Everyone may have thought at least once, "I don't want to go to school today, maybe I should take a break."
Due to various factors and stress, I believe it is also necessary to take a break at home as a way to protect oneself. However, if this prolongs and there are children who find it difficult to go to school and feel lonely, what can be done?
There are high school students who want to empathize with the feelings of such children and have taken on this difficult challenge.
Students from Kurashiki City Tamashima High School Night Course.
Having experienced school refusal themselves, they understand the hearts and feelings of children painfully, which is why they thought, “Is there something we can do?”
The students of Kurashiki City Tamashima High School work hard in their studies while working part-time at supermarkets and restaurants during the day, attending classes from 4 PM to 9 PM.
I will introduce why they decided to support school refusal and what kind of projects they implemented.
What is Kurashiki City Tamashima High School?
Kurashiki City Tamashima High School was established in 1948 and is a high school with a Day Course in General Studies and a Night Course in Commercial Studies.
Due to a decrease in student numbers, recruitment of students has been suspended since spring 2023, and the school will close in the 2024 academic year.
From April 2025, it will be integrated with Kurashiki City Seishi High School located in Hachioji-cho, Kurashiki City.
The trigger for Kurashiki City Tamashima High School's support for school refusal
The students who took on the challenge of supporting school refusal are 17 second-year students from the Night Course in Commercial Studies.
Some of them have experienced school refusal in elementary and middle school, and there are still students who struggle with school life or find it difficult to attend classes.
In such an environment, why did they decide to support school refusal?
Encounter with Chihiro Miyoshi, representative of Konohitokan
On May 2, 2023, a phone call came to Kurashiki City Tamashima High School.
The caller was Chihiro Miyoshi, the representative of Konohitokan.
The call was to invite them to participate in the 2nd Konohitokan 1000 Can Project Social Issue Solution Contest.
The call was received by the head of the Night Course in Commercial Studies, Hidemasa Okada. Mr. Okada conveyed to Miyoshi that he would like her to come to the school and speak directly to the students about her thoughts.
When Miyoshi visited the night class of Kurashiki City Tamashima High School, she passionately spoke in front of the 17 students about the canned food Konohitokan created to solve food loss and poverty issues, and encouraged them to participate in the "Konohitokan 1000 Can Project Social Issue Solution Contest" where high school students present their ideas.
Inspired by Miyoshi's talk, a student raised their hand and said, "I will do it!"
That student is the leader of this activity, Hiromu Ishii.
Hiromu's actions sparked the beginning of activities to tackle social issues involving the whole class.
Class discussions
The leader, Hiromu, had a thought.
“There are things that only we, who have experienced school refusal, can do.”
The theme is support for school refusal. But what should they do to carry out this activity?
Mr. Okada asked each student what they could do to make it easier for children who find it difficult to go to school to come and open their hearts.
Various ideas were proposed, and among them, four projects were selected.
They decided to summarize these four projects and enter them into the "Konohitokan 1000 Can Project Social Issue Solution Contest" for presentation.
The four projects are as follows:
- Canned food exchange event
- Empty can art
- Can collection & night hide-and-seek
- Meal gathering (lunch distribution)
Presentation at the 1000 Can Project Social Issue Solution Contest
Although they decided to participate in the contest, the presentation time was limited to 5 minutes. They struggled to create a script within that time.
At that time, a student who usually had been absent volunteered to be the script coordinator. They came to school during summer vacation, repeatedly refining the script, and completed a perfect 5-minute manuscript.
On the day of the contest, they attended and confidently presented the script they had written.
Awarded Okayama City SDGs/ESD Award
As a result, they won the Okayama City SDGs/ESD Award. The students were surprised by the unexpected award.
However, this contest is not over once an award is received; the actual goal is to carry out the activities they conceived in society.
The students began to take action towards each of the events they planned.
Activities supporting school refusal
First, Kurashiki City Tamashima High School needs to let the local community and children who find it difficult to go to school know what kind of support they will provide.
Therefore, on October 4, 2023, they invited local social workers and members of the school refusal support group to hold an explanatory meeting.
Many local people participated in the explanatory meeting and listened to the students of Kurashiki City Tamashima High School.
Now, let’s introduce the projects carried out by the students of Kurashiki City Tamashima High School one by one.
Canned food exchange event
The first event held was a canned food exchange and exchange of unwanted items with Konohitokan's canned food.
It was held on October 21, 2023, in the Agemora room at "IDEA R LAB" in Tamashima.
