you're a kid, you're supposed to say "I don't want to be told to do this again, I will take extra care not to forget books and I will make sure in the morning too!"

We're living in a time where no matter what a teacher does, the parents will still complain and I get the feeling that kids are being waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too pampered from what I see at school. And so much info is missing? Did the parent of the kid concern tell off her kid about forgetting her things home??

A photo of a child in and of itself is not creepy/ inappropriate! The purpose is clear, it's public, they're fully-clothed. Stop this senseless new-age fear mongering.

Seriously? One embarrassment and you're skipping school? What's the student's name... "Princess Aiko"? Or does the student habitually forget things and has had to "NYAAN" multiple times?

Totally agree. There is almost certainly something else going here that caused the student to want to stay home and this is just being used as a convenient excuse.

WilliB - lol, fair enough.

So many comments that I had no time to read but about ten. How about writing " I won't forget my school supplies 20 times in English" on the board.

@Jack Stern--I am sure that someone will find some reason why that is totally demeaning and traumatizing to the student...particularly when one does it several times and decides they don't want to go to school anymore.

A punishment is supposed to be unpleasant. Seem pretty mild. Not sure about allowing pictures to be taken. As that one girl, so acting like a cat and saying, "gomenasai, nyaa" is overly humiliating? What always forgetting the supplies and assignments. Maybe the parents should be made to do the punishment.

Apologizing to the class was standard at all the private schools I saw when I lived in Japan. I think it can be done right.

The photo seems a little, well, odd.

I agree with Dan that an apology would have been appropriate, maybe with a note to the parents to be returned signed the next day. Goofy poses? That's odd. But pictures of kids in goofy poses? That's creepy.

Public humiliation in front of peers can be just as damaging as bullying. Hasn't anyone ever heard of a demerit system? First offense results in a warning, for subsequent offenses pupils are given demerits which when accumulated have an effect on their grades.

This is it? Really? I don't see any issue with this. It's weird, but I'd rather do a weird pose and get my picture taken, than have after school detention or suspension.

Me, I'd probably have done it differently. "Oh, forgot your school supplies. No problem. You're going to pose for the art class and let them draw you."

You get to punish them and at the same time, provide something meaningful to another class.