The children refusing to go to school
566,611 views Published by ABC Australia News – 29 Apr 2024
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A growing number of children worldwide are struggling to attend school – the reasons why are complex and varied. “School refusal” refers to kids who experience emotional distress around school. Many experts and families argue the more accurate term is “school can’t”, as it’s not a deliberate choice by the child. Four Corners in Australia follows families battling the blame, shame and fear of missing out on education – and visits some of the schools attempting to tackle the problem.
This episode was originally broadcast as ‘The Kids Who Can’t’ on April 29 on ABC TV and ABC iview. Read more about Four Corners’ investigation into school refusal and the families featured in the documentary here: https://ab.co/3UBSaz1 What are your options if your child is struggling to go to school?
See here: https://ab.co/3w4T2mD Four Corners is Australia’s premier investigations documentary series.
Subscribe to the Four Corners weekly newsletter here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/subscribe#4Corners#ABCNewsIndepth#ABCNewsAustralia Note: In most cases, our captions are auto-generated.
Timestamps: 00:00 – Growing trend of ‘school refusal’ 02:36 – Alice and Frieda’s story 09:22 – Mental health and education 11:53 – ‘School Can’t’ 14:55 – Classrooms like ‘zoos’ 19:10 – Managing homeschooling and life 27:07 – A problem with the system? 30:04 – Specialist schools 33:10 – Ethan’s story 37:43 – Acacia Program 45:52 – Where are they now?
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What a School Performance Shows
Us About Japanese Education
A look into the delicate balance between teamwork, discipline
and personal growth.
What is happening in our schools will shape what our future society will look like. While the Japanese system has its strengths and weaknesses, this film provides an opportunity for other societies around the world to hold a mirror to their educational systems and to reflect on how they want to raise the next generation.
Children as young as 6 are responsible for cleaning their classrooms and serving one another lunch. Schools are structured like mini societies, where everyone has a role and is expected to contribute to the community. There’s a strong focus on nonacademic education intended to teach teamwork, work ethic and a sense of accomplishment.
Growing up in Japan as the child of a Japanese mother and a British father, Ema struggled with her identity. Only years later, while living abroad, she came to appreciate the values and work ethic instilled in her at elementary school. These schools are so normalized in Japan that their worth is underappreciated. These values and ethics also contribute to Japanese society and how it works; the trains run on time because people are taught early, to prioritize harmony and consideration for others; on the other hand, Japanese people live under a collective encouragement to conform and not bring any shame or bad example into the community.
In the short documentary in the linked heading above, “Instruments of a Beating Heart,” filmed in 2022, first graders at a Tokyo public school are presented with a challenge for their final semester: to form an orchestra and perform at a school ceremony. As the children are taught to “make your hearts as one” and rigorously rehearse, we see both the pressures and the wonders of being held responsible to a group. The character-building traditions in Japanese education are experienced through Ayame, who learns to be resilient in the face of newfound challenges. The experience of overcoming obstacles, as Ayame does, is crucial to education. But where should the balance lie between discipline and freedom?
Ema Ryan Yamazaki is a Japanese British director and editor based in Tokyo.
How could we better interact with our world
How should we as a collective consciousness enjoy a more balanced and meaningful existence within our limited perceptions and ever changing experience.
experience | noun 1. practical contact with and observation of facts or events: he had learned his lesson by painful experience | she spoke from experience. • the knowledge or skill acquired by a period of practical experience of something, especially that gained in a particular profession: you should have the necessary experience in health management. 2 an event or occurrence which leaves an impression on someone: audition day is an enjoyable experience for any seven-year old. verb [with object] encounter or undergo (an event or occurrence): the company is experiencing difficulties. • feel (an emotion or sensation): an opportunity to experience the excitement of New York.
witness | noun 1. a person who sees an event, typically a crime or accident, take place: police are appealing for witnesses to the accident | I was witness to one of the most amazing comebacks in sprinting history. • a person giving sworn testimony to a court of law or the police: a key witness at the trial | [as modifier] : oral evidence set down in witness statements. • a person who is present at the signing of a document and signs it themselves to confirm this: a deed signed in the presence of a witness. 2 [mass noun] evidence; proof: the memorial service was witness to the wide circle of his interests. • used to refer to confirmation or evidence given by signature or under oath: in witness thereof, the parties sign this document. • open profession of one’s religious faith through words or actions: they will be able to give witness of their faith and confidence in God. 3 (also witness mark) a line or remnant of an original surface on a workpiece to show how much material has been removed or the shape of the original outline. verb [with object] 1 see (an event, typically a crime or accident) happen: staff who witnessed the murder. • be present as someone signs (a document) or gives (their signature) to a document and sign it oneself to confirm this: the clerk witnessed her signature. 2 have knowledge of (a development) from observation or experience: what we are witnessing is the birth of a new political entity. • be the place, period, or setting in which (an event or development) takes place: the 1980s witnessed an unprecedented increase in the scope of the electronic media. • be a sign or proof of (something); serve as evidence: the mid-1980s saw an intensification of interest in community care, as witnessed by the publication of four major reports | [no object] : his writings witness to an inner toughness. • [in imperative] used to introduce an example that proves a preceding statement: the nuclear family is a vulnerable institution—witness the rates of marital breakdown. 3 [no object] openly profess one’s religious faith: one of the purposes of his coming was to nerve the disciples to witness to Jesus.
perception | noun 1. the ability to see, hear, or become aware of something through the senses: the normal limits to human perception. • awareness of something through the senses: the perception of pain. • Psychology & Zoology the neurophysiological processes, including memory, by which an organism becomes aware of and interprets external stimuli. 2 the way in which something is regarded, understood, or interpreted: Hollywood’s perception of the tastes of the American public | we need to challenge many popular perceptions of old age. • intuitive understanding and insight: ‘He wouldn’t have accepted,’ said my mother with unusual perception.
interaction | noun reciprocal action or influence: ongoing interaction between the two languages. • communication or direct involvement with someone or something: for a shy person, social interaction can be a stomach-churning, anxiety-filled experience | he built tools to analyse user interactions on social networks.
To act in such a way as to have an effect on each other: all the stages in the process interact. • communicate or be involved directly: the user interacts directly with the library | people who interact daily.
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