Abstract
We surveyed 1,033 teachers from the disaster-stricken area of the Niigata Chuetsu Earthquake four years after the earthquake. Junior high school teachers in that area noticed student behavior such as aggressiveness, physical reactions, and helplessness. Elementary school teachers in that area noticed degradation and social uneasiness among students. Moreover, compared to elementary school teachers, there were more junior high school teachers who did not notice students' physical reactions and mental and physical behavior at home. Teachers who did notice the above were among the few who did not experience the disaster. This indicated that the teachers' perception of mental and physical changes among students differed in accordance with the formers' experience of the disaster. We found that most teachers were concerned by the students' aggressive behavior. In addition, the teachers whose houses were damaged in the disaster adopted a different class management approach. In conclusion, many teachers who experienced the disaster were found to be able to emphasize students and parents' feelings because of their own experiences.