This idea was conceived by Suzuka and Fuka.
The idea was to encourage children who find it difficult to go to school to come out by exchanging unwanted items at home for Konohitokan's canned food.
There was a reason for making it an "exchange event" rather than just giving things away.
They thought that some children might feel guilty about just receiving canned food, so Suzuka wanted to create an environment where they could say "thank you" to each other.
There was also consideration to hold it one-on-one and discreetly so that no one would see. It was a warm idea to exchange not just items, but also feelings.
On the day of the event, many people, including local social workers and members of the Fuwasapo support group for children who do not attend school, cooperated to distribute 75 sets of canned food (150 cans) with messages attached, so that they could be given to children who could not attend the event.
It was indeed difficult to get the children to come out, and the number of children who visited was small, but parents expressed their gratitude for organizing this event, and it seems they felt it was worth doing.
Empty Can Art
The event was planned by Takagawa Horo.
The first project, the "canned food exchange," involved having participants wash the cans (Kono Hito Kan) they received and bring them back to create their own art pieces using the empty cans.
It was held on November 11, 2023, at the Material Library of "IDEA R LAB."
Horo's reasons for planning this event were twofold.
- To create something that can be preserved as an art piece using empty cans
- To do something that children who are not good at physical activities can participate in
The Material Library is a place where a mountain of unwanted waste materials and scraps are collected. Various items such as buttons, wooden scraps, processed flower petals, and milk carton lids are available.
Children who visited for the first time with their parents were reportedly overwhelmed by the abundance of materials and spent a long time trying to decide what to make and what to choose.
As they envisioned the pieces they were about to create, they selected parts in their own unique ways.
Horo was worried about whether the children would burn themselves with the hot glue gun or cut their fingers with sharp objects. However, with parents and adults watching over them, the event was a success.
Each child seemed satisfied with their one-of-a-kind art pieces.
A total of 14 participants, including children from elementary to middle school and their parents, took part in this event.
Canned Food Retrieval & Hide and Seek in the Dark
The third event was canned food retrieval & hide and seek in the dark.
It was held on February 2, 2024, in the gymnasium and classrooms of Kurashiki City Tamashima High School.
Not only children who find it difficult to go to school but also elementary school students from the local after-school club, who heard about the event, came, gathering a total of 50 adults and children.
The leader of this event was Yamamoto Daisuke.
Daisuke said, "I wanted to do something that would make the children happy while they move their bodies."
Canned Food Retrieval
Canned food retrieval took place in the gymnasium starting at 4 PM.
The children were divided into the Meat Can Team and the Fish Can Team, each setting up one can in their territory. The rule was that if the can in their territory was taken, they would lose.
They threw paper balls at each other, and if hit, they had to leave the field. Balls hitting the face and head did not count.
While dodging cardboard shields and movable obstacles (ping pong tables), they attacked the opponent's territory.
Since there were only two referees, there were some points for reflection regarding the wins and losses, but everyone said that the most important achievement was that they had fun playing and moving their bodies.
Additionally, the paper balls were reportedly made by students from other grades.
Hide and Seek in the Dark
A unique hide and seek game in the dark at a night high school.
They decided on places where they could hide, such as the music room, classrooms, and gymnasium, and placed handmade "no entry" signs in the staff room and hallways.
At first, high school students became the seekers while the children hid. The hiding time was 5 minutes, and the seekers had 10 minutes to find the hidden children. Daisuke said it was quite difficult to find the children within the time limit.
The children who were found returned to the classroom, somewhat shyly.
Responding to the children's request, "I want to be the seeker next time!" the children then took turns being the seekers.
The hide and seek game was held three times, and the children enjoyed the extraordinary experience of playing hide and seek in a school they usually cannot enter at night.
Lunch Distribution at the Children's Cafeteria
Finally, there was the lunch distribution at the children's cafeteria.
During the previous hide and seek event, they had distributed invitation tickets for lunch to the children.
While searching for a venue that could cooperate with the community, the members of the Tenrikyo Motae no Sato Branch Church, which holds a children's cafeteria in Tamashima every month, kindly agreed to help, and they also prepared the children's lunches.
This event took place on March 3, 2024, at the Children's Cafeteria Aozora (Tenrikyo Motae no Sato Branch Church).
The leaders of the event were Miyake Takaaki, Matsuda Kaito, and Ide Toma.
