Part of the reason for Japan’s school bullying is continued attempts to treat all students the same: “There’s a huge disparity between kids in the same class. Some go to cram schools and understand everything, others just sit there understanding nothing, leading to frustration on both sides”
https://www.dailyshincho.jp/article/2026/08050500/?all=1
7 Comments
I’ve heard teachers talk about putting kids of similar levels together in classes fitting their levels. Unfortunately this can’t be resolved at the school level because they don’t have enough teachers to do it.
In Germany, at least when I was young, we did this for entire schools. Lower level schools, mid level and higher level. Of course this doesn’t solve all the problems, but right now, especially in junior high, the level of the students is just too different to be able to teach the same material to everyone. It simply does not work. Only it never becomes too visible because even if you fail most of the time you still graduate. It becomes the students problem. They literally have graphs of under and over achievers but never think they don’t belong in the same room. Or some do, as I said, but not the people with power to change anything about it. I’m a bit afraid of the future here because I think school is failing all but the most independent and resourceful students.
There’s also the issue of neurodiversity not being taken seriously still.
Everyone can’t be the same because everyone is not the same. There are so many different reasons children are not able to fit into a perfect box, chief among them being that they are human beings.
The problem with Japan’s brand of “equality” or “fairness” is that it is entirely superficial. This is an oversimplification to demonstrate a point, but imagine “equalizing” two kids’ allowances by saying they each must have 5 coins, while ignoring the fact that Timmy has five ￥50 coins and Kevin has five ￥100 coins. That’s basically how their mentality works: They focus on the total while ignoring the weight of each individual item.
Does cram school make that much of a difference?
Have they not considered the possibility that some kids are simply little shits?
Attempting to justify bullying behaviour because they are thickos doesn’t help anyone.
In fact, if they recognise that maybe, perhaps not everyone is a perfect clone of the ideal person, then perhaps, maybe a good mulling is required in order to perhaps, maybe unfuck that situation.
Obviously that costs time and brainpower, so nothing will be done. But still, it would be nice, eh.
Nah, that’s bullshit. Did they really just tried to spin it into an academic thing? Cut that shit out. I’m guessing this is their attempt to downplay the bullying by giving it a “positive” spin by making about grades so they can say “if you just study harder you won’t be bullied” and wash their hands off the matter. They know damn well it’s because of their sadistic culture of treating those they see as weak or different like shit. Japanese need to get their head out of their ass they even tried to make their bullying sound superior trying to make it about academic.
Have the fast students mentor the slow ones. It’s a win for everyone including the fast student who learns the material better.