Chiba Boy’s Family Files Lawsuit After Boy Is Outed As A Loser In Class
By billywest • May 5th, 2008 • Category: Japan News
Chiba, Japan - A boy whose teacher had all the students in his class write down who they disliked the most in the class and then announced the results in front of all the students, is attempting to make a little cash by seeking damages against the Chiba Municipal Government.
If the boy hadn’t been the one labeled as a class-A dipshit by his peers, would he have been so bothered by this? I think not.
Man stabs Junior High School girl in the face and stomach leaving her in serious condition
A Junior high school girl was stabbed in the face and stomach by a man she’d apparently met on a mobile phone matchmaking site. The man said he planned to commit suicide after the act, but he was overpowered by two local residents and turned over to police. Number 1: kudos to the bystanders for getting involved; Number 2: How long does anyone think it’ll be before stabbing young girls starts to rank up there with manga and pachinko as the top mens’ hobbies?
Nagoya Subway Escalator Suddenly Reverses Direction Injuring 11
Passengers this morning on a Nagoya subway escalator got what might have been the shock of their lives when the motorized staircase suddenly reversed gears and sent its passengers head over heels. 11 people were injured, none seriously. I wish someone would’ve gotten this on video. I can only hope it was a group of lazy bastards who always get in the escalator queue no matter how long the line is, while the staircase is empty.
Another high school girl found murdered, this time in Kyoto
A first-year high school girl was found murdered on a riverbank in Maizuru, Kyoto. The murder comes less than one week after the body of a high school girl was found in a rice paddy in Aichi. Police are still looking for the killer.
Earthquake shakes Kanto and Tohoku Regions
A 6.7-magnitude earthquake hit the Kanto and Tohoku areas early this morning (Thursday, May 8th). No serious injuries or damage were reported. I don’t mind earthquakes that much, but the severe earthquake news flashes on TV kind of had me wondering if someone was having a really bad night somewhere in Japan. But, as usual in Japan, it was just an overactive emergency system. Should be thankful, though, right?
Two Japanese women abducted in Yemen, but freed soon afterward.
Two Japanese women who were abducted in Yemen and held for a brief period, were freed and are in good condition today (Thursday, May 8th).
Other Attacks Possibly Related To Murder Of Aichi Teenager
A 15-year-old high school student named Manami Shimizu was found murdered in a rice paddy in Toyota, Aichi last weekend. Now, there is an investigation of a possible connection between two other attacks in the same area, one in which a girl was forced down by her assailant but was able to resist enough to cause the attacker to flee on his motorcyle. The other case involves a girl who was pushed off her bicycle about 8 kilometers away from the Shimizu murder site. The attacker in this incident fled in a car when the girl called out for help to a bystander.
7 Hydrogen Sulfide gas suicides last weekend
Seven people committed suicide by using hydrogen sulfide gas last weekend. The incidents occurred in various regions throughout Japan, including Hokkaido, Kanagawa, and Mie Prefectures.
billywest is a resident of South Tokyo and lives on the Toyoko line.
Email this author | All posts by billywest | billywest 's website
The Toyoto murder is a bit scary. We have a number of students that live there and the girls have all been told to be careful going home.
[Reply]
That earthquake seemed to last forever here in Sendai. I kept wondering whether I should get out of the apartment or at least open the door so it wouldn’t jam but I was too tired to get up.
[Reply]
I take the stairs at the subway station in Los Angeles.
The escalators are out of service half the time anyways.
[Reply]
Billy there is no way the teacher in question should have asked the students to name the person that they disliked the most in the first place. What happened to positive reinforcement and teaching compassion? Whether the kid should sue or not is another issue but I really think that the teacher was wrong.
[Reply]
Sorry, Shane. I’m coming at this under the assumption that the kid was creating problems and the teacher took the opportunity to show him that he had been alienating himself from the other students with his behavior. I saw a similar thing happen during my time teaching in the public school system here in Japan, and it really shook the kid up, but he changed his ways. Some of the other kids even seemed to be friendlier with him.
Here, in elementary schools, the brightest of the bunch, along with the more average students are encouraged to help the slower kids, and lessons or activities often won’t move on until all the kids are on board. This is nice most of the time, but quite often, some really selfish or emotionally troubled kids will act up and the rest are forced to wait while the problem kid gets over him/herself. Many kids even try to placate the brats in order to resolve the situation. For example, during a 30-min recess period dodgeball game, one kid will sit down in the middle of the court and start pouting because he or she is upset at being knocked out. Do the rest of the kids play around him/her? Usually not. They just sit and wait, and often try to sweet-talk the kid into getting out of the way, all the while painfully watching their break-time minutes fly away. I saw this happen way too many times with the same kids. I know patience is a virtue, but enabling kids to continue their selfish and disruptive behavior without any incentive to cut it out, is the wrong approach, IMO. Elementary school kids are allowed to get a way with murder and then start getting kicked in the ass for not being serious enough in junior high school, which just makes the painful transition from little kid to teenager that much more painful. It confuses them and, again IMO, breeds social problems.
Of course, if this is just a clear-cut case of malicious bullying on the part of the teacher, of course it’s not ok. I’m just taking a look at this based on my experience.
[Reply]
Billy, I’m not a teacher and I can honestly say that it must be one of the most difficult jobs to do well. I’m sure the kid was creating problems and probably made the teachers life very difficult, not to mention that of the other kids but there had to be a more mature way for the teacher to handle this. I wonder if the parents were contacted before the teacher had the vote?
[Reply]