Originally, the motivation came from wanting to try cooking with the canned food from Kono Hito Kan, which many students suggested as a project.
Starting at 10 AM, the students divided tasks such as plating the lunch ingredients and helping with the washing up.
Around 3 PM, children accompanied by their parents came to pick up their lunches. Some children recognized the high school students and enjoyed chatting with them with smiles.
Additionally, the students of Kurashiki City Tamashima High School did their best to implement what they could, such as holding Zoom meetings for children who cannot easily leave their homes.
All these events were interconnected, and it felt as if the students were passing the baton in turn.
The activities supporting children who do not attend school at Kurashiki City Tamashima High School, which unfolded over about six months, have successfully concluded.
Each Person's Thoughts
The students of Kurashiki City Tamashima High School, who took on the challenging project of supporting children who do not attend school.
We asked them about their thoughts and feelings after completing this project.
Leader Ishii Taimu's Thoughts
Please share your thoughts after completing the support activities for school refusal.
Hiro (no honorifics)
I thought there might be things we could understand because we have experienced school refusal ourselves, but since I hadn't played with children much, I was initially unsure how to approach them.
However, as I remembered my own childhood and interacted with them with an open heart, I became friends with them.
Are there any school refusal support activities you would like to try in the future?
Hiro
This time, the support had a strong play element, but next time I want to interact more with the children and create an environment where they can learn while playing.
I hope we can play in the park and have longer free time to build deeper relationships.
Vice Leader Matsuo Satoru
Vice Leader Matsuo Satoru, who was a great support to the leader.
I heard Satoru's thoughts.
Please share your thoughts on the school refusal support activities.
Satoru (no honorifics)
I was also a school refuser in middle school. When you are refusing school, it can be very lonely. I thought it would be good to do something for the children who are feeling that way.
I think all the children who came to this event are very brave. I wouldn't have been able to go if it were me. I also want to thank the adults who invited them.
Are there any school refusal support activities you would like to try in the future?
Satoru
This time, there were many one-day events, so I would like to try a long-term project.
If we can have a week of classes and play at high school, and continue having fun for a long time, I think the children will come to see school as interesting.
Okada Hidemasa, Kurashiki City Tamashima High School
Finally, I asked Mr. Okada about his thoughts on this event.
What do you think is the reason the students were able to achieve the school refusal support activities?
Okada (no honorifics)
This project was not compulsory; the students planned it voluntarily, so they could freely do what they thought.
Since it was not a class, there were no restrictions, and the teachers only provided assistance and support. I think that was actually a good thing.
Moreover, this project could not have been done without the cooperation of the local people.
I don't think we can support school refusal just with this project. The students likely experienced both good and bad things while engaging in the activities.
However, it is a fact that many people were able to receive canned goods, and the students realized that by taking action, the future can change little by little.
And a consciousness to take action has also emerged.
This activity has been a catalyst for the students to change. Finally, please share your thoughts, teacher.
Okada
A single phone call from Mr. Miyoshi of the general incorporated association Kono Hitokan has created many miracles.
The 17 students who received the baton of thoughts from Mr. Miyoshi thought about what they could do and executed it. Among the 17, some students have overcome school refusal and are now attending school energetically, while others are still in the process of refusing school.
Because they are living their lives while struggling, they may be able to feel the pain of others.
The kind thoughts that the students conveyed to the children through this activity will likely connect to other people.
We teachers will fully support the students as they move forward step by step.
Conclusion
As a volunteer, I had many opportunities to witness the activities of the students from Kurashiki City Tamashima High School while being involved in the "2nd Kono Hitokan 1000 Canned Goods Project Social Issue Resolution Contest."
I was moved by the sight of students who were not good at presentations speaking in front of everyone and expressing their thoughts in words, and working hard to attend school despite often being absent, in order to realize their dreams, showing steady growth.
What I felt during the interviews was that there are many students who have delicate and kind feelings.
However, they spoke with wonderful smiles, saying that they can understand things and do things because they have experienced school refusal, without hiding the fact that they were school refusers.
Of course, there may be things they could do because of the kind support of the local people and teachers who watched over them with gentle eyes.
Even so, it is wonderful that they were able to act with thoughts of for themselves and for others.
I will also quietly watch over the bright future of the students from now on.
Data of Kurashiki City Tamashima High School
| Name | Kurashiki City Tamashima High School |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-15-60 Tamashima, Kurashiki City |
| Homepage | Kurashiki City Tamashima High School - Board of Education |
