Special Issue
Trust and Distrust:
Changing and Complex Views of Teachers in Japan
2010 Volume 86 Pages 59-74
Details
2010 Volume 86 Pages 59-74
In this paper, images of teachers are clarified using novels, movies and comics published after World War II in Japan. The complex views of teachers described by the term “enthusiastic teachers” are discussed. Even today, stereotypical images of “enthusiastic teachers” appear in TV dramas in Japan. This image depicts trust and expectations toward teachers. However, it is also easy to find criticisms of teachers in the media. In this article, we examine how these complicated views of teachers have been constructed and how the stereotypical images have changed over time.
The idea of “enthusiastic teachers” emerged in the novel Seishun towa nanda (What is adolescence?) by Shintaro Ishihara. The characteristics of “enthusiastic teachers” are as follows: (1) Enthusiasm toward education, (2) Lack of teacher-like behavior, (3) Ideal human type, (4) An emphasis on the relationship with students, (5) Involvement in problems going into areas of privacy such as family and friends. These stereotypes of teachers evolved from actual Japanese teachers, who had strong relationships with the families of students.
On the other hand, since the 1980s, “enthusiastic teachers” have disappeared while “delinquent teachers” have emerged in Japanese comics. These “delinquent teachers” never concern themselves with problems that infringe upon the privacy of students. This shows that since the 1980s, actual teachers have not been able to involve themselves in such areas. Nevertheless, teachers are still expected to act like “enthusiastic teachers” and to deal with the private matters of their students. Therefore, teachers do not fulfill the social expectations, as it is impossible for actual teachers to do so in contemporary situations.
One of the reasons for the distrust toward teachers is such stereotypical images. There is a need to examine these stereotypical images of teachers and introduce various images of individual teachers in the real world. This is an important task for researchers.
