Summary (≈300 words)

In Japan, the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education recently announced a groundbreaking set of guidelines to protect teachers from harassment and unreasonable demands by parents. These include recording all meetings, limiting their duration, and escalating persistent cases to legal professionals. This move reflects an urgent issue — the erosion of respect and trust in the teacher-parent relationship.

However, the root of the problem lies deeper. Teachers, like firefighters or civil servants, are public servants, not service providers. Parents and students are not “customers.” Education is not a commodity to be purchased but a collaborative process of growth and responsibility.

Teachers’ true role is to help students and parents develop self-responsibility — a mindset of ownership. Instead of taking over decisions, teachers should guide clients (students and parents) to identify options, set SMART goals, and take accountability for results. Through powerful questions and reflective dialogue, educators can help learners discover their own paths forward.

At the heart of all education lies the student’s will. The ultimate client is not the parent, nor even the institution, but the student who must choose, act, and grow. Teachers serve as navigators who return discussions to this central focus when they drift into blame or conflict.

This article calls on young educators to embrace this principle:
“Students and parents are not customers — they are partners in responsibility.”

Full Text

I am TobiraAI, writing from a quiet neighborhood in Japan.
Thank you always for reading my column — please take your time and relax as you read this.

Today’s quiz:
👉 Teachers should guide their clients to hold self-responsibility (　　) .

Before diving in, a quick announcement — this series is divided into three parts:
Part 1: Sales (Trust), Part 2: Instructor, and Part 3: Teacher.
We’re still in the “sales” part, but this topic couldn’t wait.

---

A Shocking Article in the Education Newspaper

On November 6, 2025, the Education Newspaper reported that the Tokyo Board of Education had drafted guidelines to protect teachers from harassment.
Here’s the summary:

• Meetings are limited to 30 minutes (maximum one hour).
• All calls and meetings must be recorded.
• After the second meeting, a vice principal and lawyer become involved.
• From the fourth stage, lawyers or psychologists attend; after the fifth, lawyers act as representatives.
• Violent or unreasonable behavior may lead to police contact.
• Mental care for teachers and follow-up for students are also included.

Frankly, the article left me astonished. The system now needs lawyers and recordings for what used to be normal communication between parents and teachers.

---

We Are Not Customers of Public Servants

Teachers are public servants — just like police officers, firefighters, or civil employees.
And the Japanese Constitution (Article 15) clearly states:

“All public officials are servants of the whole community and not of any group thereof.”

This means that public workers serve the public good, not individual clients.
A firefighter doesn’t treat us as customers.
City officials don’t provide “services” — they carry out duties for society’s functioning.
Likewise, teachers are not in the service industry.

So, even if a young teacher faces older parents, they must not act subserviently.

---

Tutors Also — Parents and Students Are Not Customers

In private tutoring, too, parents and children are not “clients” in the commercial sense.
Teachers should embody what coaching calls a “coaching mindset” — helping the client (the parent or student) to take responsibility for their own choices.
Our role is not to decide for them, but to help them discover their options and commit to action.

In my own team, I often say:

“Always act with 100% self-responsibility.”

Because blaming others — “the student didn’t do homework,” “the parents didn’t support enough,” “the school gives too much work” — helps no one.

---

The Problem of “Being Carried”

Parents and students sometimes expect teachers to “carry” them entirely — to do everything for them.
But results only come when the student takes ownership.
No matter how many extra lessons we give, no one learns for someone else.

That’s why I never say to a parent,

“Your child did 100 math problems for me.”
Instead, I say,
“Your child solved 100 problems on their own — please praise them at home too.”

It’s their effort, their will.

Of course, as tutors, we do everything possible to raise scores.
But if students lack self-responsibility, they’ll always find someone else to blame.

---

Drawing Boundaries in Advance

Each year at our March parent briefing, I clearly say:

“Please do not bring personal or family conflicts into the school.”

There were times when parents demanded that certain students be seated apart because of home issues.
We respond politely, but I remind them: teachers are not mediators for community disputes.

Today’s weak local ties have pushed every interpersonal issue into schools.
Teachers can’t carry that entire burden.

Therefore, I strongly support the new Tokyo guidelines — clarifying procedures and expectations in advance protects everyone.
Yet, I still feel sad that things have come this far — to the point where even simple meetings require recording or legal supervision.

---

Advice to Young Teachers

For young educators, please remember:
Your role is not to decide for clients, but to help them discover and choose responsibly.

I recommend three practices:

1. Clarify Roles and Expectations.
   Explain that parents and students are responsible for their own actions.
   You can phrase it gently — “We’ll support, but we can’t resolve family disputes for you.”
   Even stating this early can prevent trouble later.
2. Introduce Accountability.
   Set SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-based) together with the student.
   Co-creating goals fosters shared responsibility and ownership.
3. Ask Powerful Questions.
   These are questions that invite reflection and new insight.
   For example: “What could you do differently to ensure this problem never happens again?”
   Such dialogue encourages learning, not blame.
   Stay curious, non-judgmental, and focused on the client’s growth.

---

Be a Navigator of Student-Centered Education

When discussions with parents get tangled, always return to the original point:
Who is the true client?
It’s not the parent. It’s the student.

The student’s will, their growth, their responsibility — that’s the compass.

If teachers, parents, and students all share self-responsibility,
education will once again become a place of mutual respect and development.

And by the way — the answer to today’s quiz is:

“In advance.”