This is TobiraAI. Thanks, as always, for reading—make yourself comfortable.

Quiz of the day:
“The < > from the eel restaurant drifted out to the street, and though it entered only that much, the impact was enormous.”
(Answer at the end.)

Japan Is Also Short on Teachers
Japan’s teacher shortage is real and worsening. Behind it are long hours and unpaid overtime, baby-boomer retirements, hiring missteps, and the ill effects of license renewal policies. Above all, the image among youth that “teaching = exploitative work” has crushed applications. Government measures—like shifting club activities to communities—help at the margins, but a full fix seems unlikely soon.

Respect—and a Request
I’m not on the front lines of public schools, yet even from the cram school side I feel how exhausted teachers are. You have my respect and gratitude. My single request to young teachers: do not spare your efforts to study. In an AI era, continuous learning is your strongest leverage on student and parent outcomes.

From Failure to Turnaround
I wanted to teach since junior high. My first cram school job was a disaster: students didn’t listen, surveys were terrible, and I was fired. A second attempt brought more pain—humiliations, a score of 44 where others averaged ~90. That shock forced a mindset reset: I threw away ego and fully copied a successful mentor—speech, tone, relationships, greetings, calls. Treating students as equals (not from above) changed everything.
Results followed: the student who once gave me 44 later apologized; my senior Japanese history class grew from 16 to 70 and became a flagship; class surveys now rank near the top, with days averaging 100/100 across 50 students. I later took a near-defunct department to 5x enrollment and opened new campuses despite demographic headwinds. A teammate who “copied the copy” also succeeded.
Illness made me rethink life. My goal now is to return what I’ve learned to the broader education field. I’ll share more when I’m independent—please stay tuned.

Why Learning Matters—Data and a Memory
PERSOL’s 2022 survey across 18 countries found 52.6% of Japanese respondents do no self-development outside work, versus a global average of 18.0% (2nd worst: Australia 28.6%; best: India 3.2%). The gap is stark. Don’t repeat our generation’s bad habit; the real game starts after graduation.
A stranger once told me on a nearly empty Fukuchiyama Line: “Study till you die!” It sounded harsh then; it rings true now. Lifelong learning is how we keep growing—and how we serve students better.

Books as Your Quiet Advantage
In an age of noisy feeds, books remain reliable: authored by people with results, fewer baseless claims, and no AI hallucinations. One golden rule I still follow: invest ~10% of your income in self-development. Read what you like—but apply it. Application lifts productivity.

A Few Books (Short List)
• “Zero-Second Thinking” — speed and clarity as a work muscle.
• “McKinsey-Style: A First-Year Problem-Solving Textbook” — structure and communication.
• Ryotaro Shiba’s The Shape of This Country — to expand vocabulary and expression (older literature that’s readable yet slightly challenging is ideal).

Why Expression Matters
Teachers are communicators. Broader vocabulary widens the ways you can reach students. Consider Shiba’s line:
“Japan first absorbed ideology at the end of the Kamakura period, called Song Learning. Though it entered only to the degree that the aroma of broiled eel drifted onto the street, the impact was enormous.”
That metaphor isn’t obvious; it’s the fruit of deep reading and a rich lexicon. Grow yours.

Closing
Economic slumps, work-style reforms, and structural constraints are real—but your personal slope can still trend upward through deliberate practice and steady study. Start small today—five minutes compounds.

Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this, I’d be grateful for a like, a comment, and a follow.
Quiz answer: “the aroma of broiled eel.” Shiba’s Kansai humor peeks through.

With deep gratitude,
Warm Regards,
TobiraAI

#Self
#Education
#Japan
#Teacher
#Expression
#JuniorHighEntranceExams
#WorkStyleReform
#ReadersConnect
#JapaneseHistory
#Reskilling
#Relearning
#EducationReform