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Tokyo Toyama Public High School (2) |
In our last installment, we talked about there being a lot of students at Toyama High School who didn't want to become involved with student government or homeroom leadership, and who just generally didn't have an interest in organizations. This installment deals with those who do establish organizations.
Q. At Tokorozawa High School, in Saitama Prefecture, the students planned unique entrance and graduation ceremonies. It seems to me that they had their acts together there.
Miyazaki: You couldn't do that at Tokorozawa the way it is now.
Ishii: I wouldn't want us to be like Tokorozawa High.
Aragaki: What I thought of when I saw Tokorozawa High was that Toyama has no leaders, no one who'll assume leadership roles. There may be charismatic people around, but that doesn't mean they'll lead. And if people without charisma try to lead, no one will follow them. I get the feeling everyone just does as they please.
Ishii: It's like, the charismatic people are going in different directions.
Aragaki: If only they'd harness that power for the school...
Q. What kind of people would you say possess charisma?
Aragaki: They're the kind of people that, when they say, "Let's do it," everyone gladly follows after them.
Ishii: Right, right. It's like they exert a centripetal force on other people.
Q. What sorts of things are those who might possess such qualities doing?
Ishii: After-school clubs...
Aragaki: They take their after-school activities pretty seriously.
Ishii: We'd do well if we could get such people on the Operations Committee.
Aragaki: But people have this image of the committee always being busy, and having to meet every day...
Ishii: Right.
Aragaki: And they can't be bothered with messy things like this... There sure are a lot of people like that, aren't there.
Q. Do you need people like that to get anything done?
Suemune: There was a really awful teacher two or three years back, and everyone got together a petition which made that teacher quit. It's become legend.
Aragaki: Whether it's class or whatever, everyone gets together and attacks bad things. But the crux of the matter is who's going to bring people together in these situations. At that point, everyone says it's too much trouble, and people who can really take charge and bring things together are rare, even in the Diet.
"People Who Follow Are Also Necessary"
Ishii: When it comes to taking charge, it doesn't do any good to start something all by yourself.
Aragaki: Even if you've got a leader, you still need people to follow that leader.
Ishii: You can't do it alone.
Aragaki: We each need to spread into a larger and larger circle.
Ishii: That's what it takes.
Anno: I'm enjoying listening to what you all have to say. This is great. Your school is totally different (from the previous school, Meiji University's Affiliated Nakano-Hachioji High School). I can hardly believe that these are even the same Tokyo-area high schools. What it boils down to is, you want someone to assume leadership, is that right?"Individuality Is Bursting Out All Over"
Aragaki: I think everyone wants that right now. But there's just too much individuality. It's bursting out all over.
Ishii: Conversely, we may just have too many strongly individualistic people, which is why we can't organize.
Aragaki: The participants (in these sessions) sure are of deep character.
Ishii: What's so unusual about that?
Aragaki: There's nothing strange about that.
Yoshioka: Not at all. It's just the way we are.
Aragaki: That in itself is interesting. The question is, how do we create such character?
(From the May 14, 1998 edition of Mainichi Intermediate School News)
