「田中たけし塾」設立のきっかけ

公立高校の管理職をしていた私は平成２７年から２年間「新潟市教育委員会」で勤務する機会をいただきました。高校の英語担当の私がなんと新潟市の「幼稚園から高校」まで担当することになりました。そこで目にした現実「大人数の学校の授業では『中間層』の児童・生徒を対象とした授業を行う」ため、勉強ができる人、苦手な人は授業中？？？となり幼稚園なら集団に入らずぽつんとしている児童（日本語がわからない外国人児童もいました）小学校では授業を見に来た私たち（指導主事）をじろじろ見ながら全く授業に集中していない児童、、、
高校では授業に参加できず「保健室」に閉じこもっている生徒。

この現状をなんとかするには何をすべきなんだろう？学校の改革も大事だけどまず最初にすることって何だろう？と考えました。

私の結論は「個に応じた教育」

政策の１つとして「教育国債」を掲げている政党もありますし、あらゆる教育を受けている全ての子供たちに「わかる」喜びを与えたいと思います。私の試みはスタートは「英語」のみの事業ですが、いつの日か新潟市の全児童・生徒に手を差し伸べられる活動・予算を勝ち取る活動をしたいと考え「ささやかな試み」を始めました。新潟市の学校全体に「多様な思考」を働き掛ける一助にもなればと思い考えました。コロナ下で勉強の機会がなくなって親の援助のためにアルバイトなどをせざるを得なくなった生徒たちにも「わかる学習」を提供したい。そんな活動を心がけていきたいと想うきっかけで、社会貢献として「田中たけし塾」を設立いたしました。

The Inspiration Behind Establishing “Tanaka Takeshi Juku”

Having previously served in an administrative role at a public high school, I was given the opportunity to work at the Niigata City Board of Education for two years starting in 2015. Although my background was in high school English education, I found myself responsible for the entire spectrum of education in Niigata City—from kindergarten through high school. The realities I witnessed there were striking:
In large school classes, instruction is typically geared toward the “average” student, leaving both high achievers and those who struggle feeling lost and confused. In kindergartens, I saw children sitting alone, unable to join the group (including foreign children who did not understand Japanese). In elementary schools, there were children who paid no attention to the lesson at all, instead staring intently at us—the visiting educational supervisors.
In high schools, there were students unable to participate in class who would instead withdraw into the school infirmary.
I asked myself: What must be done to address this situation? While school reform is important, what is the very first step we should take?
My conclusion was “education tailored to the individual.”
There are political parties advocating for “education bonds” as a policy measure, and I, too, want to bring the joy of truly understanding the material to every child, regardless of their educational setting. Although my initiative began as a program focused solely on English, I launched this “modest endeavor” with the hope that, one day, I could secure the activities and funding necessary to reach every student in Niigata City. I also hoped to help foster “diverse thinking” across the city’s school system. I wanted to provide “learning that fosters understanding” even to students who had lost educational opportunities due to the COVID-19 pandemic and were forced to take on part-time jobs to support their families. Driven by a desire to pursue this kind of mission, I established “Tanaka Takeshi Juku” as a contribution to society.